Don’t Eat The Appetizers!

As the holiday season comes closer and closer, food seems to be the topic of choice. However, what to wear for the holidays is on your mind as well as what size dress to buy. As these two topics can be rather competitive you are probably thinking of different ways to keep your figure to look good for all the holiday dinners and parties that are soon approaching. Well, this brings on the mass dieting before the New Years diet craze, call it the pre-season diet if you will. The dieting that goes on around the months of November and December are to keep you the same size, so you fit into all of your red, green, black and silver dresses pre-picked out for the next two months. (Still need help finding Holiday Dresses?)Staying the same size or even dropping down a size or two is most challenging when we are constantly going out to eat.  In light of ‘the too much food’ season I am going to give you some helpful tips on what food to sink your teeth into and what foods to skip over and leave for the folks with the fast metabolisms.

A holiday legend you should avoid, first and foremost, is filling up on appetizers. Don’t think because it is small it will not accumulate as much calories as your meal. Appetizers and their fat and calories can add up very quickly. Number one tip, eat your meal. These parties have caterers who prepare the food based on taste, but also on nutrition, and if there are no caterers, the host/hostess will be sure to prepare a well-balanced meal. Essentially, skip the appetizers if you can help it.

However, if you are an instant gratification person, like most Americans, here are a few tips on tackling the hors d’oeuvres. Number one; fried equals bad. We all know that fried food is not healthy now or as it is digesting. If you do eat it, it may taste good but there will be some gassy side effects later. Number two; carbs are still bad. We may have been learning that there are good carbs, but the breading and pasty used for appetizers is not too healthy. The delicious flaky, filo dough may look like a good choice but don’t be fooled. Most of these pastry-like appetizers are prepared rather quickly as they were frozen. News flash, any frozen to microwave/oven food is no good as it contains way more sodium and preservatives. Obviously, your best option is to eat the fresh foods and the lean proteins. Veggies and fruits are great. Shrimp cocktail, chicken skewers, and salmon are perfect. If you really can’t resist all the stuffed pastries then try to go for the stuffed mushrooms, filling and filled, yet healthy. Also, as cheese tends to stick with fruit and veggies, try to not eat more than a cheese stick amount. Ultimately, just try to eat what you like in moderation, stick to these simple rules, and you should be just fine for your holiday wardrobe.