By Jordynn Abernathy

Does the Thanksgiving pie still have you stuffed? Well, you aren’t alone. The holiday season always seems to mess up the diet you have been keeping up for next summer’s beach body. Savannah Thaler RND, LD from the Georgia Department of Public Health’s East Athens WIC office provided Grady Newsource with 5 health tips to keep you in shape for the holidays:

 

1. Don’t skip any meals: The cut back on calories doesn’t help! Scientist have proven that when you skip meals, you tend to eat more at the end of the day. Thaler suggests eating snacks throughout the day to moderate hunger and calorie intake.

2. Always use a smaller plate:   Use a dessert-sized plate for your main course. It’ll help you keep your portion sizes under control.

3. Wait for 10 minutes for seconds: Before going back for more food, give yourself 10 minutes. This helps you see if you are actually hungry for more food, or if your brain just needed time to catch up with you stomach.

4. Water, water, water: Drink more water! This needs to be the drink of choice over other sugary beverages like soda, juice, and alcohol. It’s an easy way to save empty calories and help manage hunger.

5. Replace oil with apple sauce: You don’t have to pile on fat when baking. Anything that calls for oil can be split into half-oil, half-applesauce. It’s healthier, and you can barely taste the difference.