TUPELO, Miss. (WTVA) — When it comes to eating this holiday season, just about everything is fair game, whether eating at home or at a local restaurant.
For most of us, that means a traditional meal.
But according to local dieticians, too much of a good thing can mean that you will spend more time losing weight after the holidays.
The trick is to be careful about what you eat and to be smart.
"When you're at a party, fix your plate and then move away from the table," said Alice Ann Lee, a registered dietician at the North Mississippi Medical Center Wellness Center in Tupelo. "It's kind of that same thing. When we all fix our plates, our eyes are a little bigger than our belly. So if you move away from the table, you won't have the tendency to snack on things since they're right there."
"There are also ways to cut calories and cut fat when you're cooking. You could use low-fat yogurt instead of sour cream in your dishes or casseroles. Your casseroles you can also top with cereal or almonds instead of fried onion rings," said Catherine Donald, a registered dietetic intern at the Wellness Center.
Both recommend using a sugar substitute instead of sugar, and you could use apple sauce instead of oil in your desserts.
"And another area where you could get a large amount of calories is the beverages that you're drinking, particularly things like egg nog, alcoholic beverages. You really want to watch for those," said Lee.
She says your hand is probably the best measure when it comes to portion sizes.
A piece of meat, a roll or fruit servings should fit in the palm of your hand.
The dieticians say that while grocery shopping, fill your shopping cart with fruits and high fiber snacks instead of those tempting potato chips and candies to keep the calorie count low.
