5 tips to keep in shape during the holidays

I wish you enjoy the time with your loved ones and the enjoyment of great food and other perks that come as a reward of all the hard work you did through the year.

I want to share 5 tips that you can apply to keep in shape as much as possible while still enjoying the wonderful food.

1. Do your best to eat only three times a day.

If you manage to avoid snacking between meals you will be able to enjoy the food more when you eat and you will be better off than most people.

If you fast at least 12 hours at night that would be even better. An good example would be to have breakfast at 8:00 am, lunch at 1:00 pm and dinner between 6:00 pm. and 7:00 pm.

2. Eat slowly.

When you eat slowly, you will be able to enjoy the food more. As you are chewing, the enzymes in your saliva will be incorporated in your food, improving your digestion and absorption. People that eat slowly tend to eat less than people that eat fast since the body does not have chance to trigger the saciety signal on time. That's why when we eat fast we fill suddenly that we ate too much.

3. Incorporate veggies.

If you are able to ensure that half of the food you eat has vegetables (either cooked or raw) you will be adding a lot of nutrients (vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients) and fiber to your body. Lean towards green, leafy vegetables whenever possible.

4. Consider consuming fiber before going out to a big dinner.

If you consume fiber before going out, you are not going to arrive starving to death when you arrive to your social event. This will result in you being able to eat more slowly and less. For this, the USANA Fibergy could be a great ally, and you will get all the health benefits from fiber.

5. Be smart about the drinks you choose.

Those fruity, tropical drinks might be the single highest source of additional calories and sugar that you can actually notice on a scale very quickly. If you opt for red or sparkling wine, you will consume less alcohol and you will avoid the sugar that comes in the screwdriver and other more elaborated drinks.

If that would ruin the party for you, you might want to just skip fruit juice over breakfast and save the 23 grams of sugar a glass of orange juice would add to your body. It would be a lot better for you to eat the orange, since the glycemic impact of your juice will be reduced by the fiber in the fruit.

I hope these tips are useful for you and wish you the best during the holidays!