The holidays are an exciting time of year for everybody. We are listening to cheery music, decorating our homes, getting together with loved ones, and taking a momentary break from school. Many of these events are surrounded by an abundance of food, baked goods, and drinks. But how, as an athlete, do we make it through the holidays without derailing our progress, hindering our athletic prowess, or finding ourselves feeling sluggish from all the food? To help you navigate the festivities, we've put together the DOs and DON'Ts for holiday eating!
Tip 1: DON'T go to a party hungry
It's normal to want to starve yourself before Christmas dinner, but you do not want to go to a party hungry, just like you don't want to go to the grocery store on an empty stomach. If you are starving by the time you get to the party, you are more likely to over-indulge on high calorie, empty party snacks.
DO: Eat a well-balanced breakfast that includes fiber and proteins that will help keep you fuller longer. Depending on the timing of festivities, you may also want to eat a well-balanced lunch and snack if the party is later in the evening. Try a nutritious snack such as a piece of fruit, veggies and hummus, or toast and peanut butter. This will fill you with some nutritious food so that the moment you see the buffet of snacks you aren't tempted to deep dive straight into it. This will also help to minimize the amount of grazing or mindless eating.
Related: Nutrition for Athletes: Overview
Tip 2: DON'T fill your plate without seeing everything available first
If you start piling up food on your plate without knowing all the things available to you, you could find yourself missing out on the foods you enjoy most or putting things on your plate that you don't enjoy. You may also find yourself creating a plate piled high with carbohydrates and missing out on the quality protein choices you have too. While carbohydrates are great for your energy levels and brain functioning, it is not the only thing you want to be eating during a holiday party.
DO: Take a moment to survey what dishes are available to choose from. From there you can put some “healthier” options that you enjoy on your plate first, such as vegetables and lean proteins. Then, you can add the items you enjoy eating simply because you like them such as latkes or sweet potato casserole topped with marshmallows. This will allow you to eat the foods you enjoy while also eating a more balanced meal of proteins, carbohydrates, and fats.
Related: Nutrition for Athletes: Carbohydrates
Tip 3: DON'T put foods on your plate just because they are “healthy”
This may seem counterintuitive to the last suggestion but think about this: if you are limiting yourself to simply the “healthy” options, you're cheating yourself out of the foods you really enjoy. The holidays are not the time to be restrictive in your diet and limit your enjoyment. Your focus is not on the foods you are eating, but the time you are having. This is a moment of fun and festivities. A time to celebrate and to be with your family and friends.
DO: Enjoy yourself and put dishes on your plate that you love. Even more so, focus on the dishes that are seldom made except for this time of year!
Tip 4: DON'T eat until you are full
You don't want to eat until you are sickly full. This not only makes for a miserable time in the moment but leaves you feeling sluggish and sick later too. Besides, if you eat too much during dinner, you won't have room for dessert.
DO: Listen to your body and check in with yourself. Ask yourself how you are feeling on a hunger scale from starving/feeling sick to very full/you're about to be sick. You want to feel satiated or even slightly full but not beyond that. When you feel satiated or slightly full, you will find that after about 10 to 15 minutes of not eating you will begin to feel fuller over time. This also leaves room for desserts a little later in the evening. By practicing mindful eating, you are also practicing portion control.
Tip 5: DON'T drink too much alcohol
Drinking too much alcohol can lead to making poor choices. Not only are you more likely to eat more due to a lack of inhibition, but you are also intaking empty calories. You also risk the hangover the next day and bloating. This could negatively impact your holiday training schedule and mentality.
DO: Keep track of your alcohol intake. You can go in setting a limit on the number of alcoholic drinks you will consume over the evening. By setting and sticking to a hard limit, you are less likely to be dealing with a hangover the next day. You can also simply watch the serving size of each drink you consume, making sure that a glass of wine is only 5 oz, a mixed drink has no more than 1.5 oz of liquor, and the glass of beer is 12 oz. Third, don't mix the types of alcohol you are drinking. Finally, regardless of the method of control you use, you should always alternate between alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, particularly water. This will allow you to control how quickly you drink but also keep you hydrated.
Tip 6: DON'T forget to drink water
The last thing you want to do as an athlete is to become dehydrated!
DO: Make sure you drink one 8 oz glass of water for every alcoholic beverage you consume. By drinking plenty of water throughout the evening, you are also less likely to eat too much as you will maintain a feeling of fullness by drinking water.
Related: Alabama Football Player, Hale Hentges, Talks Hydration and Why It's Important
Tip 7: DON'T let those extra calories go to waste
You have eaten a little extra food during the holidays which means an excess of carbs, proteins, fats, and overall calories. These are fuels for your body.
DO: Go into your holidays with a plan to use the extra food as fuel for some athletic training. This does not mean training by yourself in a gym or running drills repeatedly. What this means is to get in a game of soccer with the family, take a walk or run with your friends, get a few people together to get a training session in at the gym. Make it a social event that will use those extra calories but removes the pressures of hardcore athletic training.
Related: 12 Ways to Keep Fit During the Holidays
Tip 8: DON'T be hard on yourself for indulging a little
Do not go off the next day and do an extended and intense workout to “make-up” for what you ate. Do not beat up on yourself for eating an extra helping of cranberry sauce or drinking a glass of wine. Do not think that one or two holiday meals will derail your athletic prowess.
DO: TREAT YOURSELF WITH KINDNESS!!
Remember this is not something you do often. You have spent not only all season, but many years training hard. It will take more than a meal or two to derail all that hard work!
The holidays and this time with your friends and family only comes but once a year, so take a moment to create everlasting memories!!
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* Originally published on December 23, 2021, by Rebecca Lutz
