Eat Up!
Food is everywhere this holiday season. Here's how to avoid it
Even if your holiday diet goals are modest - say maintaining your current weight - you may confront people with another agenda for you.
Food pushers, who are hard to avoid during seasonal celebrations, can upset your diet and your peace of mind.
"Food pushers drive me nuts," says Keith-Thomas Ayoob, Ed.D, registered dietitian and director of the Nutrition Clinic at the Children's Evaluation and Rehabilitation Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, N.Y.
However, you can manage entreaties to eat more if you understand other peoples' motives and develop responses that are sensitive, yet firm, say nutrition and weight loss experts.
Typically, the food pusher's message is "eat this so I'll feel better," Ayoob says.
But look for the meaning behind the nagging, says Stefanie C. Barthmare, M.Ed, LPC, a psychotherapist with the Methodist Weight Management Center, Methodist Hospital, Houston.
During the holidays people are looking for connection, reunion and wonderful experiences. The food pusher may be urging certain foods, such as that mouth-melting shortbread, because it brings to mind an emotional experience, according to Barthmare. In addition, the food pusher "may be hungry to be acknowledged," she says.
Knowing this, here are some tips to defend your diet while not hurting people's feelings.
* Praise the cook.
"If you're going into a social situation with people who've done this [hard-sell on food] in the past, compliment them right out. You're such a good cook; I have to pace myself and be selective," Ayoob says.
* Solicit advice.
"Say I'm going to have one little treat. Ask the food pusher what the best treat is," Ayoob says.
* Provide alternatives.
"Ask 'what you can bring?'" Barthmare says. Then prepare a healthier option to the usual fare.
* Don't leave your plate bare when food is offered.
"The reality of what you put on your plate isn't noticed. Put a little food on your plate and appreciate the hostess," Barthmare says.
And, if you really want to score points while not being pressured to overeat, ask if you can take extras home, says the psychotherapist.
Don't give in to pressure, Ayoob says.
"People are saying get fat, so I don't feel so bad. It's not your responsibility to make them feel better," he says.
Another tactic is to announce that you're eating differently now.
"We can make other people uncomfortable when we're dieting. Say that you've developed a new lifestyle, not that you're dieting. It’s much easier to accept," Barthmare says.
Don't deprive yourself of the foods that give you pleasure; you may regret what you refuse.
"If the apple pie looks great, have a little bit of it, without the whipped cream and without the ice cream," Barthmare says.
Bev Bennett, a veteran food writer and editor, is the author of "Dinner for Two: A Cookbook for Couples" and "30-Minute Meals for Dummies"
 |
