October 2020

My son eating an apple.

I am a Registered Dietitian and toddler mom. In the year my son was born, Weight Watchers rolled out an app called Kurbo by WW to help children ages 8 to 17 “build healthy habits for life”. The app allows users to track what they eat and how much they exercise – not by counting calories, but by using a “traffic-light system” to classify foods as healthy and unhealthy. For a fee, users can also work with a virtual health coach to set and evaluate progress toward health goals. 

Upon its release, Kurbo received overwhelming criticism and media attention from dietitians, pediatricians, therapists and other health professionals. While these experts agree that healthy eating is important, they recognize that both childhood obesity and eating disorders are serious concerns for adolescents. According to the National Eating Disorders Association, eating disorders are serious illnesses that have the second highest mortality rate of any mental health disorder, and they “are too often wrongly relegated to the sidelines as a minor consideration in the ‘obesity prevention’ conversation.” In a similar vein, the American Academy of Pediatrics advises parents and doctors to avoid discussing weight or prescribing weight loss to children and adolescents over concerns that it could lead to disordered eating habits. 

Parents and health professionals alike want to help young people establish healthy eating habits for life, which is the stated purpose of the Kurbo app. There is great concern, however, that using the approach of tracking food intake could lead to disordered eating, unhealthy relationships with food, low self-esteem and unhealthy body image among adolescents. A better approach for encouraging children to develop healthy eating habits and maintain healthy weight is to teach and model healthy eating without food shaming or guilt tripping. The New York Times offers a helpful guide that includes the following suggestions for parents and caregivers:

My son eating tuna noodle casserole

• Model healthy habits
• Involve children in food shopping and cooking
• Initiative positive conversations about different eating patterns
• Choose not to use food as a reward, bribe or punishment
• Refrain from talking about weight or dieting
• Allow less-than-healthy foods into your meal plan on occasion, without making a big deal about it
• Respect food preferences and aversions
• Encourage children to identify and respond to their body’s cues for hunger and fullness

Finally, be sure to voice concerns with a pediatrician or a dietitian if your child starts to obsess over food or weight at any given time. With these guidelines in mind, you’ll be doing your part to help the children in your life develop healthy eating habits.

Sources:

American Academy of Pediatrics (2016). How to prevent obesity without encouraging eating disorders. https://www.aappublications.org/news/2016/08/22/Obesity082216 

CDC (2020). Tips to Help Children Maintain a Healthy Weight. https://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/children/index.html

National Eating Disorders Association (2018). NEDA Statement on Kurbo by WW App. https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/neda-statement-kurbo-ww-app

Sole-Smith, V. (2019). A New Weight Watchers App for Kids Raises Concerns. The New York Times. https://parenting.nytimes.com/childrens-health/weight-watchers-kids?te=1&nl=nyt-parenting&emc=edit_ptg_20190911?campaign_id=118&instance_id=12279&segment_id=16918&user_id=86dd6cac18c7ca41e6c8d433d5340d6c&regi_id=92717125

Sweeney, E. (2019). How to Teach Children About Healthy Eating, Without Food Shaming. The New York Times. https://parenting.nytimes.com/feeding/healthy-eating-habits?module=article-group&topic=Toddler&rank=3&position=7

Written by: Jenny Lobb, Family and Consumer Sciences Educator, OSU Extension Franklin County and Olivia Levine, Dietetic Intern, The Ohio State University

Reviewed by: Jami Dellifield, Family and Consumer Sciences Educator, OSU Extension Hardin County

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January 12, 2015 by zies1

Score a touchdown with friends and family tonight with this Buckeye Bean Soup!  Tonight we will cheer on our Ohio State Buckeye Football team in the first NCAA College Football National Championship in Dallas, Texas.  This soup will make a healthy addition to tonight’s pregame meal.  Canned soups generally have 800-1000 mg of sodium per one cup serving. This soup has less than half that amount and is additionally high in fiber .Therefore Buckeye Bean soup is appropriate for people with diabetes, kidney disease, heart disease, or high blood pressure.  Any type of beans can be used in place of pinto beans in this recipe. In addition, if your football fans prefer a creamier soup, the soup can be pureed in a food processor for a creamier consistency if desired. To save time, the vegetables can be chopped ahead and placed in a zip-top bag. The beans can be drained, rinsed and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator before using.

Finally, if you’re New Year’s resolution was to eat healthier, remember portion control with those peanut butter chocolate buckeyes tonight during the game! GO BUCKS  .. BEAT DUCKS!

Winning Buckeye Bean Soup

Makes approximately ten, one cup servings

130 calories per serving , 1 gram Fat, 6 grams Dietary Fiber, 6 Grams Protein

Ingredients:

2 tsp. olive oil

1 cup each diced onions, red pepper and carrots

2 cloves garlic, minced (or ¼ tsp. garlic powder or 1 tsp. bottled pre-minced garlic)

1 tsp. each dried thyme, oregano and parsley

3 cups reduced-sodium broth (can be beef, chicken or vegetable)

1 cup tomato sauce

2 (19 oz.) cans pinto beans, drained and rinsed

1 tsp. brown sugar

¼ tsp. black pepper

Equipment

Measuring cups and spoons

Large saucepan or stockpot

Strainer

Mixing spoon

Ladle

Directions

Step 1.  Heat olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add onions, red pepper, carrots, garlic, thyme, oregano and parsley. Cook and stir for 5 minutes, until vegetables begin to soften. Add all remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil.

Step 2. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, covered for 15-20 minutes until vegetables are tender.

Writer: Susan Zies, Family and Consumer Sciences Educator, Wood County, Erie Basin EERA, [email protected]

Reviewer: Dan Remley, MSPH, PhD, Field Specialist, Food, Nutrition, and Wellness, [email protected]

Recipe Source: Dining with Diabetes, WVUES 2000-present, original recipe Hearty Vegetable Bean Soup

September 6, 2011 by smith3993

.

Could laughing more help prevent heart attacks?  Could this no cost, no side effect action really be part of the preventative action needed to keep one free from heart disease?

A team from the University of Maryland Center for Preventive Cardiology has started to document some proof of this very thing. In fact, this study which is the first to show a connection between an active sense of humor and laughter and heart disease found that people with heart disease were 40% less likely to laugh compared to others of the same age that did not have heart disease.

The key professor of medicine involved in this study, Dr. Michael Miller. M.D. explained the connection of mental stress with problems in the protective barrier lining that lines the blood vessels. An inflammatory reaction leads to fat and cholesterol build-up in the coronary arteries. This is what leads to heart attacks.

This study looked at 300 people, one half with heart disease and the other half without heart disease. Questionnaires that looked at how often people laughed in certain situations as well as anger and hostility indexes were used. The study showed that those with heart disease didn’t laugh at everyday situations as often and often displayed more anger.  Miller concluded that with heart disease being the number one killer of citizens, the ability to laugh may be one of the most important ways to decrease the disease.

Maybe someday the prescription for a healthy heart will include eating right, exercising and a good daily dose of laughter!

Source: http://www.umm.edu/features/layghter.htm.

Author: Liz Smith, Family and Consumer Science Extension Educator, Ohio State University.

If you’re like most people in this country, you could lose a few pounds for either personal appearance or for health concerns. A simple way to accomplish this is to avoid overeating. Overeating is when you eat more food than what your body needs for daily maintenance and growth. The extra food you consume simply has no purpose for your body and therefore gets stored as fat. Overeating is triggered by different signals in different people. These may be the temptation of seeing delicious looking food or even just smelling food.

The first step to conquering overeating is portion sizes. In a study examining recipes from The Joy of Cooking cookbook from the last 75 years, recipes have 63% more calories in them now compared to 75 years ago. About 2/3 of this is because the serving have increased in size, the other third is because the recipes have more energy-dense ingredients such as butter. Next time you cook from a recipe, look at the suggested serving size and compare it to how much you should be having. If it’s more than what you need, adjust the recipe size to make as much as you need or put some away for leftovers right away so you’re not tempted to eat everything.

The size of your plates also makes a difference in how much you eat. Believe it or not, people who eat with larger plates, bowls and glasses consume more food without even realizing it. If you’re the type of person who knows they’re done eating when your plate is clean, you will consistently eat more food. In a famous study by Dr. Brian Wansink of Cornell University, some participants were given soup bowls that constantly filled with more soup and others normal soup bowls. The bottomless soup bowl participants consumed on average 72% more soup. The surprising result was that these people said they were not full even after consuming well over a normal bowl of soup because their brain did not register how much they have eaten.

To prevent these events from happening, simple steps can be taken.

1. Look at the portion sizes given in recipes and restaurants. If it is too much, set it aside immediately to take home as leftovers. Ask for a to-go box when you order even.
2. Start using smaller chinaware. Plates, bowls and even glasses all contribute to overeating. Try using tall, skinny glasses that look like more fluid than short, wide glasses.
3. You don’t have to clean your plate. Times have changed since you were a child, and it is perfectly acceptable to leave food on your plate. Just save it for leftovers.

Written by: Andrew R. Richardson, Dietetic Intern with Wood County Extension FCS Program, Masters Food & Nutrition Program, Bowling Green State University, School of Family & Consumer Sciences.

Information gathered from:

Brain Wansink. Modifying the food environment: from mindless eating to mindlessly eating better [pdf document]. Retrieved from Con Agra Foods Science Institute at http://www.rippeinfoservices.com/conagra-foods-science-institute/webinars/introduction.htm

The study of bacteria has interested doctors and researchers for centuries. However, that interest was primarily focused on “bad” bacteria—pathogens that make us sick and cause disease. Over the last 20 years, there has been a tremendous increase in the study of “good” bacteria and its effect on our guts.

In 1990, approximately 125 studies were published on the topic of microbiome (a term used to reference the bacteria, viruses, and archaea that live on us and in us). In 2009, studies of microbiome numbered over 500. Why all this interest now? Hippocrates, considered to be the father of western (modern) medicine, said in 400 B.C that “death sits in the bowels.” We’ve long recognized the importance of the intestines in human health. But now we have state-of-the-art technology that allows us to actually study gastrointestinal microbiota.

Bacterial cells outnumber human cells 10-1. They colonize every surface of the body exposed to the external environment. They are on our skin, reproductive organs/urinary system, respiratory system, and gastrointestinal tract (GIT). The most colonized of the four is the GIT—your colon alone contains over 70% of all the bacteria in your body.

Where Do They Come From?

The only time you were “bacteria-free” was when you were in the womb. Bacterial colonization begins at childbirth. When a baby travels through the birth canal, it is exposed to microbes (bacteria) present in mom’s gut and vagina. If mom chooses to breastfeed, her milk provides another healthy dose of microbes. Both of those exposures are extremely protective to the child, as well as supportive of the establishment of a healthy immune system. Last, but not least, is exposure to microbes from the child’s environment; such as household dirt and bacteria from other family members, friends, and/or pets. It also includes exposure to bacteria from outside sources. By the time a child turns three, his or her microbiome is pretty well established.

Why Should We Care?

Establishing a healthy microbiome is important because: • It supports your immune system, • It helps protect you from disease, • It helps detoxify your body,

• It affects how much you weigh.

An unbalanced microbiome may: • Increase risk for inflammation • Increase risk for chronic disease

• Increase risk for obesity, asthma, and allergies

How Can You Protect–and Increase–Your Gut Bugs?

1. Phase out the antibacterial products. Your home is not a surgical center. Continue to hand wash frequently to reduce risk for illness, but use regular soap and water (not antibacterial products). Family members don’t need to be wet-wiped every day.

2. Go outside. Open the windows of your house or office whenever possible. Fresh air and sunlight are nature’s natural antibiotics. They will protect you far more than keeping your house hermetically sealed and sanitized.

3. Eat less of the foods that kill off healthy bacteria. They include, but are not limited to, processed foods, sugar, saturated fat, and meat products that come from animals fed antibiotics.

4. Use antibiotics as little as possible. Antibiotics are great for killing bad bacteria, such as strep. However, when you use an antibiotic, you also kill off a lot of good bacteria in your gut. If an antibiotic is absolutely necessary, use it. Otherwise, let the illness (such as cold or flu) run its course.

5. Eat more probiotics. Yogurt, sauerkraut, kefir, pickles, sourdough bread, and kimchi are some examples.

6. Eat more plant foods! Plant foods contain fiber, which gives your gut bacteria something to chew on, break down, digest and extract nutrients from (fermentation). Fermentation produces by-products such as short-chain fatty acids (SCFA). SCFA provide energy to your intestinal cells and help keep the lining of your colon healthy.

Growing a Body of Knowledge

Remember Pig Pen from the Charley Brown comic series? How about the John Travolta movie “The Boy in the Plastic Bubble?” Establishing a healthy “microbiome medium” lies somewhere between living in perpetual dust clouds and a germ-free bubble. In the next installment of Microbiome: the Mystery and Magic of Your Gut Bugs, we will look at the connection between obesity and your microbiome.

Written by:
Donna Green, Family & Consumer Sciences Educator, Ohio State University Extension, Erie County, Erie Basin EERA, [email protected]
Reviewed by: Liz Smith, Family & Consumer Sciences Educator, Ohio State University Extension

Source: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2792171/

December 18, 2014 by Daniel Remley

The holidays are a wonderful time of year, especially for those of us who enjoy food! Traditional holiday food is tasty but often high in calories, sugar, fats and sodium. This can present a challenge to those who have diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, or other chronic conditions that need to be managed with healthy meal plans.

Many people equate healthy food with poor taste: dry texture, aftertaste, and overall bland flavors. Traditional foods can be prepared healthfully without sacrificing taste. OSU Extension offers some healthy cooking guidelines (not rules!) that one can use to modify traditional recipes:

• Fats can be reduced in baked products by ¼ to 1/3. For example, if a cookie, quick bread or muffin recipe calls for 1 cup oil, use 2/3 cup instead (this method should not be used for yeast breads and pie crusts). Fats and oils add flavor and moisture so decreasing any more than 1/3 could result in poor products.
• Use vegetable oil instead of solid fats such as lard, shortening, and butter. Solids fats, also know as saturated fats, can be detrimental to your cholesterol levels. When substituting vegetable oils for solid fats in recipes, use ¼ less than what is called for in the recipe. For example, if a recipe calls for 4 tablespoons of butter, use 3 tablespoons of oil instead.
• Use plain lowfat or nonfat yogurt instead of sour cream. If replacing 1 cup of sour cream with 1 cup of yogurt, you can save up to 44 grams of fat!
• Use skim or 1% milk instead of whole or half and half in recipes. By replacing 1 cup of half and half with 1 cup of skim you save 25 grams of fat.
• Replacing ¼ to 1/3 of sugar in baked goods with artificial sweeteners or flour can help lower carbohydrates (do not use this method for yeast breads). Adding spices such as cardamon, cinnamon, nutmeg, or vanilla will also enhance sweetness.
• Add fiber such as whole grains instead of highly refined products. Fiber aids digestion, slows absorption of carbohydrates, and can lower LDL cholesterol.
• Use whole wheat flour, oatmeal and whole corn meal. Whole wheat flour can be substituted up to ½ of all purpose flour.

Please be aware that diabetic individuals can eat any type of food as long as it fits into their diabetes management plans (balancing carbohydrates, medication, and exercise). Therefore, when preparing holiday meals and snacks for diabetic individuals it is especially important have information on serving sizes and associated grams of carbohydrate or calories. Keep in mind as well that many products labeled as “sugar-free” still have carbohydrates and can raise blood sugars!

Source: http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/5000/pdf/5543.pdf

Author: Dan Remley, Assistant Professor, Field Specialist, Food, Nutrition, and Wellness, [email protected]

Reviewer: Joanna Rini, Family and Consumer Sciences Extension Educator, Medina County

What will be on our plates in the future? What are the food experts predicting we will be eating by 2050? Will our meals look much the same as they currently do, or are we moving in a very different direction? Although no one knows with certainty what the future will hold, an article done on the 2nd Annual Food Day has a discussion about such topics. The first topic to reach the table is the topic of healthier processed foods. Michael Jacobson, executive director of the Center of Public Interest predicts that high sodium, high sugar processed foods will be a thing of the past. The variety of new salt and sugar substitutes will allow the processed foods to taste good while not having the issue of elevated sodium or sugar content. They will be safe and added to a variety of foods such as soups, baked goods and condiments.

Less meat and chicken will be eaten in the future. This panel, which met in Washington DC believes that plant-proteins will replace three-quarters of the animal products consumed today. Due to limited land, energy and water the animal proteins will be decreased in the diets of the future. This will be done through plant-proteins in fake meat, seafood and milk.

We will have health planners much like the financial planners we currently have. Just like we grow our nest egg through the assistant of a financial planner, the health planner will help us to grow our preventative health account. According to panel member David Katz, Director of the Prevention Research Center at Yale University, the importance of modifying what we eat before we get obese or have our first heart attack is crucial. Health coaches will assist with daily menu planning strengthening our health accounts much like our bank accounts.
Single computerized devices will be useful in the future. Just like the smartphones that have simplified our lives in the technology area, a single appliance will be able to juice, cool, cook and freeze our food all through our voice command. The possibility of computerized grocery carts that will fetch what one says they need as well as online grocery delivery may also become a reality.
Home gardens will be the norm. The gardens of the future will be aeroponic, where the plants are grown in an air or mist environment without the use of much soil. This makes the idea of growing at least one-fifth of the vegetables and legumes we need possible. Community gardens will also continue to be popular in the future.
 will be popular. A numerical value will be assigned to all foods from least to most nutritious in the future. A discount will be applied to those foods that are more nutritious. Currently almost 1700 supermarkets have already implemented this grading scale called NuVal. An example of this currently taking place is at Walmart. The store teamed up with Humana and is offering a 5% discount to all those who purchase Walmart’s “Great for You” labeled foods. These labels are on such foods as fruits and vegetables, fiver-rich whole grains, low fat dairy and nuts, seeds and lean meats.

It will be fun and interesting to see what the future holds in the food future. OSU Extension is in a perfect position to address many of these predictions with their programs now and as they plan for the future. Contact your county Extension Office to see what is available in your area!

Source: Smartbrief Nutrition, Food Predictions for 2050. The Boston Globe, 10/25/12. Author: Liz Smith, SNAP-Ed Regional Program Specialist, NE Region, Ohio State University Extension.

Reviewed by: Marilyn Rabe, Extension Educator, Family and Consumer Sciences, Ohio State University Extension, Franklin County.

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January 31, 2013 by linnettegoard

The Super Bowl is not just a day for football, but also a day for parties and food.  Don’t invite food borne illness to your party.  Follow a few simple rules to keep it Super Safe.

CLEAN and wash kitchen surfaces, utensils and hands before preparing or serving food and wash all fruits and vegetables including those you plan to peel.

SEPARATE raw meats and poultry from ready-to-eat foods like fruit and vegetables.

COOK meat and poultry to the right temperature by using a food thermometer.  Cook poultry to 165°F, ground meat to 160°F, and steaks to 145°F.

CHILL raw and prepared foods to 40°F within two hours.

If food is going to be sitting out for serving, remember to keep cold foods chilled to 40°F or below and hot foods heated to 140°F or above.  Offer foods in smaller containers and put new ones out as they run out instead of putting all the food out at once.  It will stay within the temperature range and keep the food safe.  Also, offer serving spoons and small plates to reduce the opportunity for guests to eat directly from the bowls.  Don’t leave any perishable food outside the temperature danger zone for more than 2 hours.

Source:  foodsafety.gov

Author:  Linnette Goard, Field Specialist, Food Safety, Selection and Management, Family and Consumer Sciences, Ohio State University Extension, [email protected]

Reviewed by:  Liz Smith, NE Regional Program Specialist, SNAP-ED, Ohio State University Extension, [email protected]

The study of bacteria has interested doctors and researchers for centuries. However, that interest was primarily focused on “bad” bacteria—pathogens that make us sick and cause disease. Over the last 20 years, there has been a tremendous increase in the study of “good” bacteria and its effect on our guts.

In 1990, approximately 125 studies were published on the topic of microbiome (a term used to reference the bacteria, viruses, and archaea that live on us and in us). In 2009, studies of microbiome numbered over 500. Why all this interest now? Hippocrates, considered to be the father of western (modern) medicine, said in 400 B.C that “death sits in the bowels.” We’ve long recognized the importance of the intestines in human health. But now we have state-of-the-art technology that allows us to actually study gastrointestinal microbiota.

Bacterial cells outnumber human cells 10-1. They colonize every surface of the body exposed to the external environment. They are on our skin, reproductive organs/urinary system, respiratory system, and gastrointestinal tract (GIT). The most colonized of the four is the GIT—your colon alone contains over 70% of all the bacteria in your body.

Where Do They Come From?

The only time you were “bacteria-free” was when you were in the womb. Bacterial colonization begins at childbirth. When a baby travels through the birth canal, it is exposed to microbes (bacteria) present in mom’s gut and vagina. If mom chooses to breastfeed, her milk provides another healthy dose of microbes. Both of those exposures are extremely protective to the child, as well as supportive of the establishment of a healthy immune system. Last, but not least, is exposure to microbes from the child’s environment; such as household dirt and bacteria from other family members, friends, and/or pets. It also includes exposure to bacteria from outside sources. By the time a child turns three, his or her microbiome is pretty well established.

Why Should We Care?

Establishing a healthy microbiome is important because: • It supports your immune system, • It helps protect you from disease, • It helps detoxify your body,

• It affects how much you weigh.

An unbalanced microbiome may: • Increase risk for inflammation • Increase risk for chronic disease

• Increase risk for obesity, asthma, and allergies

How Can You Protect–and Increase–Your Gut Bugs?

1. Phase out the antibacterial products. Your home is not a surgical center. Continue to hand wash frequently to reduce risk for illness, but use regular soap and water (not antibacterial products). Family members don’t need to be wet-wiped every day.

2. Go outside. Open the windows of your house or office whenever possible. Fresh air and sunlight are nature’s natural antibiotics. They will protect you far more than keeping your house hermetically sealed and sanitized.

3. Eat less of the foods that kill off healthy bacteria. They include, but are not limited to, processed foods, sugar, saturated fat, and meat products that come from animals fed antibiotics.

4. Use antibiotics as little as possible. Antibiotics are great for killing bad bacteria, such as strep. However, when you use an antibiotic, you also kill off a lot of good bacteria in your gut. If an antibiotic is absolutely necessary, use it. Otherwise, let the illness (such as cold or flu) run its course.

5. Eat more probiotics. Yogurt, sauerkraut, kefir, pickles, sourdough bread, and kimchi are some examples.

6. Eat more plant foods! Plant foods contain fiber, which gives your gut bacteria something to chew on, break down, digest and extract nutrients from (fermentation). Fermentation produces by-products such as short-chain fatty acids (SCFA). SCFA provide energy to your intestinal cells and help keep the lining of your colon healthy.

Growing a Body of Knowledge

Remember Pig Pen from the Charley Brown comic series? How about the John Travolta movie “The Boy in the Plastic Bubble?” Establishing a healthy “microbiome medium” lies somewhere between living in perpetual dust clouds and a germ-free bubble. In the next installment of Microbiome: the Mystery and Magic of Your Gut Bugs, we will look at the connection between obesity and your microbiome.

Written by:
Donna Green, Family & Consumer Sciences Educator, Ohio State University Extension, Erie County, Erie Basin EERA, [email protected]
Reviewed by: Liz Smith, Family & Consumer Sciences Educator, Ohio State University Extension

Source: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2792171/

November 30, 2010 by jennyeven

It’s that time of year again for holiday office luncheons, parties, and family gatherings filled with festivities and food everywhere.  From Thanksgiving to New Year’s, the holiday season is filled with treats that tempt even the most disciplined of individuals.  But is holiday weight gain inevitable?  Not if you follow some simple steps to help you keep off those extra holiday pounds.  Here are some tips to help you survive the season without sacrificing the fun and festivities:

1.  Never skip a meal before a party or celebration.  This will prevent you from losing control and overeating at the party.  Skipping meals creates a famine-feast cycle.  Try to avoid standing near the food, eat from a plate, and drink a large glass of water before you eat.
2. Focus on quality instead of quantity.  Sample one or two foods that you really like.  Keep your portions small and enjoy these special foods.
3. Plan physical activity as a holiday celebration.  Many holiday celebrations involve the outdoors – ice skating, skiing, and sledding.  Take a walk around your neighborhood and enjoy the lighting displays and decorations.
4. Practice healthy cooking techniques. Modify recipes by reducing the amount of sugar or fat in baked products.
5. Give the gift of health.  Rather than making candies and cookies, why not give a gift of homemade wheat bread, or a basket of fresh fruit and nuts?
6. Watch what drinks you consume.  Limit alcoholic drinks to one or two servings, and avoid high-fat eggnog.
7. Get enough sleep every night.  Lack of sleep can affect your metabolism by influencing your hunger and weight gain.
8. Concentrate on socializing.  This will take your mind off of food and focus your attention on interacting with others.
9. Prioritize your schedule.  Plan weekly family activities and celebrations.  Don’t forget to plan time for yourself.
10. Just say “no” politely.  If you don’t feel you can eat another bite, politely say so!

Remember, this is the season to celebrate with family and friends.  Planning ahead is an important strategy to help you maintain weight or prevent weight gain over the holidays.  Celebrate, but don’t overdo it!

Author:  Jennifer Even, Extension Educator, Family and Consumer Sciences & the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program, Ohio State University Extension.