5 Holiday Tips for Managing High Cholesterol
Good food is practically synonymous with the holidays. From parties to family dinners (and of course eating at least some of the cookies you made for Santa), this season is dangerous. So how do you have fun while still managing your cholesterol? The key is in smart choices and moderation.
“Around the holidays, we tend to let ourselves go, and that’s the absolute worst thing you can do if you have a heart condition, high cholesterol, or blood pressure problems,” says Yazid Fadl, MD, MPH, cardiologist with Indiana University Health. “In a single month you can eat all the wrong things at once, putting significant stress on your body.”
If you already struggle with high cholesterol, the absolute last thing you want to do is put this type of stress on your body. The key is to partake in the festivities without over-indulging. These five simple steps can help you on your ever-continuing road to great health.
Skip the Second Eggnog, Drink a Glass of Water
More water, less booze. Sometimes when people think about their diet, they make the mistake of thinking JUST about the food. In reality, what you drink is just as important. Skip the creamy eggnog and that Irish coffee with mountains of whipped topping. Stay away from that sugary punch bowl with its floating scoops of sorbet. Instead, have a glass of water.
You can treat yourself to red wine in moderation. Red wine reduces cholesterol, but it is still not an exception to the “too much of a good thing is a bad thing” rule, and it has more calories than you might suspect. After you’ve finished your wine, have some more water. Staying hydrated is good for you!
Develop a Healthy Holiday Plan
It’s already a planning-filled season, and you’ve probably planned everything from presents to parties to how you’ll make your teenagers write thank-you notes. Do the same for your food! “Follow healthy-eating guidelines: Eat breakfast; don’t skip meals; drink lots of calorie-free liquid; and eat small, frequent lighter meals at home,” says Janet Bond Brill, PhD, RD, a cardiovascular nutritionist and author of Cholesterol Down: 10 Simple Steps to Lower Your Cholesterol in 4 Weeks—Without Prescription Drugs (find the book here).
This includes knowing when you’ll be tempted. If your Aunt Carol is a great cook (and butter enthusiast!), you may want to have a salad before heading over to her place. That way, you’ll be less tempted to feast on her homemade gravy and marshmallow-smothered sweet potatoes.
Don’t Say “Cheese!”
Did you know that cheese is the number one heart-unhealthy saturated fat in the diets of today’s Americans? That’s a pretty staggering statistic! It is usually best just to avoid this sneaky culprit. You may want to be extra careful, since cheese is a bigger part of the food pyramid and seen as less of a “cheat meal” than dessert. That should not fool you. Cheese, fried foods, duck, gravy, goose, and other fat-heavy foods should (unfortunately) be avoided just as carefully as grandma’s German chocolate cake. *Sigh.* Don’t worry too much though– the white meat chicken and turkey are still fair game!
Be Blessed, Not Stressed
Be blessed, not stressed. The holidays are always depicted as such a joy-filled time; however, it can take a lot of work to bring about that joy. Throwing parties is work, picking out that perfect present is work, dragging the holiday decor down from the attic is work. It is easy to understand why “the most wonderful time of the year” can come with some extra stressors. Unfortunately, stress can increase levels of cholesterol. Not only can stress increase cholesterol on its own, it can also turn people to comfort food, making it a double whammy.
As cheesy as it may sound, make sure to focus on what is truly important this holiday season. Focus on your gratitude for friends and family, rather than harping on whether so’n’so will like the side dish you’re bringing to their get together. Focus on the warmth of the love in your life, rather than worrying about whether the love of your life will like the sweater you bought them. It isn’t easy to cut stress out of your life. But between taking care of yourself and remembering to stay in the moment, it isn’t impossible.
Do the Jingle Bell Rock
A sedentary body is never a happy body. Even if you get extremely busy over the holidays, be sure to make time for physical activity. Go ice skating, stay toasty inside the gym, or take a power walk with a friend who’s in town for the season. Or you can always jam out to your favorite holiday tunes with a spontaneous living room dance party! Not only are these activities fun, they are very good for you. Exercise increases your levels of HDL (“good”) cholesterol and keeps the pounds away. This is especially nice if you’ve cheated a little on your eating plan… or know you probably will at an upcoming festivity.
These steps may sound challenging, but healthy holidays are always happy holidays! And once you get started, keeping up the routine might be easier than you imagine. Your body will thank you for eating right, drinking water, exercising, and staying relaxed this holiday season.