Zorba Paster: Eating Healthy Over The Holidays

Since we doctors have been on the low-fat bandwagon, Americans have grown — and I don’t mean height-wise. I recently had a visit from a Tibetan physician who said he got off the airplane in Chicago and wondered why people were so overweight.

My first thought was cheap, inexpensive calories. A Big Mac meal at McDonald’s, including that 20-ounce Coke, is 1,200 calories for under $6. That’s more than half the calories you need for the day. It’s cheap, but it’s not healthy.

Researchers from Harvard published a comprehensive review from randomized trials (that’s the gold-standard type) looking at more than 65,000 people, finding that there was no difference between low-fat and high-fat diets when it came to weight loss one year out.

So what does this mean for you around this holiday season? If you think low-fat is better than high-fat, or vice versa, both can work. It’s a matter of picking what’s right for you.

This is the holiday season. Many people put on an average of three to five pounds from this point until spring, and then they only shed about two of those pounds. The result is creeping obesity, year by year.

First, when you have holiday treats passed to you at work, don’t just automatically say, “No, thank you,” thinking that’s the healthy response. If it’s homemade by your best friend, take a bite and then save the rest for later.

When you look at that holiday buffet, think about what you really want to eat. Grab a small plate — a salad or cake plate would be best — and fill it up. Then go back for a second serving if you wish. That way, you’ll consume less and get to go back for seconds.

And if you like carbs, go for carbs — just limit them. If you like fat, go for fat — but limit it. And overall, you still have to limit what you consume, or you’ll continue to grow more than you want. Stay well.