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It’s easy to go ham on the Christmas leftovers, but excessive grazing between meals can cause you to pack on the holiday pounds.
“It’s important to rate your hunger before reaching for a snack, as weight gain can happen when we eat because of emotion or habit,” Emily Feivor, a registered dietitian at Long Island Jewish Forest Hills Hospital, told The Post.
Feivor prefers you eat three balanced meals and limit snacking to no more than twice a day.
She shared three secrets to minimizing trips to the jam-packed holiday fridge.
Create perfect snack pairings
“Eating a combination of food groups keeps snacks satisfying,” Feivor said.
She recommends pairing a fruit or whole grain with a protein or healthy fat.
Some examples include a small apple with 1 tablespoon of nut butter or 3 cups of air-popped popcorn with low-fat string cheese.
If you have leftover turkey or ham, put it on a rice cake with low-fat cream cheese.
Leftover latkes can be topped with 1 ounce of smoked salmon and dill or a mixture of low-fat Greek yogurt, chives and garlic powder.
Watch your portion sizes
“Keeping snacks to 200 calories or less is reasonable for most,” Feivor advised.
She said a fist is roughly equivalent to a cup, which is a good serving size for vegetables (around 40 calories) and fruit (70 calories).
A 3-ounce portion of protein (150-170 calories) is generally considered to be about the size of the palm of your hand.
A “handful” of nuts (about 170 calories) or dried fruit (about 80 calories) is around 1 ounce.
Feivor suggests sticking to a thumb-sized portion of peanut butter (170 calories) or cheese (100 calories).
Plan ahead
Planning and portioning snacks can help prevent overeating, Feivor noted.
“When fruits and vegetables are cut and ready to eat, we’re more likely to eat them,” she added.
If you don’t want to eat veggies plain, consider adding leftover ham and egg whites for an omelet.
You can also make a cold salad with cucumbers, tomatoes, olives and leftover turkey, Feivor said. Drizzle a light balsamic or Greek dressing on top.
