What Not to Eat This Holiday

The holidays are upon us. With the arrival of colder weather, this brings the best part of winter season--holiday food. Cookies, candy canes, pies and gingerbread abound. With so many tempting foods, it's easy to stray from healthy eating habits. While weight gain and poor nutrition can result from all the sweets, they aren’t the only things you might worry about.

What you eat directly affects your skin. The large amounts of sugar and fat many holidays treats contain can change your skin’s appearance. Excessive amounts of sugar and fat can cause your skin to produce excessive amounts of oil. This oil can results in blemishes.

Foods that are full of nutrition keep your skin glowing. When you are eating right, your skin reflects this. 

Here are the worst foods to over-indulge in over the holidays. Moderate your intake for healthy skin!

The Worst Foods

Egg Nog

This is a traditional holiday drink that's a crowd favorite! Egg nog is sweet and creamy. But hidden in this delicious beverage is a drink that is high in fat and laden withsugar. One cup has around 10 grams of fat-- that's about a sixth of the daily recommended amount of a 2,000 calories per day diet. This one-cup serving also contains 20 grams of carbs-- in other words, five teaspoons of sugar. If you are really craving this beverage, try enjoying a smaller serving size.

Creamy Dips

Various dips are a party staple! Unfortunately, they often contain high-fat ingredients such as large amounts of mayonnaise or cream cheese. A better alternative would be a shrimp cocktail sauce or salsa with baked tortilla chips.

Pie

Almost every holiday meal features pies-- usually several different types for dessert! But keep in mind, that flaky, buttery crust is full of shortening and white flour. The gooey, warm center contains sugary filling ingredients. Apple pie filling, for example, can have 22 grams of sugar per serving. That is more than four teaspoons! If you simply must have pie, choose pumpkin pie. Pumpkin pie is full of good vitamins, such as vitamin A and fiber which promote skin health, that balance out the sugar content. Also, consider leaving the crust behind.

It’s important and perfectly healthy to eat treats in moderation. It’s fine to indulge at different times over the holidays. But enjoy your treats and then balance it out with healthy habits to maintain healthy skin. 

Photo courtesy of Brian Yarvin via Getty Images