Memorial Day Food Tips

Any weekend, especially holiday weekends, are usually a signal to dieters to throw all health rules out the window. But what if you could have your weekend fun and make it healthy too?

Let’s get something straight. The occasional splurge is OK. A cup of your favorite ice cream or a slice of pizza is not going to send your diet running to the edge of a cliff. The problem occurs when a little treat becomes two and a half days of indulgence—a pattern that can send your eating habits for the rest of the week into a tailspin.

Here are two important tips to keep in mind this Memorial Day weekend that will save your behind—literally:

*Slow down on alcohol. Choose lower-calorie choices like wine rather than mixed drinks with high-calorie mixers or double amounts of alcohol. In addition, watch portion size. One standard drink is a 5-ounce glass of wine, 12 ounces of beer or a 1.5-ounce shot of 80-proof liquor such as whiskey or vodka. Health experts suggest you keep it to no more than one standard drink per day for women and no more than two standard drinks per day for men. And that quota is not to be spread out between two fays, so don’t try to save it up for the weekend.

*Rethink your definition of “treat.” Instead of going for your favorite fried chicken (you're fully aware that it's high in calories) why not try a new food? Use the weekend as an opportunity to explore new tastes. You can also indulge in food-free pleasures, like seeing a movie or buying fresh flowers.

You can also look at the weekend as time to get organized, visit with a friend or try out that new rock climbing facility. Whatever it is you choose, there are plenty of ways to turn, “Yay for the weekend!” into a healthy hoorah. [MSNBC]