Curb that holiday nibbling

To help control stress eating this holiday season, reach into the cookie jar.

Just make sure that the jar is filled with slips of paper with alternative activities to eating.

“In the heat of the moment, all you can usually think of is food,” says registered dietitian Marsha Hudnall, director of nutrition and eating behavior programs at the Green Mountain spa in Ludlow, Vt. “These little slips of paper give you other paths to travel.”

Write on each slip of paper an activity that can be done in place of eating. Hudnall suggests taking a 10-minute relaxation session or snooze, straightening out a drawer or closet, walking around the block or even having a bubble bath to break the stress eating cycle. “The important thing is that people make these [activity choices] meaningful to them,” she says.

Both the fun and the stress of the weeks ahead prompt many to turn to food for celebration and comfort. Since we’ve already solved the cookie-jar problem, here are some other ways to control stress-induced eating:

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Be smart and sweet

Studies show that stress increases craving for sweets. So satisfy your sweet tooth with healthier alternatives. Good choices that will still let in some holiday cheer include hot chocolate with a few marshmallows, candy canes, meringues, ginger or ribbon candy or a cappuccino with some cocoa or cinnamon on top and a small biscotti.

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Get a mouth workout

Sometimes it’s not really the tenth Christmas cookie that you crave, but the pleasure of chomping. So go for texture: crunchy vegetables with low-fat dip such as salsa or bean; apples or pears with peanut butter; salty (unbuttered) popcorn, flavored rice cakes.

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Take a break

Couple a small indulgence with a five-minute breather. “If you’re just gobbling your way to another stressful task, you might as well just drink water because [eating] really won’t help reduce stress levels,” says Judith Wurtman, director of a women’s health program at MIT and of a small weight loss clinic in Boston. Step away from the stressful task and clear your head.

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Boost fruit and vegetables

They’re healthy carbohydrates that not only have flavor, but are low in calories and rich in fiber and water, which help keep you full.

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Get enough rest

Skipping sleep not only decreases energy, which is already in short supply this time of year, but can alter insulin and other hormones that regulate appetite and hunger, according to studies conducted at the University of Chicago by Eve Van Cauter and her colleagues.

In one study of healthy men and women in their twenties of normal weight, Van Cauter found that missing just one hour of sleep per night produced blood sugar and hormone levels of adults decades older. (Levels returned to normal with sleep.) In the December issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine, the team reports that just two days of shortened sleep significantly increased appetite and hunger in a group of young healthy-weight men.

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Track what you eat

This seems to help control the amount of food consumed by increasing awareness. “A lot of people aren’t aware that they are reaching for food until after the fact,” says Hudnall. If you have to record it, you’ll notice.

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More seafood

Have at least two servings of seafood this week. Seafood is loaded with healthy omega-3 fatty acids, which are good for your heart, brain and joints. Emerging research suggests that omega-3s may also help with mood, which certainly couldn’t hurt your efforts to battle seasonal stress. Besides seafood, good sources include flax seeds, many types of beans, cantaloupe and nuts.

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Keep moving

A 140-pound person who rides for one minute in an elevator burns just one calorie, according to Calories Per Hour (caloriesperhour.com). But if that same person takes the stairs, he or she burns eight calories per minute going up and three calories per minute going down. Even if you can’t carve out time for a regular workout this week, look for ways to incorporate “lifestyle exercises” (taking the stairs, walking to errands, doing housework, etc.). Research suggests that people who remain active throughout the day are more likely to maintain their weight than those who don’t engage in lifestyle activities.

And wrapping presents doesn’t count as an aerobic activity, but a 140-pound person burns about 16 calories per 10 minutes doing it, according to Calories Per Hour. Every little bit helps.