Holiday health hazards

Be smart about how you handle rich food, alcohol, gatherings, and stress.

You’ve been working hard all year to stay healthy, especially during the pandemic. And it might seem like the holidays are a time to let down your guard and indulge. Just be careful: the holidays come with certain health hazards. Give yourself an early present by learning about the risks and planning ways to get through this month safely.

Limit unhealthy foods

Traditional foods are a treasured part of the holidays for many people. But those delicacies are typically loaded with salt, sugar, unhealthy saturated fat, and extra calories. Eating that kind of food every day for weeks might lead to weight gain or contribute to high cholesterol and blood sugar. Most people gain weight over the holidays — and don’t lose all of it afterward.