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Staying Healthy
Holiday health hazards
- By Heidi Godman, Executive Editor, Harvard Health Letter
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.
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About the Author
Heidi Godman, Executive Editor, Harvard Health Letter
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As a service to our readers, Harvard Health Publishing provides access to our library of archived content. Please note the date of last review or update on all articles.
No content on this site, regardless of date, should ever be used as a substitute for direct medical advice from your doctor or other qualified clinician.
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