Building Sustainable Healthy Eating Habits Year-Round And Through The Holidays
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Healthy eating rarely fails because of one meal. It fails when a routine that works most weeks gets interrupted by a busy stretch, whether that is a demanding work month or the holiday season now approaching.
Optum, a network of doctors, care teams and healthcare professionals who care for patients throughout Southern California, built its Health Enhancement program to teach nutrition habits designed to survive real schedules rather than ideal ones.
“Dining out with friends or enjoying holiday meals does not mean that you have to fall off track with your health goals or your habits in general,” said Adriana Anestis, a registered dietitian nutritionist with Optum. Anestis works with patients managing diabetes, weight control and other chronic conditions, and her classes focus on practical strategies over food restriction rules.
Build the Plate Before Reaching for the Fork
Optum’s nutrition classes teach the plate method: half the plate filled with non-starchy vegetables or fruit, one quarter with high-fiber carbohydrates like whole grains and one quarter with lean protein. The plate method skips counting calories or weighing food, relying instead on a visual approach. This simple strategy builds balanced meals that work at home, at a restaurant or at a holiday table.
Fiber from vegetables, fruit and whole grains does double duty, Anestis said. It feeds the bacteria in the gut that help absorb nutrients and support immunity, helps to lower cholesterol and slows how quickly blood sugar rises after a meal, an effect that matters for anyone managing diabetes or watching cholesterol. Many patients fall short on fiber and fluids day to day, she said, well before any holiday meal enters the picture.
Balance, Not Elimination
Diet plans that cut out entire food groups tend to backfire, Anestis said, because they risk missing key nutrients and rarely hold up over time. Optum’s classes instead teach adequacy, balance, moderation and variety: a little of each food group, portioned with intention rather than eliminated outright.
That approach carries into dining out. Anestis teaches a “remove, reduce, replace” strategy: Remove a high-fat ingredient like extra cheese or sauce, reduce a portion by sharing a dish or dessert or replace a fried item with something grilled or baked. The same three strategies work at a restaurant in March or a holiday party in December.
Reading Hunger, Not Just the Clock
Skipping meals to save calories for later often backfires, Anestis said, since long gaps between meals can cause an energy slump and stronger hunger later, making it harder to choose food with intention. She recommends routine mealtimes, plus a small snack with protein and fiber before a big event, so you don’t arrive overly hungry.
Slowing down at the table matters, too. It takes about 20 minutes for the brain to register fullness, Anestis said, so starting with a smaller plate and eating without rushing gives that signal time to arrive before a plate gets refilled.
When the Calendar Gets Busier
The approaching holiday season tests these habits more than most stretches of the year, between family gatherings, travel and richer traditional meals. Anestis said the fix is not abstinence but the same routine, applied on a fuller schedule: Keep regular mealtimes, bring a lighter version of a favorite dish to share and expect to enjoy the meals that matter without treating any single one as a setback.
The morning after a heavier meal, she recommends hydrating first and easing back in with something light, such as eggs and vegetables or a bowl of soup, rather than skipping meals to compensate.
“It’s about being consistent,” Anestis said, “but not perfect.”
Adriana Anestis, RDN, earned her degree in dietetics and completed her dietetic internship at California State University, Long Beach. Her clinical focus includes diabetes care, weight management and chronic disease support across the lifespan, with a practice built on listening first and meeting patients where they are.
The Optum Health Enhancement program is available to Optum patients and offers health and nutrition classes to support various conditions like diabetes and weight management. The program is centered around strategies to help patients build healthy eating habits that hold up all year. Speak to your doctor and check with your health plan to find a program that provides the nutrition support you need to help manage your health. You can also visit Optum.com/california for additional resources.
