Keep meals balanced with protein

Typically, holiday meals are low in protein and high in carbs. However, it's important to include some protein with every meal because it encourages feeling full and may help with weight maintenance. In fact, by lowering hunger and appetite, eating protein with meals may automatically lower calorie intake. Protein also helps you lose weight because it boosts your metabolism and levels of hormones that suppress your hunger.

You should include at least 1 ounce (25–30 g) of protein in each meal to get these weight-management benefits. Because they include all 9 essential amino acids in the perfect ratios that your body requires, animal products are referred to as "complete protein." Dairy, meat, fish, and poultry are some of these. Although plant-based proteins can be combined with those from other plant sources to make complete proteins, they do not contain sufficient amounts of all the required amino acids. High-protein plant foods include foods like beans, lentils, grains, soy, nuts, and seeds.