Talking Turkey About Healthy Holiday Eating
11/20/2008
CLEBURNE, Texas — As the temperatures fall and the rush of holiday plans kick into
high gear it’s easy to slack off on simple healthy living steps. As people put aside
healthy lifestyles in favor of stuffing and pumpkin pie, weight gain can occur, but it
doesn't have to happen.
“It’s important that people take time for themselves over the holidays,”
said Dr. Heather McKenzie, a physician on the medical staff at Harris Methodist Walls
Regional Hospital, soon to be Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Cleburne.
“Keeping an eye on portion control while enjoying time with your family and friends
helps keep everything in moderation. And rather than relaxing on the couch watching football
after the Thanksgiving feast, families can start a friendly game of family football to work
off some calories.”
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention recommend ways to prevent sliding off healthy routines during the holidays,
including:
- Eat a variety of fruits, vegetables and whole grains every day
- Limit foods and drinks that are high in calories, sugar, salt, fat and alcohol
- Be active for at least 2 1/2 hours a week by including activities that raise
breathing and heart rates as well as strengthen muscles and bones
- Wash hands to stop the spread of germs
- Get 7 to 9 hours of sleep a night, or more for children, depending on their age
- Balance work, home and play
About Harris Methodist Walls Regional Hospital
Harris Methodist Walls Regional Hospital, soon to be Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital
Cleburne, is a 137-bed acute-care, full-service medical center serving Cleburne and the
Johnson County area since 1986. The hospital's services include surgery, women and
infant services, urology, orthopedics and ear, nose and throat care.
Harris Methodist Walls Regional Hospital has been recently recognized for the Texas Health
Care Quality Improvement award from TMF, the 2007 Premier/Carescience Select Practice
National Quality Award and the 2007 Premier Award for Quality for Heart Failure. For more
information, please call 1-888-4-Harris, or visit www.texashealth.org/hmwr.
About Texas Health Resources
Texas Health Resources is one of the largest faith-based, nonprofit health care
delivery systems in the United States and the largest in North Texas in terms of patients
served. THR’s system of 13 hospitals includes Harris Methodist Hospitals, Arlington
Memorial Hospital and Presbyterian Healthcare System, and a medical research organization.
THR is a corporate member or partner in six additional hospitals and surgery centers. For
more information about Texas Health Resources, visit www.texashealth.org.
Doctors on the medical staff practice independently and are not employees or agents of the
hospital.
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