20 Nov Holiday Tips For Healthy Eating
It’s that time of the year again! We have back to back big holidays! The end of the year is always my favorite time of the year. But sometimes, the end of the year can be filled with a lot of unhealthy foods (not getting enough nourishment), stress, weight gain/bloated-ness. Which, is why I wanted to give you some holiday tips for healthy eating.
Now, I’m not going to tell you you have to avoid every single bad food item on the table this year. We are human & we can indulge every now & then – give yourself some grace. BUT, holidays aren’t something that comes to a surprise. We know it comes again every single year. You’ve worked hard all year with staying healthy and trying to keep a schedule of fitness and eating healthy, so don’t ruin it by the last couple months of the year indulging more than you should.
Good news, most of the popular foods that are given at Thanksgiving & Christmas can truly be healthy and nourishing! YAY! So, let’s dive in on ways you can stay healthy this holiday season!
- Host Thanksgiving/Christmas dinner at your house. When you are able to host it at your house and be in control of the majority of the food, that’s a win! You will be able to take control of the ingredients in the dishes. Like I said, most dishes are nourishing when made right. That goes to #2!
- Make holiday favorites with good ingredients! (If you aren’t hosting, make sure to bring healthy dishes to share!) Instead of making mashed potatoes with factory-farmed dairy, choose coconut milk, grass-fed butter, and pink salt! If you love that gravy, make the gravy from the fresh broth that comes from the turkey! Speaking of the turkey, get a pasture-raised organic turkey. Sometimes you’ll have to order them ahead of time. Save the bones afterwards and make turkey bone broth for the next couple of months. Cook with lots of healthy oils, like coconut oil or avocado oil. Make gluten-free pumpkin pie. See, you can have all your favorites. You just need to switch a couple ingredients. This can go for literally any favorite holiday recipe!
- Fill your plates up with lots of protein and fats! Don’t turn to all the biscuits and wheat-heavy dishes. Aim to fill your plate with lots of veggies, quality protein, and quality fats.
- Be aware of drinks! There are a lot of alcoholic and/or sweetened drinks that are served for the holidays. Be careful of over-indulging with these. It’s okay to have one, but if you are splurging on 3+ you might be intaking more preservatives, sugars, artificial junk more than you’d like.
- Don’t let up on your exercise! Whatever workout regime and exercises you’ve been doing, don’t let up on it even though it’s the holidays. Get outside, take a hike, go to the gym, do a family workout at home. Just because it’s the holidays doesn’t mean your health goes out the back door.
- Eat like normal, even the day of Thanksgiving & Christmas! Don’t starve yourself because you want to save your appetite for dinner. This will only make you overeat later and this creates a not-so-ideal environment for your hormones that can cause issues later.
- Eat slowly. I constantly have to remind my son of this rule. Put down your fork in-between bites. If not, your body isn’t able to catch up with what it’s eating, and can leave you with digestive discomfort later. You still need to make sure you are listening to your leptin hormone, which says “I’m full!”
Enjoy your holidays! Yes, that means you can indulge a little bit! Don’t forget that these holidays are about family versus the food that is served (but that’s always a plus too!). When you take care of yourself, you take care of your family. I’m sure they want you here for MANY more holidays, so make sure you are putting your health as a priority and that starts with what you put in your mouth! 🙂
Do you have any holiday tips for healthy eating that has worked for you?
Reach out to us if you need extra support staying healthy during the holidays!
Wishing you full bellies & tons of nourishment this holiday season,
