This time of year, you’re probably thinking about three things – holiday parties, parties, and more parties!
With a jam packed calendar and events galore, are you concerned that the festivities may go straight to your mid-section?
The good news is that you don’t need to be…
With a little bit of planning and willpower, you can stay healthy throughout the holidays.
If you’ve worked hard all year making healthy changes to your diet and lifestyle, the last thing you want to do is overindulge and start over again in January.
Today, I’m sharing some great advice.
Here’s what to do if you want to enjoy holiday parties and not gain a pound.
1. Firstly, try to put as many vegetable-based dishes on your plate.
Opt for delicious salads such as cranberry walnut salads that are sprinkled with feta.
You can also load up on fresh veggie sticks (skip the unhealthy cream dips). There’s usually freshly made guacamole or Mediterranean hummus that goes great with raw veggies.
2. I know it can be hard, but skip dessert.
Perhaps you’re the type of person who’s satisfied with one bite of dessert, and if you are, then go ahead.
But, if you’re like me (still aspiring to be that person who just needs a small taste), it’s better to have vitamin-rich fruit instead. Why not enjoy a delicious fruit salad or a few pieces of enzyme-rich pineapple that aids digestion.
You’ll get a boost of antioxidants without all the heavy sugars that can leave you feeling gassy and bloated.
3. Simply put…don’t eat everything in sight.
Many of us are guilty of loading up our plate at holiday parties.
My suggestion?
Choose what you put on your plate carefully and try not to combine too many different foods.
Stay away from ‘unhealthy’ foods, which include processed meats and simple sugars (white breads, mystery casseroles, and desserts camouflaged as side dishes).
Look for foods you can easily identify like lean meats, grilled fish, steamed vegetables, and/or ancient grains like quinoa.
4. Drink a lot. No, I don’t mean cocktails.
Stay well hydrated and drink plenty of purified water with fresh squeezed lemon.
This will help flush toxins from your system and will also serve as a wonderful remedy for water retention and bloating.
Your body tends to hold onto water when it’s dehydrated. If you drink too much caffeine, eat salty foods, or consume too much alcohol, you may experience unwanted bloating.
5. Any opportunity you have, get up and dance!
Don’t be the person chatting and drinking at the bar all night. Get your body moving, sweat out the alcohol, and burn some calories. 60 minutes of dancing can burn more than 500 calories.
Even if you’re a social butterfly, you can navigate the holiday season successfully with the right plan. It doesn’t matter how many holiday parties you’ve committed to, you got this!
Whether you’ve got 2 or 10 on your calendar, these tips will help you stay healthy throughout the holiday season.
Just remember, you need to have a plan so that you don’t fall off the proverbial wagon so hard it feels like climbing Mount Everest in January.
Happy Holidays!
Dr. Sara has appeared on multiple radio shows/podcasts, the W Network, Breakfast Television and CP24. For almost 5 years, she worked as the National Spokesperson for a well-known digestive wellness brand, educating across the globe on gut health. Dr. Sara has been named a rising star in Canada receiving the Generation Next award for her outstanding contribution to shaping the future of Canada’s grocery industry. She frequently contributes to large publications and has been published in Best Health Magazine, The Globe and Mail, Sweat Equity, Grocery Business, Inside Fitness, Canadian Living, Elevate, HELLO, and ELLE Canada.
Dr. Sara’s approach to healthcare is not as easy as taking a pill. The “quick-fix” approach is not one she subscribes to. While there’s a pill for just about everything, rarely do prescription drugs stop the course of disease - they merely mask symptoms. Dr. Sara believes true health requires a commitment from both the doctor and the patient.
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