For most of us, the holidays are a time where our hearts are full, our houses are cozy, but our healthy diets are running away screaming. With rich temptations around every corner, ‘tis the season of sweatpants for a reason.
But January 1st doesn’t have to be your day of reckoning. Nor should the holidays feel like an epic trial of will. There’s a healthy compromise here that can keep you on fully on your game plan, while still embracing the fruits (or fruit pies) of the season. Read on for my favorite ways to help keep this holiday balanced in the most celebratory of ways.
Make a list, and check it twice. The holidays have a way of making antiquated unhealthy recipes suddenly okay. Put together a list of a few ingredients that you definitely want to avoid while doing your holiday grocery shopping – such as corn syrup, artificial dyes, and hydrogenated oils – and do a double check on the treats you’re buying to make sure they don’t contain any of the items on your black list. You can almost always find a healthier version these days … or at the very least, make one!
Even out your naughty and nice. So maybe that whole box of peanut butter brittle … “happened.” One naughty food choice isn’t going to take all your healthy efforts down! Look past this moment of bliss-filled weakness, and make your next food choice be something that’s exceptionally good for you, like a bowl of superfood soup, a big hearty salad, or a vegetable-loaded wrap. Not only are you reinforcing healthy behavior, but you’re keeping your stomach filled and your body satisfied on the good stuff … leaving less room for the bad.
Deck the kitchen with your smoothies. The holidays are a great time to really commit to (or stay with) a daily smoothie habit. Making one meal or snack a day an easily digestible medley of highly functional foods can do wonders to help keep cravings at bay, and keep your energy high.
Let it snow with superfoods. Superfoods can be used absolutely anywhere, any time. Just because you have traditional recipes planned, doesn’t mean you can’t add in superfoods along the way! Chia seeds, hemp seeds, goji berries and more are just begging to be folded into your favorite baked goods, and many of the most popular superfoods can make holiday drinks extra special (hot cocoa made with real cacao anyone?).
Happy, healthy holidays!
