You choose, Holiday Sabotage or Living from Choice?
During the holidays I hear people who are afraid of gaining weight or people who are convinced that their well being is going to be jeopardized. Or that their stress levels will induce numerous complications. Does it have to be that way? I say, “No.” For myself, I love the holidays, especially Thanksgiving. What an amazing opportunity to lavish your loved ones with gratitude and try new recipes to surprise them with at parties. I say that you choose. Are you going to suffer through the holiday or are you going to enjoy the holiday? You get to choose. Are you going to maintain or loose weight over the holiday? You get to choose. Are you going to insert a new paradigm and humor in your “stress?” You get to choose. Being a victim of your circumstances is not exactly the best ever. I have listed a few tips on how to navigate through the holidays more easily in terms of your food choices which always help me to navigate everything else. When my body has the proper fuel it can function much better.
Decide what your goals are for this holiday season.
This is the first step toward feeling at choice during this any any time. Take a moment to clearly define your personal goals for the holiday season.
- What is most important to you right now?
- Do you want to maintain your weight? Do you want to incorporate more raw food into your diet? Would you like to lose weight?
- What are your hopes for yourself mentally and physically? Perhaps you are recovering from severe illness, and what you eat is of utmost importance. Perhaps you are willing to create balance and indulge in some traditional holiday foods or appease family.
- Clarify your priorities and what you really want out of your holiday season.
Strategies for success that I use and have really worked wonders for me:
- Stock your fridge and pantry. It is the first place you look for food, so make sure you have some delicious and healthy choices!
- Be sure you have items on hand that nourish and satisfy you.
- Twice a week prep your food to make sure your favorite items are always in my fridge. This includes basic raw soups, sauces, dips, fresh salad ingredients and smoothie ingredients.
- Keep some healthy desserts in the fridge so you don’t succumb to cravings for traditional processed holiday sweets.
Plan ahead for parties and holiday gatherings! I can’t emphasize this one enough.
- Eat something before you go to a party. Sometimes this is just a necessity. A small, healthy meal at home will make you feel energetic enough to have strong will power at holiday parties and full enough to avoid tempting, high-calorie dishes.
- Visualize what you want to eat before the party. Anticipate what foods might be at the party. Decide ahead of time what will go into your body. It’s OK to enjoy your favorite cooked foods at a party, but make it part of your plan.
- Bring your favorite crowd-pleasing raw dish to share with others. This way, you are guaranteed there will be at least one nourishing dish you will really enjoy. No need to be shy about sharing your favorite dish, if you love it, everyone else most likely will too!
Simplify what you eat at home.
During the holidays, you might eat fancy, rich foods when you’re out (raw or not) and to counter this, I keep it light and simple at home.
Here are a few tips:
- Drink plenty of green smoothies and juices.
- Eat tons of raw fruits and veggies – in your salads, soups and by themselves.
- Avoid eating too many nuts at any one meal
- Be sure to drink plenty of water. Often, when you are tired or cranky, you might also be dehydrated. A big glass of pure water always perks you up.
Keep exercising
Stick to your normal exercise routine, if you have one. If not, start one. I usually increase my exercising during the holiday season to make up for any extra calorie consumption. Avoid the temptation to lie around when it’s cold. Instead, go out and get your blood moving!
- Focus on green foods such as broccoli, kale, Swiss chard, lettuce, etc. They are the most detoxifying and immune-boosting foods.
- You can also supplement your life with green food supplements such as E3Live, Vitamineral Green, Spirulina, dulse, blue green algae, etc.
- Be sure to have green powders on hand to put in water or juice when fresh greens as a mid afternoon or mid morning snack.
Recipes to follow. Good luck and if I can support you please contact me.