Happy healthy holidays: How to avoid festive food traps

With the holidays rapidly approaching, it’s easy to put ourselves on the back burner. How will we get all of the shopping, baking, and decorating done….all while maintaining a stellar diet and exercise regime? It would be easier to simply fall off the wagon and eat like Buddy the Elf would, right? Wrong! The last thing you need right now is to overstress your immune system with all that is sugary and noggy.  Stay on track with good habits, and you can reclaim your joy and sanity this season for a happy, healthy holiday.

Shifting your mindset about holiday celebrations

Think about how you have celebrated all of the past holidays.  Have you looked at them as one big excuse to surrender to the excess?  A shift in thinking about what the holidays are really about (togetherness, health, happiness, giving and joy vs. overeating, overspending and constant food comas) may be just the ticket to a peaceful and healthy holiday season.

Holidays are all about tradition and warm and fuzzy memories. We can still enjoy all the makings of a Hallmark Channel holiday movie without compromising our good health.  Why not start some new traditions that involve saying “no” to stress and exhaustion and “yes” to balance, joy and inner peace? Sounds good to us!

Minimize holiday stress and maintain healthy eating habits

If you’ve been working hard to eat healthfully like so many of us today, it would be disappointing to see all of your hard work erased within a few week’s time. It’s not just the pounds creeping back up, it’s the way your body feels and behaves when you start to revert to your old habits.  Have you noticed you might be getting cranky or sluggish? That could be the sugar talking. And for allergy sufferers, holiday stress can worsen your symptoms.  Here are some tips to help you recognize and reduce the effects of holiday stress on your body.

Navigating allergies during the holiday season

Navigating multiple get togethers and potlucks can be tricky for the food allergy sufferer. Our holiday survival guide  shares some practical advice for both hosts and guests to  keep everyone on the right track until after the ball drops in Times Square.  And if you’re looking for some practical recipe swaps for your holiday feast, try these great recipes!

Here are a few final tips for healthy eating and self care during the holidays:

  1. Stock up on fermented and cultured foods.
  2. Eat lots of plant based foods, healthy grains and other fiber-rich foods.
  3. Encourage good eating all around (and ensure you have healthy options) by bringing a fruit or veggie platter to the family/office get together.
  4. Don’t overcook your vegetables.
  5. Cook with coconut oil.
  6. Enjoy the healing powers of apple cider vinegar.
  7. Drink kombucha.
  8. Maintain some form of exercise even if it’s only a daily brisk walk
  9. Find some quiet time in each day to breathe deeply, meditate or reflect on what is truly important in your life.
  10. Lower your expectations of what the holidays should be by finding joy and gratitude in each day.

Conclusion

Getting through the holidays is hard enough, even when we perform the ultimate self-care.  It is possible to eat well, sleep well and maintain some form of exercise even through the constant hustle and bustle. By shifting the focus to making memories and enjoying precious times together, you can do more than “get through” the holidays. You can actually enjoy them!  We wish you all a peaceful and blessed season.

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