Holiday Season Nutrition 101
So you’ve worked hard on your health and fitness all year, you’ve established habits, built consistency and made progress that you are proud of. And now it’s the holiday season. How can you enjoy the celebrations without completely falling off track?
The holiday season can end up being an anxious, tense and frustrating time if you don’t know how to find balance in enjoying the celebrations and taking care of your health. So we have compiled our 10 top tips for doing so below to help you out.
Find healthy variations for recipes you love and crave. There are so many amazing and easily available recipes that use wholesome and nutritious ingredients in replace of refined sugars or empty carbohydrates with little nutritional value. We will be releasing some recipe ideas next week...
Take your own nutritious dishes to lunches and parties. This way you know there will be some healthy options available.
Fill at least half of your plate with non-starchy vegetables (dark leafy greens especially). Eat these first. Continue to give your body the nutrients it needs. Not only will you feel better, but it will help fill you up, leaving less room for foods that don’t offer as much nutritional value.
Make sure you are getting enough protein. 1-2 palms of protein per meal is a good guide. Adding protein to every meal will not only help keep you full for longer, but also increases your metabolism rate, making you more efficient at fat burning.
Eat slowly and enjoy each mouthful. It takes 20+ minutes for your brain to register that it is full. One way to achieve this is to place your fork down between mouthfuls.
Don’t skip meals. Giving your body fuel throughout the day helps prevent poor food choices or binge eating later in the day. Giving your body a healthy and nutritious breakfast with some form of protein, complex carbohydrate and healthy fat is a great way to set the tone for the day.
Allow yourself to indulge if you feel like it and enjoy it without the guilt. Restricting foods and reducing calorie intake around this time causes unnecessary anxiety, and increases the desire to binge eat. Give your body what it needs first, then if you still feel like it, give it what it wants.
Keep your body moving! It may look different to your normal training schedule, but now with more free time you have the opportunity to use your fitness outside of the gym! Try surfing, play with your kids, go swimming, biking, the list is endless!
Make sure you are getting enough sleep. Aim for that 8 hours or more. Getting efficient sleep balances hormones, increasing energy and improving overall mood, meaning you are more likely to take the time to think about your food choices and prepare delicious and nutritious meals.
Keep drinking water. It’s easy to confuse hunger with thirst, resulting in mindless snacking that never satiates. With all the acid forming foods (sugar, alcohol & meat) often consumed during this time, adding lemon to still or sparkling water can also help to balance the PH in the body.
Sharing these tips with family and friends will make it much easier to follow if you are all on the same page. Eating for health and wellbeing doesn’t need to be boring or tasteless! Use the holidays as an opportunity to experiment with new foods and recipes.
Stay tuned for recipe and workout ideas over the next few weeks… :)