The holidays are here – a magical time of year filled with sparkling lights, homemade treats, loved ones and holiday feasts. Although there is much more to this season than these large meals, the festivities most certainly can become centered around the dinner table. Let’s talks about healthy additions for your holiday meal.
Many give up on their health goals during this time of year, planning on picking back up where they left off in the new year. It can sometimes feel like a lost cause even attempting, but I have some good news for you! You do not have to compromise your health goals this season, and better yet, you also don’t have to compromise missing out on your favorite holiday meals. With a few healthy tips you can implement this season and beyond, you can add some healthy additions to your meals without anyone noticing.
A few of my favorite healthy tips are…
Ditch and Switch. Ditch the refined foods and switch them with healthier options. For example, instead of using refined white flour and/or sugar, use almond flour or coconut sugar instead. There are many alternatives to choose from, and you can most definitely find one that you will love – and I bet you nobody will even notice! Aside from the sweets, you can also trade out white rice or mashed potatoes with creating cauliflower rice or mashed “potatoes” out of cauliflower.
Fresh Herbs and Spices. You can really dress up a meal by adding fresh herbs and spices to it – I personally use them every time I cook. It’s incredibly affordable and simple to keep a small, fresh herb garden growing in your kitchen window, and you will always have direct access to fresh herbs. Even better, there are incredible health properties in many of the herbs and spices we use and love. Many of our favorite holiday spices are greatly beneficial for our health and a strong immune system, which is certainly helpful during cold and flu season. Cinnamon, turmeric, cloves, and nutmeg are a few of these popular holiday spices that you will reap healthy benefits from, so find a place for them in your recipes anywhere you can!
Use Different Plateware. One of my favorite, most powerful tools to stay on track with my health goals is getting creative with portion control. Instead of using dinner-sized plates, which we tend to fill, use smaller plates. Use a mid-sized saucer or salad plate for your dinner plate, and then go back for seconds if needed. A lot of the overeating that we do is mindless, habitual eating because it’s in front of us and we were taught to clean our plates. Taking this temptation away helps tremendously, and you’ll very quickly learn how much you actually need to feel satisfied – I guarantee it is less than you are used to!
With these simple tips, you’ll be well on your way to not entering January feeling bloated, discouraged and off track. A truly healthy life revolves around balance – and finding your own personal balance will take trial and error.
I have a “sweet tooth” and so for me, when all the sweet offerings come around, my initial impulse is to grab and eat whatever it is because it looks so tempting. But over the past few years, I have learned to choose more carefully. There are plenty of sweet things around, and so I decide what it is that I like best, and focus on that so that I can bypass the current temptation and give myself some leeway to be able to eat the dessert I like most (which for me is my grandson’s wonderful pecan pie which he has been baking for us since early teens! It’s my mother-in-law’s recipe which he has slight modified — and believe me, it is very popular at the holidays in our family!)
In closing, I want to wish you and your family a blessed Christmas and hope that you take time to enjoy one another and live in the moment.
P.S. If you haven’t already done some, jump over to my Facebook Group for those of who live hectic lives but want to stay healthy and finds ways to be more efficient with your time. Check out my tips.