Tips for Keeping Healthy this Holiday Season
Nov 26, 2009 by Bill Rawls, M.D.
The act of sharing a celebratory meal with friends and family can be a health experience in itself. Holiday meals can be made to be healthy. Just the fact that people tend to cook fresh food is a step in the right direction!
Holidays tend to be centered on times when there are plenty of healthy foods available, such as citrus fruit, pears, cranberries, and fresh nuts of many varieties. Try to keep the cookies and cakes to a minimum and be mindful of portion control and eating more slowly (but certainly do not let it get in the way of enjoying the food and company!). As long as celebratory feasting is reserved for a seasonal treat and is not a weekly indulgence, you should not get into trouble.
A few tips for maintaining good health this holiday season:
* Before you start nibbling at holiday parties, remember to ask yourself "Am I really hungry?" If you try hard enough, I promise you will find satisfaction in 2 cookies instead of 6. Also let your food digest before going back for seconds (or thirds!).
* Avoid fast food completely! When packing for the airport or long road trip, remember to pack a bag of dried fruit and nuts to curb cravings during this busy time of year. Also keep healthy snacks around at work and home, especially on those days that christmas goodies may be so tempting.
* Stay active! Take a walk on your lunch break. Opt for the stairs. Find a new project on the weekends. Don’t let yourself get out of the habit of daily exercise during these holiday months!
* Get plenty of sleep and practice meditation or yoga regularly. Don’t let the holidays become a time of stress and worry! Enjoy the moments while setting aside time for your mind and body to keep up.
Happy Thanksgiving and best wishes this holiday season from The Vital Plan.
Categories: Nutrition, Weight Management,
Tags(s): Meditation,
Previous Comments
Jay Mitchell- Nov 28, 2009
Thanks for the tips, Dr. Rawls! Although avoiding "sweet treats" during the holidays is ALWAYS easier said than done :)
JP- Dec 01, 2009
Planning is the key to our diet/lifestyle success. We recently took a prolonged trip - part family business and part business business. We brought plenty of healthy snacks in our suitcase and chose foods very carefully while on the road ... even at fast food "restaurants" when that was the best option. Adding some additional movement (physical activity) is a great tip. Walking a little extra and compensating for some less than optimal diet choices is something else I try to do. One technique I opt for is to take a "super greens" supplement along with us during trips. My theory is that this can help fill in the gaps when we're unable to eat as many fruits and vegetables like we normally would at home. :) Thanks for the sound advice, Bill! Happy holidays to you and yours! Be well! JP
Bill Rawls- Dec 01, 2009
Greens supplements can be very handy when traveling! I keep my son (in college) well stocked also, as I know he is eating MANY more pizza dinners these days than when he lived at home :) Thanks for your comments, JP and Jay, I so appreciate your interest in and support of this website!
