5 Ways to a Healthy, Happy Holiday Season

Holiday traffic is ramping up again. I notice this in the evenings and the roads are not just more crowded, but the “holiday drivers” are out in force. This means that we engage both our patience and best defensive driving skills, so we don’t add to the madness!
The holidays are a wonderful time of year. Let’s keep them healthy:
​

1. If you are attending a party, fill your plates first with healthy foods – vegetables, fruits, meats, etc., before indulging in the high wheat and sugar goodies. Stop eating before or just when you are full. Walk away from the food table!
2. Be careful about choosing beverages as they can add copious amounts of carbs and calories. Safer beverages are water, unsweetened tea, and a simple glass of wine. Avoid drinking too many alcoholic beverages, soda, and any other beverage that has lots of sugar. Avoid diet drinks. Your mind and body will thank you.
3. Try not to skip meals; this is a recipe for disastrous overindulging! If you have skipped a meal prior to your party, you might drink too much and get buzzed or overestimate the amount of food you are eating.
4. Go for a feeling of just being pleasantly full and definitely stop drinking before you get tipsy. Eat before drinking. Your mind and body will thank you – you will feel alert and good instead of buzzed and over-satiated.
5. Prepare or choose foods with whole ingredients. Avoid processed foods, sugars, and grains whenever possible. Use whole fruits to sweeten dishes, or a little bit of pure maple syrup, raw honey, erythritol sweetener, stevia, etc. A combination may be tasty. Use nut flours like almond, and coconut flour as tasty alternatives to wheat.

I baked a delicious pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving, and it looked and tasted GREAT! I used almond flour and erythritol to sweeten, plus dark chocolate chips. Use your imagination! Try it – you might like it. For more information about healthy holistic living, please visit my website.