The holidays are filled with great things- gratitude, family, food, and time relaxing and connecting with those you love. But for many people, the holidays are also filled with stress and anxiety, depression, overeating and feeling overly gluttonous.
Here are some tips to help you navigate the holidays:
– Eat a large breakfast with lots of protein and fat! Be sure to completely avoid carbs and sugar as these will put you on a blood sugar rollercoaster. Having a good base to start the day off will kickstart your metabolism and keep you from being starving by the time food is served. Eat a light lunch too if your family does Thanksgiving dinner.
– Have a healthy snack on hand! Like an apple, a cheese stick and a handful of nuts or pumpkin seeds. Having a healthy snack will keep you from overeating during your Thanksgiving meal, which causes you to feel bloated and uncomfortable after the meal. A healthy snack will fuel your body but won’t fill you up so that you can fully indulge in “the main meal” and will also keep you from over indulging in unhealthy snacks while you wait.
– Start with one scoop/serving of everything, don’t overfill your plate! Our eyes are always bigger than our stomachs. And DON’T EVER FEEL PRESSURED TO FINISH YOUR PLATE, all of these foods make great leftovers! I almost never finish my first plate, so I put it in the fridge and save it for a great snack later in the day.
– Take more turkey/ham/meat than you normally do! Protein is filled with amino acids your body needs, so load up on this! The average adults doesn’t get enough protein and this causes you to over indulge in empty carbs when your body really needs more protein. Aim to eat approx. 4-8oz of meat, which is a little bit bigger than you fist.
– Don’t cut yourself short on fat! Don’t hesitate to add as much butter as you want to your potatoes and feel free to add some gravy. The fats in food help us feel full faster, so it’s better to taking 1 serving of mashed potatoes with 2 pats of butter than 2 scoops of mashed potatoes with 1 pat of butter.
– Be sure to eat your veggies first! Your body needs the vitamins and minerals in veggies. This will help ensure that your holiday meal gives you nourishment and not just empty calories.
– Eat slowly and talk to people during the meal! Be mindful of every bite you put in your mouth and focus on the delicious flavors and textures of the food. Focusing on gratitude for the meal and the company actually improves your body’s ability to metabolize the food and utilize all the nutrients effectively!
– Take a walk! Walking after eating is a great way to fight the sluggish feelings you get after eating. It also gets your blood pumping and getting moving allows your body to utilize the glucose you just consumed and prevents your body from storing everything as fat.
– If you suffer from anxiety or depression during the holidays, don’t suffer alone! Reach out to friends and family. Contact me for support! Know that you’re not alone, many people feel the way you do. And there are options to help you feel better quickly besides pharmaceuticals and therapy. Probiotics have been shown to improve feelings of anxiety and depression because these symptoms can be caused by bacterial signaling in the gut. Kitty has done tons of research on this and partnered with an amazing probiotics company that has clinical trials showing that symptoms of anxiety decreased by 45% and depression decreased by 55%. Reach out to her for more information!
Sending warm wishes for a beautiful holiday season to you and yours!!!!!!!!!!!!
