Holiday Wellness Tips

With the holidays around the corner and people starting to socialize more and more, you may find that there are more opportunities to get together with a small group of friends, either at someone’s house or at a restaurant. You may also be worried about overdoing calories and putting on those pesky pounds that seem to be gained this same time every year.

The 3 P’s: Plan, Prepare, Portions

The weight gain this time of year is actually not inevitable. You can make some simple changes and keep the scale as is. We share our holiday wellness tips for a healthier holiday this year. The key is called “The 3 Ps”: plan, prepare, portions. Here’s how it works:

Plan

Plan- Our holiday wellness tips start off with thinking about what the day will look like ahead of time. Is the party in the morning, afternoon, or evening? Is it an hour, two, or all day? Do you know foods that will be there or is it going to be a surprise to you?

Prepare

Prepare- If, for example, the party is in the evening, you want to make sure you eat a small breakfast and lunch and, depending on the time it starts, a small protein snack. The rationale behind that is that if you give your body fuel starting in the morning with a healthy breakfast filled with protein and fiber (for example, plain or vanilla Greek yogurt with 2 T Carrington Farms Flax/Chia Blend). According to a study, eating a protein-rich breakfast will help you curb your appetite. By consuming protein in the morning, you will be less ravenous and, therefore, less likely to overeat later in the day. Flaxseeds also add several health benefits. Sources show that it can improve digestive health and lower cholesterol. Chia seeds contain omega-3 fatty acids which have been proven to promote heart health.

The same holds true for lunch so you want to choose something high in fiber and protein. If you’re looking for something healthy and filling, a good choice would be a vegetable soup topped with Crounons and a half of a turkey sandwich on whole grain bread or cut up grilled chicken in a salad with lupin.

Portions

Remember, one day of eating a bit too much isn’t going to sabotage your whole year of healthy and careful eating. We can all enjoy the holidays, and, now more than ever, we deserve to. However, it’s the overeating over time, along with less healthy and high calorie foods, that leads to weight gain. Keep portions in check and practice these holiday wellness tips this season and celebrate the fact that 2020 is almost over!