Healthy Choices During the Holidays; 5 Actionable Tips

Healthy choices and holiday celebrations can we have both?

During this time of year I’m frequently asked about eating out and holiday gatherings. How does someone maintain their ‘diet’ for healthy living or what if I have weight management goals? Can I still mingle with my friends and maintain healthy choices?

The short answer is ‘yes’. You can have both. And I am going to share with you how you can.

Healthy Choices 5 Tips

This is a season of celebrating and connecting with others. It’s important that you are comfortable with going to events and that feel you are in control and confident.

Sleep

During the holidays your sleep schedule may be altered. Even so, you will want to try to sleep at least 6 hours. You understand that a good night sleep will help increase our energy levels throughout the day.

Hormones can also change when you do not get enough sleep, the body makes more ghrelin and less leptin. Which is basically the opposite of what we want.

Leptin is a hormone which suppresses hunger and tells our brain that we are full. With adequate sleep our body can have more leptin.

Ghrelin is a hormone that is released in the stomach and tells our brain we are hungry. With the right amount of sleep our body can be signaled to make less ghrelin.

With poor sleep we also make poorer food choices. We have less self control.

So, try to get 6-8 hours of restful sleep.

Indulging

Well, we’ve all been here haven’t we? I teach an 80/20 lifestyle. Which means for 80 percent of my food and drink choices I will choose the healthier option.

If I decide that I want to have a cookie or piece of cake, I do. However, I do not do this often. I personally give myself 20 percent or less for indulging.

So, ‘over time’ for the majority of the time (80%) I am intentionally, reaching for healthier choices.

If there is a food or drink that ‘triggers’ over indulging or over eating then that could be something you choose to avoid. This helps my habits to be healthier for the majority of my choices. But, at the same time I don’t feel deprived. So, is there room for ‘safely’ indulging, I believe there is.

Water

I seriously love water and always have. I grew up on a farm with parents who drank water so they instilled this habit for me at a young age.

Our body is about 60% water.

When you go out to celebrate and enjoy festivity’s drinking water during the outing or before you go out may help. One reason is water helps us feel full. Water also helps our energy. When we are dehydrated our energy level will dip. With lower energy levels we tend to make not the best choices with our food.

You can enhance your water drinking experience by adding fruits such as blueberries or strawberries or add a vegetable such as a slice of cucumber.

Alcohol

When we talk about healthy choices this is one of our favorite conversations whether during the holidays or any other time of year.

I stopped drinking alcohol in 2009 because I was looking for energy. When I looked at my food and drink choices at the time, it made sense, so I stopped drinking.

Alcohol does a few things in our body. First and foremost there is no nutritional value. If I choose to drink alcohol I am giving my body calories with no positive nutritional benefit to my health. Just keep that in mind. If you choose eggnog it could be close to 500 calories for eight ounces. When someone consumes an additional 500 calories everyday and they don’t burn it off by the end of the week that is an extra 3,500 calories.

3,500 calories = one pound.

Second, alcohol has a half life in our bodies. Meaning, when you have a drink your body feels relaxed. However, a few hours after you fall asleep you may notice that you wake up and can’t go back to sleep. During the second half of the night we may experience ‘lighter sleep’ and wake periodically throughout the remainder of the night.

Dr. Michael Breus explains it like this “alcohol is highly effective at suppressing melatonin, a key facilitator of sleep and regulator of sleep-wake cycles. Research indicates that a moderate dose of alcohol up to an hour before bedtime can reduce melatonin production by nearly 20 percent.

Third, when we drink alcohol we could be less concerned with our choices. A study of more than 15,000 adults in the United States found that increased alcoholic beverage consumption was associated with decreased diet quality.

Eating Out

You may be meeting friends or family at a restaurant or gathering at a home. A few tips that I like to share about healthy choices and eating out are:

Have a snack before going out. If you attend an event feeling full you are more likely to make better choices. I will have a bar or a protein shake before going out and find it very satisfying. Protein helps us feel fuller longer. If you prefer you could also have chicken or tuna or any other protein.

If you are around a buffet choose a smaller plate. I also walk through the entire buffet to look at what is offered before I make a choice. Remember the 80/20 rule. If you’ve already enjoyed your 20 percent for the week then omit creamy sauces and fried foods and opt for fresh vegetables and protein.

Ask to have the dressing or sauce on the side. This way you can control the amount you eat.

I am really proud of you for reading about healthy choices and these tips are easily implemented. Focus on the fun, enjoy the food and here’s to you having a blessed and healthy year.

The Author Heidi Fleming is a Lifestyle Architect. She helps people design a personal blueprint for healthy living and healthy aging. She is a proponent for encouraging others to find their path and stay on their path for healthy living; Clean label living and healthy aging.