It’s that time of year again.
The holidays are supposed to be the happiest time, but as it turns out, it tends to be the most stressful for many.
I’ve got some nutritional tips to keep in mind for the upcoming holidays as well as the New Year.
I know it may seem a little early for ‘holiday’ talk, but seriously, the average weight gain from Halloween to the New Year is 13 pounds. Do you really want to be part of that statistic?
Eating properly is a great way to avoid holiday weight gain and combat stress. So here are ten tips to help you avoid the weight gain and feel your best….
Add lots of natural spice
- Cook foods from scratch.
- Parsley is a great detoxifier.
- Cayenne pepper is a great for cold remedy, metabolic booster and it helps reduce insulin levels. A small dose of ¼ teaspoon is effective.
- Cinnamon can be used as an insulin moderator and anti-inflammatory. You’ll need 1 tbsp /day.
- Nutmeg inhibits an enzyme in the brain to prevent Alzheimer’s.
- Turmeric is an anti-inflammatory and is great after a workout. Add to stews and chili’s. A pinch will do it, but you can get it in capsule form too.
Eat more veggies
- Dark leafy greens especially.
- Eat more veggies than fruits.
- Eat 3-4 cups/day and you’ll experience less cravings.
Sleep!
- Body is in stress mode when not well rested.
- When sleep deprived, the hormone gherlin will increase (increases appetite).
- The hormone leptin will decrease with less sleep (leptin helps keep metabolism going).
Keep clean foods in the house
- Do a cupboard cleanse, pitch out the crap!
- When food is there, it’ll get eaten, you know it will…
- Do baking last minute so you aren’t tempted to eat it!
Avoid super size portions
- Studies show that the more food is available, the more you’ll eat.
- Put food into smaller containers so you won’t eat more.
- Be careful about the variety of foods available in the house, the more variety there is, the more you’ll eat. Do you really need ten kinds of breakfast cereals in the house?
- Avoid too much variety of food in buffets and pot luck dinners.
Set aside time to do a big cook
- Set aside time to cook for the week so you have healthy food on hand.
- For example, you can prepare: BBQ chicken breasts, cut up veggies, hard boil eggs
- Ensure that you have healthy groceries available in the house.
Do a small good deed
- Do a good deed to others once/week or once/day what ever you decide.
- By focusing on others it helps us to avoid emotional eating.
- Doing something positive offsets the negative stressors in life.
- Positive reinforcement helps us to avoid looking to food for reinforcement.
- Feeling better after a workout is an example of positive reinforcement.
Give yourself time before giving into cravings
- Wait 10 minutes before giving into a craving.
- Set a timer if you have to.
- Find a distraction for 10 minutes.
- Watching TV is a bad choice as a distraction.
- If you give into a craving, give into a smaller portion size.
- Giving yourself the 10 minute craving rule offers you more control to make a better choice.
Avoid the ‘all or nothing’ attitude
- Don’t throw in the towel if you fail, understand that proper eating is a life long process.
- Take a moderate approach to nutrition.
- Allow yourself a ‘cheat’ meal to increase leptin levels and give yourself a mental break. (Check out this blog post to read more about leptin.)
Eating is only half the battle come holiday time. You also need to add some exercise to ensure that your metabolism is fired up. You really don’t need to join a gym or get a personal trainer to do this. You can fit in a quick workout at home with a minimal amount of space and equipment.
Take a look at here to grab some home workouts that will keep you looking and feeling great over the holidays.