With the holiday season fast approaching, popcorn tins, holiday parties, and eggnog are just a few of the temptations that we will all encounter. How is it possible to "be good" during this crazy time?
Keri Glassman, nationally recognized nutrition expert and co-founder of MommyCoach, has put together a couple of tips for how to stay healthy, and how to help curb your appetite. MommyCoach is a new online community for moms around the country to connect with leading experts and coaches for advice, encouragement, and answers to those hard-to-crack questions.
Plan Non-Food-Centered Activities: Take the focus off food. There are so many ways to
spend time together besides cooking, baking, and eating. Instead of decorating cookies and
gingerbread houses, make non-edible crafts like wreaths, paper snowflakes, or holiday cards.
Bundle up to take a walk around the neighborhood and rank the best decorated houses. And
light a fire to gather around while you play charades or watch holiday movies.
Bring Snacks To The Mall: Welcome to the real jungle. There’s no denying how tempting it is
seeing peppermint mochas or smelling cinnamon rolls (from a mile away, no less). And with the
stress of the crowds and finding the right gifts for everyone, you can be in over your head fast.
You have to be smart enough to sidestep these hazards. The easiest way to make it out alive?
Pack filling healthy snacks like nuts, a piece of fruit, or a bag of air popped popcorn, and you
won’t need a search and rescue team to pull you out of the food court.
Make Your Own Hot Chocolate: Ditch the packaged powders and go for the real thing. Many
hot chocolate powders are convenient and boast very few calories, but they are chock full of
artificial sweeteners and chemicals! Our recipe uses maca, a powder grown in the Andes
Mountains of Peru and packed with nutrients, and cacao powder, a less-processed version of
cocoa powder that’s a great source of antioxidants. Spend a cozy afternoon in the kitchen with
your kids and cuddle up in with this super food hot chocolate recipe.
Boil water or warm milk on the stove and let cool slightly, then mix in the following ingredients:
● 2 tablespoons raw cacao powder
● 2 teaspoons maca powder
● 1 tablespoon coconut sugar
● 1 teaspoon honey
● Pinch sea salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and pure vanilla
● 1 ½ cups milk of your choice or water
Be Mindful of Your Hunger Quotient: Your HQ is a measure of how hungry you are at a
given time - famished, satisfied, stuffed. Try to be in tune with your HQ and let hunger dictate
when you eat (versus having a serving of stuffing just because your sister brought it over). On a
scale of 1-10 (1 being stuffed, 10 being famished), you want to be between a 4 (slightly hungry)
and a 6 (slightly satisfied) all the time.
How To Curb Cravings At Holiday Parties:
Don’t Go To a Party Hungry: One of the biggest mistakes I see during the holidays is people
arriving to parties starving! It’s easy to think that the less you eat earlier in the day, the more
room you’ll have to eat later at the party...and the less damage you’ll do overall. But this
mindset has disaster written all over it! Instead, think this way: ruin your appetite. Have a
healthy, filling snack before the party so that you won’t be tempted to dive into the spinach and
artichoke dip as soon as you arrive. A hardboiled egg, a slice of turkey, or a Greek yogurt are
all small but satisfying options that you can have at home prior to making your big entrance.
Bring Your Own Healthy Dish: It’s never polite to go to a party empty-handed, right? So why
not bring a healthy dish you know you can rely on? Bring a salad with delicious, colorful
toppings like cranberries, roasted carrots and squash. Think of it as your safety net so that you
won’t have to worry if there’s nothing but diet-busters being served. We’re sure you’re not the
only one who will appreciate a dish that’s (finally!) not candied, casseroled, or drowning in
gravy.
Scope Out The Entire Party Spread: Once you get to the party, take your time. This is very
important. It’s easy to jump at the first thing and every different thing you see. You know how it
goes: there’s the cheese and crackers, then the pigs in a blanket, then the shrimp cocktail, and
then all the main course dishes… And studies show people eat more when they’re offered a
greater variety of foods. By taking a tour of all the food first, you won’t fall into this trap. Walk
around and look at everything, deciding what’s healthiest and what you want the most. And
only after you’ve seen it all should you decide what to put on your plate. That way, you can
make an informed decision you’ll be proud of at the end of the night. There just may be some
healthy options you want to indulge in!
Socialize (And Not Just With The Bartender!): You’re at a party. With PEOPLE. It’s not all
about the food. Enjoy talking to and reconnecting with family, friends, and coworkers. If you
make an effort to socialize, you’ll not only enjoy the night more, but you’ll be too preoccupied to
think about that pecan pie every 2.2 seconds. A word of caution: be wary of “food pushers”,
those who refuse to take “no” for an answer when offering unhealthy treats. My advice? Keep
saying no, as many times as you have to. And don’t feel bad! It’s a GOOD thing that you put
your health first. Just decline politely and hopefully Great-Aunt Sarah will stop trying to hand
you sugar cookies.
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