Kerry McClure – Practical Wellness shares a few tips to inspire some new traditions that help keep you feeling healthy and vibrant throughout the holiday season.
Thanksgiving is right around the corner. It’s one of my favorite holidays filled with gratitude, family, friends, food and traditions. It’s also filled with traveling, planning, shopping, cooking, arranging, serving, and cleaning up! Here are a few tips to inspire some new traditions that help keep you feeling healthy and vibrant throughout the holiday season.
Before Thanksgiving, visit the farmers market for the freshest seasonal foods. Put a bowl of seasonal persimmons, Asian pears, and apples on the counter for healthy snacks.
Hydrate. Be mindful to drink water throughout the day. Not drinking enough water could spark hunger pangs, which might actually be thirst.
Breathe. Stressed because you’re trying to entertain a house full of guests, cook, clean and keep everyone happy? Don’t forget to stop and take 5-10 deep breaths to help calm, ground and create space in your body and mind.
Meditate. Meditation can help lower stress levels. Take a few minutes in a quiet corner of your home or go outside and take a few moments to take a quiet pause.
Sleep. Be mindful to get 7-9 hours of sleep the night before Thanksgiving.
Not getting enough sleep could increase appetite levels the following day.
Eat Breakfast. Starting your day with a balanced meal of healthy fats, lean protein and fiber can give you more control over your appetite later in the day. Thanksgiving day is no exception.
Get Active. Make fitness a family plan. Take an early-morning walk or hike together, and another one after dinner. Some fitness studios, gyms, and yoga studios have modified schedules for you to get your workout in before the festivities begin. After dinner put on some tunes and have an impromptu dance party!
Lighten up your traditional foods. Instead of sugar use fresh fruit like dates in desserts and fruit purees like applesauce, pumpkin, and banana instead of oils in baked goods. Cook with good oils such as coconut oil, olive oil, butter or ghee. Check out this link on the difference between butter and ghee and the benefits of ghee: https://draxe.com/ghee-benefits/
Change up dips and mashes that would typically use cream.
Try plain full-fat yogurt in those creamy dips, mashed potatoes, and casseroles instead. Roast vegetables like beets, carrots, and parsnips with rosemary or other fresh herbs, and sprinkle cinnamon and ghee over roasted butternut squash.
Opt for a small plate as your dinner plate.
When filling your plate, choose the best bets on the buffet. Make 75% of your plate plant based. Pick lean white meat, roasted veggies, and salads. Even pumpkin pie tends to be less calorie-dense than many other desserts (it’s still full of sugar though, so keep it to one slice).
Watch your portions (plate and cup). Fill your plate just once, and do your best to not heap it on. When finished, wait 20-minutes to help minimize or eliminate the unconscious second plate. Another tip is to keep all the serving plates off the table and in the kitchen or an alternate room from where you are dining.
Do the same with bottles of wine. A glass can easily get topped off multiple times without you even realizing how much has gone down. Each glass of red wine has up to 150 calories. Those calories stack up quick.
Opt for a mug of hot peppermint tea while socializing before and after dinner. Peppermint gives you pep but it’s also soothing to your stomach.
What are your favorite healthy holiday traditions?
For more information, ideas and recipes: www.kerrymcclure.com
Sources of inspiration:
http://www.livebeaming.com/2013/11/4093/
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