Did you create your Holiday Eating Plan?

Have you ever heard someone say that it's harder to eat healthy during the holidays? It's a common excuse, but if you stop to think about it, eating on December 31st is really no different than eating today.

It is often true, however, that holidays present different challenges to maintaining a healthy eating plan. 

There are a number of factors that can require a higher level of discipline to eat the way we know makes us feel good physically and emotionally. A few factors include: greater accessibility of high sugar and high fat foods; emotional cues that connect the joy of spending time with friends and family to the action of eating; or the added stress of the "holiday bustle".

One key habit of those who maintain a healthy diet throughout holiday seasons, is developing a realistic eating plan. Your plan should identify times and/or locations when you will feel challenged, and a very clear set of actions that you intend to take to be successful with your healthy diet.

Your coach will be able to assist you in building your plan for success.

Here are a few tips to help you not just survive but thrive during the holiday season:

Portion Control. Don't deprive yourself of all of your holiday favorites. Go ahead and eat the foods you love, but avoid overdoing it. Take just a few bites to satisfy that craving. Deprivation is not a long-term solution, but discipline is.

Hydrate. Often thirst is mistaken for hunger, so you can avoid overeating by simply staying hydrated. 

Party Prep. Never go to a party feeling famished. Filling up your plate with large portions is a guarantee of excess calorie intake. Before the party, drink a glass of water and eat a light snack. 

Did you eat 2 servings of RAW FRUIT today?

Vitamins, minerals, fiber, and phytochemicals. You can't beat fresh produce for supplying these vital nutrients to your body. Despite their well-known health benefits, low cost and minimal prep, many people do not meet their minimum suggested servings of fruit each day.

Whether it is fresh, frozen, or dried, fruit is the original grab and go snack.

Make the most of your fruit choices, opt for whole fruit rather than juice. Sweeten your day by making sure that you fit in at least 2 servings of raw fruit each day. 

As you select your fruits for the day, try to choose a variety of colors to ensure you are getting a range of vitamins and minerals in your diet. 

Sources of Vitamin A - orange fruits such as mangoes, cantaloupe, apricots, and red or pink grapefruit.

Sources of Vitamin C - citrus fruits and juices, cantaloupe, kiwi fruit, strawberries, papaya and guava.

Sources of Potassium - bananas, many dried fruits, honey dew melons, cantaloupe, oranges and orange juice.

Fit fruit into your meals or snacks to maintain good health and reduce the risk of disease.

Top salads with apples, mangoes, or berries. Enjoy a yogurt at breakfast topped with with pineapple, kiwi fruit, or bananas. Try a new fruit once a week, such as pomegranates, prickly pear, star fruit, lychees, or dates. Make it a habit to eat fruit as a sweet ending to your dinner meal. 

*If you are a diabetic, it's a good idea to talk with your doctor or dietitian to help you choose fruits that meet your specific needs.

Did you eat a HEALTHY SNACK between lunch and dinner today?

Snacking between meals is a great way to boost your energy, and to furnish important nutrients that might be missing from your other daily meals.

Eating throughout the day has also been known to decrease late-day binge eating.

When planning/choosing your snacks for the day, always remember to:

● Plan Ahead - Pack fruit, trail mix (seeds, dried fruits, nuts), and yogurt. This will help you avoid relying on vending machines and convenience stores when you are feeling hungry.

● Snack Consciously - Mindless nibbling can lead to overeating. Try to eat a snack without watching TV, working or reading. Also, make sure that you plate out one portion at a time.

● Choose Nutrient-Rich Foods - Whole grain food items, vegetables, popcorn, fresh fruit, yogurt, low-fat cheese, peanut butter, nuts and seeds.

● Pay Attention - There is a major difference between hunger and eating out of boredom. 

Make sure that you have non-food ways to manage stress, relax and/or entertain yourself.

Always try to combine a carb, preferably a complex carb with a protein or healthy fat to feel satiated and help regulate blood sugar.

Consider coconut yogurt with fruit and walnuts. Apple slices and almond butter, salsa, carrots/celery and hummus or baba ganush.

Keep a variety of nutrient rich ready-to-eat snacks at your fingertips. Plan out your snacks to help fill in any food-group gaps. Here are some healthful snacking ideas:

● prepare a daily “Veggie Bag”

● whole-grain cereal and milk

● apple slices with peanut butter

● trail mix

● raw veggies with a yogurt or cottage cheese dip

● yogurt and fresh fruit

● whole wheat pita bread with hummus

● peanut butter on whole-wheat crackers

● baked bagel chips with salsa.

Did you eat all meals and snacks within 30 minutes of scheduled times?

The first step to controlling portion sizes and calories at meal time is to ensure that you are not ravenously hungry when you sit down to eat.

By setting and sticking to a simple eating schedule, you can avoid overeating at meal times due to a sense of starvation. 

Not only do you control your appetite by sticking to this plan of healthy grazing, but you also help control your insulin levels and balance blood sugar, which contributes to improved mood, energy and focus. 

Be sure to use any and all cues necessary to get yourself on schedule. Set your watch or phone alarm, use sticky notes or ask a friend to remind you for the first few days as you develop this very important habit. 

Keep a variety of nutrient rich ready-to-eat snacks at your fingertips.

Plan out your snacks to help fill in any food-group gaps.

Here are some healthful snacking ideas:

• prepare a daily “Veggie Bag” 
• whole-grain cereal and milk
• apple slices with peanut butter
• trail mix
• raw veggies with a yogurt or cottage cheese dip
• yogurt and fresh fruit
• whole wheat pita bread with hummus
• peanut butter on whole-wheat crackers
• baked bagel chips with salsa.

Did you PACK yourself a nutritious lunch today?

Lunch boxes with sparkles and superheros may be reserved for elementary children, however packing a lunch is an important task for adults too.

Packing your lunch everyday for work is a great way to stay on track with your eating habits.

It ensures that you will get a delicious, balanced meal in the middle of the day, which is essential for your energy level and metabolism. At lunch time, it is important to keep your metabolism going with quality fuel from vitamin rich foods. Eating a lunch midday also helps us avoid that mid-afternoon drop in blood sugar and eventual crash. These small, frequent, planned meals help to prevent overeating at dinner time, whether at home or in a restaurant. 

Here are a few lunch ideas to get you started:

● Turkey sandwich on whole grain bread with a side salad or bean salad.

● Instead of using mayo on your sandwich, try pesto or hummus. You could even make your own pesto mayo! Recreating your favorite gourmet deli sandwich will save some calories and money!

● Top that sandwich with your favorite combination of tomato slices, arugula, spinach, or part skim mozzarella cheese.

● Want to ‘bag’ the sandwich idea? Well as long as you have access to a refrigerator or insulated lunch bag, there are still plenty of options. Add a frozen bottle of water to help keep your lunch cool, and it will also provide some extra hydration midday.

● You can make a fruit salad or veggie salad. You can top your veggie salads with fruit, hard-boiled eggs, or sliced lean meat from last night’s dinner. Just pre-portion your dressing (on the side) and voila! 

● Speaking of last night’s dinner, try making a double-batch of your favorite healthy meal, then pack up a portion (or two) for your lunch that week.

Try making your own bento box with hard boiled eggs, grapes, mixed nuts and baby carrots, or a hearty bowl of greens, quinoa/brown rice, chicken, beans veggies, avocado and a tasty dressing such as hummus, avocado/cilantro/lime or tahini. Be creative with how you mix and match whole grains, proteins and veggies. You can also consider different flavor profiles such as Mexican (beans, salsa, lime and avocado) or Mediterranean (cucumbers, tomato, kalamata olives).

The next time you prepare and fill your kid’s lunch box with healthy items, do the same for yourself. 

How many MEALS did you eat out today?

Dining out is great!

No meal planning, no dirty dishes and no hassles.

But most people don't consider what their body says about the idea. 

Restaurant meals are usually hugely disproportionate, so you're actually eating between 2 and 3 servings of each menu item. That can only mean bad things when you're counting calories, carbs and fat intake. 

To be sure that you're not adding too many extra calories, keep your dining out habit under control. This includes fast food restaurants. You will  notice that as you start to gain more control over food, and how much you eat, it will become more natural to eat the right portions. 

Trying to avoid eating out at dinner time?

Below, are some steps to help you cut back. (Your body and your wallet will thank you!)

• Choose healthy recipes from your favorite websites or cooking books.
• Plan out your meals for the week, making sure that you match up easy/quick recipes for those hectic days where you’ll need a 30 minute meal. 
• Build your shopping list. Read through all of your recipes and jot down any ingredients that you will need. 
• Go grocery shopping!
• If you have an extra busy work week, take the time Sunday night to prep some of your ingredients. For example, if three of your recipes call for 1 onion chopped, chop 3 onions and separate them into baggies. Done!
• If you do dine out plan ahead! Check the menus, look for substitutes, look for swapping out heavy cream and butter sauces or dressings to vinaigrettes. Ask for certain items to be on the side. Instead of drinking a high sugar juice, soda or alcoholic beverage try a club soda and lime for some carbonation and refreshing taste.