Are you looking ahead to cooking, eating, and entertaining for the holidays? This is the time of year when it helps to have a master plan for health.
Be Social and Strategic
The holidays are filled with social events, activities, and get-togethers. If your calendar is full of food-centered meetings, use these strategies to stay healthy.
- Get Up: Get friends up from their chairs to dance, sing, and play games. Once you leave the table, it’s a whole lot easier to step away from unhealthy food options.
- Reduce or Skip Alcohol: It may not sound like “the holidays” to go without liquor. If so, set your standards for what you want to do this season. If it’s one drink per party, that’s your rule. If it’s making a non-alcoholic beverage to share with friends, that’s your game.
- Eat Before the Party: This is an old-school guideline that can help you stay healthy, be social, and stick to your clean eating plan. Eat a healthy meal or drink a healthy shake before going out to an event. You won’t be tempted by fatty, sugary treats. Why? Because you are full of the healthy choices you made before you left home.
Cook Cleaner
In addition to eating and socializing, this time of year is filled with magazines, recipes, and talk about cooking. What’s the best way to stay healthy and cook clean?
- Steam Instead of Fry: Think about how you cook your vegetables. Instead of frying up veggies in a lot of oil, use a bamboo steamer. Not sure which one is best? Review the best bamboo steamers so you can pick one that works for you and enjoy new ways to prepare your food.
- Try Different Cuisines: If all your favorite ways of cooking are steeped in butter and sugar, it’s hard to cook clean. One solution is to try healthy recipes from different cuisines. Look for recipes from Japan, Thailand, and Vietnam. You’ll find loads of tips for cooking fresh vegetables without the fat that is common in American cooking.
- Use Parchment Paper: Parchment paper is a great way to cook and bake without using extra fat. It comes in handy rolls, much like wax paper or plastic wrap. You can use it to line pans, and skip adding extra oil or butter. Alternatively, you can create cool packets or pouches to cook vegetables, proteins, and fruits.
Bring Healthy Treats
If you’re visiting friends, going to a potluck, or joining a community party, bring healthy choices. You will not only help yourself eat cleanly, but you’ll also inspire others to embrace a healthy lifestyle.
- Bring Fresh Fruit Desserts: You aren’t the only one at your event looking for healthy choices. If you bring a delicious fresh fruit salad, baked pears, or baked figs—it will be a top choice for your friends and family.
- Bring Healthy Salads: Your loved ones will appreciate seeing a colorful salad on the table. While facing a buffet or smorgasbord of fat-laden foods, a fresh salad is like finding a happy island in a stormy sea.
- Bring Clean Vegetables: Specialize in clean and healthy vegetable dishes. Expand your selections to focus on seasonal and organic vegetables whenever possible.
Shop Smart
Eat Before Shopping: Though it may sound overly simplistic, our eating and cooking start with how we shop. Are you shopping on an empty stomach? If so, you are much more likely to buy more fatty foods, sugary treats, and pop something unhealthy into your mouth while shopping.
Shop the Perimeter: Most grocery stores are organized with fresh produce, fresh meats, and fresh items along the perimeter of the store. The inner aisles are often stocked with boxes, canned goods, and packages. Stick to the outside of most grocery stores and come out healthier.
Engage Your Friends
Share Ideas with Friends: Ready to go on a cleanse diet? If you’re looking for an awesome way to support your health, check in with your close friends and family. You may find that more people want to join you in boosting energy and having a healthier holiday season. Share ideas on how to stay healthy and invest in well-being.
Get Tips from Your Friends: Ask your best friends for healthy eating, cooking, and shopping tips. Share these tips before and during the holiday season. It will help you stay motivated and on track while supporting each other in healthy living.
The holidays can definitely be stressful, and it’s no secret that many of us can find ourselves carrying an extra few pounds by the time the new year rolls around. However, by following these tips and having a plan in place, you can help make sure you stay healthy all season long!