5 Ways to Avoid Elastic Pants During the Holidays

We are getting a lot of questions here about avoiding the seemingly inevitable weight gain that comes along with the holiday season. Eating healthy during the holiday season seems impossible to some but it's not. Planning travel itineraries, shopping for gifts and cooking can can be overwhelming but foods that bog you down, make you feel sluggish and cause blood sugar crashes will worsen your stress levels. Foods we often associate with the holiday season are sugary, frosted baked or floury goodies that make us feel warm inside but are chemical warfare inside your body. I must ask, is it the goodies that make us feel warm or is it the memories of seeing our family and friends around a positive & happy time of year that the memory of the food reminds us of? I think it's the latter. So being that food is something we clearly our holiday memories to but still have a direct impact on our level of stress let's make it in a less gut busting, less regrettable way. Shall we?

Although it'd be wise of me to recommend you eat organic vegetables and organic meats for Thanksgiving and Christmas I think it'd be a little more fun to go over and show you how to make your old holiday treats into healthier versions of their evil selves.

1. Bake with almond flour or coconut flour rather than wheat flour. Both of these are gluten free, lower on the glycemic index and easier on your waistline. They can be found in local grocery stores or in bulk on amazon.com. Any baked goods can also be sweetened with natural applesauce or honey depending on the recipe rather than sugar. You can also make up for a lack of sweetness by using spices such as nutmeg, cinnamon and/or cloves as alternatives.

2. Store leftovers- Eating your favorite treats isn't the only enemy in the war on weight. Over indulging in general can crash your metabolism and disrupt a good meal plan. Don't be afraid to put the fork down and live to fight another meal. Pick your splurges, pick one and use that as your enemy. But when you try to fight an entire mob the odds aren't in your favor to survive. Example: If you choose to indulge in alcoholic beverages, adding sweets to the mix is suicide. Pick one or the other if you are choosing to indulge. On a side note high carb foods such as stuffing, sweet potatoes and breaded sides do apply as indulgences.

3. Make your own holiday coffees- Starbucks and other companies make an incredible amount of business in their holiday coffee lines. These coffees are LOADED with sugar, artificial sweeteners and syrups which are poisonous to your waistline.

Drink	Calories	Carbohydrates (grams)	Sugar (grams)	Caffeine (mg)
Peppermint Hot Chocolate	440	68	61	25
Gingerbread Latte	320	40	37	150
Pumpkin Spice Latte	380	51	49	150
Peppermint  Mocha	410	63	54	175

Source: http://www.starbucks.com/menu/catalog/nutrition?drink=all#view_control=nutrition

Yikes! Now here's a great homemade low sugar alternative:

Pumpkin Spice Latte that takes a whopping 5 minutes of prep time.
Ingredients:
1 cup coconut milk
1 ½ T. pureed pumpkin
2 T. organic vanilla extract
2-3 T. raw organic honey (optional)
½ t. ground cinnamon
Pinch of nutmeg
½ cup strong coffee
Pinch of cocoa powder
Directions:
1. Brew 2 cups of strong coffee
2. In a saucepan over medium heat, heat coconut milk, pureed pumpkin, and honey until milk is steaming
3. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg
4. Fill bottom half of cup with milk mixture, then fill the remaining space with your coffee
5. Sprinkle with cocoa powder

 compliments of: www.robbwolf.com

4. Share healthy holiday recipes- In most scenarios its a safe bet to make sure you're the one cooking the food. Get help online with an abundance of online recipes to make your meals healthier. Be sure to check for buzz words when choosing which recipes to try and to avoid.

Green light phrases:
Gluten free- gluten is a product that is in all wheat products and has been shown to cause inflammation inside the body.

natural- good natural sweeteners are agave nectar, all natural honey, unsweetened applesauce and cacao.

Stay away from: 
sugar free- which usually means artificially sweetened.
non-fat- which usually flavored by high carb substitutes which boosts insulin, make you sleepy and starts the process of fat storage
breaded- adding breading to a food is simply adding empty calories. If it's the saltiness you crave try using garlic instead. 
calorie free- if it doesn't have a calorie in it, it better be water.

5. Stay aware of your goals at all times- Believe it or not if rule number 5 isn't followed in all occasions then everything above are simply words on a page. Most people who get bit by the sweet tooth are not unaware that what they are eating is bad for them. In fact, haven't you been around someone in your very own office who jokes about how bad they eat as the cupcake is on its way down? Being healthy isn't always a knowledge base issue. There isn't a magical tip in the world that can overpower a lack of discipline. If weight loss is your goal, eat whole foods that fuel your body a large majority of the time and enjoy life's treats along the way with no guilt.


Looking for more information or not finding what you're looking for? Email me at mritter@wellbridge.com and I'll would love to hear your requests!