Surviving the Holidays: 5 Quick Tips for Healthy Eating

These five, simple strategies will allow you to enjoy your favorite foods of the season—without the holiday weight gain and guilt that often accompany them.

It’s that time of the year when friends and families get together in love and fellowship to enjoy the holiday season and to usher in the New Year. It’s a wonderful time that, unfortunately, can wreak havoc on our eating habits. But don’t despair! Here are five quick and simple tips for navigating the nutritional minefields we inevitably encounter around the holidays:

1. Don’t change your normal diet, especially if you already have good eating habits.

For example, don’t skip a meal in anticipation of a big holiday spread. This is a very common mistake. Eat your normal meals at their normal times and you will find that you eat less at the “event” meals (e.g., Thanksgiving dinner).

2. Eat prior to arriving at a family or social gathering.

With the large amounts of food available at most holiday gatherings, it is very easy to overeat. One way to minimize this is to eat a small meal prior to arriving at the event. Because if you are not hungry, you will be far less likely to overeat.

3. Avoid drinking calories.

You might be amazed at the number of calories in many holiday beverages. For example, a 12-ounce soda typically contains about 150 calories. A packet of hot chocolate contains about 120 calories. And that’s before you add whipped cream or marshmallows! This may not sound like much but it can add up very quickly, and these are some of the lower caloric values. That old holiday standby, egg nog, can have 340 calories in a single 8-ounce glass! So, try drinking lots of water instead.

4. Develop an eating plan.

Don’t leave your nutritional choices to chance, especially on the days of family gatherings. Figure out in advance what and when you will eat. Then stick to your plan. Make sure you incorporate foods you really enjoy. Now is not the time to try to eliminate your unhealthy eating habits. There is very little chance you will be successful. Just try to eat sensible portions and incorporate lots of healthy and nutritionally-dense foods like vegetables as well.

5. Don’t be afraid to indulge—a little!

It’s the holidays, have a good time. Don’t stress yourself out by trying to avoid all “bad” foods. If you want a piece of pie, eat it. It you want some cookies, help yourself. Just don’t overdo it. If you are worried about overdoing it, make a deal with yourself to hold off on the desserts until your last meal of the day (instead of eating them throughout the day). You’ll be less likely to overdo it at this point.

Follow these simple tips and you will make it through the holidays without significant weight gain or the guilt that follows. Have a safe, peaceful and enjoyable holiday season!

SCHEDULE FOR THE WEEK- MONDAY-FRIDAY 5AM, 6AM, 4:30 PM 5:30 PM.  SATURDAY 9AM WOD/OPEN GYM.  THURSDAY IS FILTHY 50/40/30 DAY FOR ALL OUR DECEMBER BABIES!!

WODS FOR THE WEEK- BACK SQUAT/T2B/ROW, SHOULDER PRESSES, DOUBLE ISABEL, FILTHY 50, EXTENDED ELIZABETH, RUN/CANDLESTICKS/BALL SLAMS/BURPEES

DON’T FORGET TO WEIGH AND MEASURE YOURSELF FOR THE FIRST OF THE MONTH IF YOU DIDN’T GET IT DONE LAST WEEK.  TRACKING THESE METRICS WILL HELP YOU SEE YOUR PROGRESS OR GUIDE YOU ON THINGS TO WORK ON.

PALEO RECIPE FOR THE WEEK—

CHINESE BEEF AND NOODLES

First, spiralize all 4 zucchinis and transfer the noodles to a large bowl lined with a clean kitchen towel and a large sheet of cheesecloth. Sprinkle on a few pinches of salt and set the noodles aside.

Then, add all the ingredients needed for the sauce into a small bowl and whisk to combine. Set the sauce aside.

Heat a large deep skillet over medium-high heat and add the avocado and sesame oils.  Add the onions and garlic to the pan and sauté until the onions are tender and the garlic is fragrant, about 3-5 minutes while stirring continuously. Season the onion and garlic with a little salt and pepper. Push the onion and garlic to one side of the pan and add the ground beef to the skillet. Use a potato masher to break up the beef. Continue to cook the ground beef until it’s browned, about 3-5 minutes.

Slowly add the sauce to the ground beef mixture and stir to combine. Turn the heat up a bit and continue to cook the mixture until the meat begins to caramelize a bit.

Now, squeeze as much liquid out the zucchini noodles as you possibly can and add the noodles to the skillet with the beef mixture. Stir the noodles in with the beef mixture until all the flavors marry and the noodles are warm through, about 2-3 minutes. At this point, you can taste and add more salt if needed (but you shouldn’t need any more salt).

Finish the beef and noodles with fresh scallions and sesame seeds. Serve immediately.

THE INGREDIENTS

4 medium zucchinis

1 tbsp. Avocado oil

1 tbsp. Pure Sesame seed oil

2 garlic cloves – finely minced

1 onion – sliced

salt and pepper

1 lb. pasture raised ground beef

SAUCE:

4 tbsp. Coconut aminos

2 tbsp. Unsweetened applesauce

1 tsp. Korean pepper flakes (or crushed red pepper flakes)

1 tbsp. Unsweetened BBQ sauce

TO SERVE:

The greens of 2 scallions – chopped

sesame seeds (about a tablespoon)

 

HAVE A GREAT WEEK!!

SEE YOU AT THE GYM!!

3,2,1 GO!!

DEAN