I’m one of those ‘everything in moderation’ people. Even moderation. And over the holidays, I definitely give myself some wiggle room. While I do eat pretty healthy in my daily life, the holidays get a bit crazy with the eating and drinking. I don’t completely let go of my healthy habits, though.

Here are a few important tips to help you stay happy and healthy this holiday season.

1. I eat regular meals. I make sure that I am being mindful of snacking between meals and making sure I’m eating regularly throughout the day so that I don’t overindulge and make myself sick during the main dinner event. It is important to eat regular meals even though you know there will be a huge feast. Not only does eating regularly ensure that your energy levels stay stable so that you can actually enjoy the company of your family and friends, it also prevents you from eating a whole bunch of crap that you wouldn’t normally eat if you were thinking clearly (which you are not if you haven’t eaten all day).
2. I eat lots of vegetables. I always like to make sure I’m eating vegetables during the holidays-whether it be as appetizers or as part of the main meal. Eating vegetables helps me get the nutrients I need to stay energized and healthy, and it also helps to fill my stomach with healthy food instead of stuffing my face with sugary dessert.
3. I only have one portion of dessert. While I do indulge in dessert during holiday meals, I only have ONE serving of dessert. It’s okay to indulge a little bit and enjoy yourself, but I like to put boundaries around my indulgences. And having one piece of pie is such a treat, you don’t really need more. Unless you want to…in that case, go for it!
4. I am active. Besides the eating, I also always try to get in some form of physical activity during the holidays. Although this year there will not be any snow at Christmas, we have a tradition of snow shoeing on Christmas Eve and sometimes Christmas morning with my mom and her husband. I’m sure we will start a walking tradition this year, because of the lack of snow…It’s really important to get physical activity not only to help keep you healthy but also to re-energize you and get you back in a good mood (if you were feeling a bit irritated after spending too much time with relatives).
5. I have fun. I just let myself enjoy the holidays with my family and friends. I don’t carry my phone around or bring my computer with me. I just sit and chat and laugh with them. It’s the best part of Christmas. At least for me. And this is actually the most important thing I want you to get out of this post. Enjoy the holidays, and do what makes you feel good. If eating an extra slice of pie or drinking an extra glass of wine makes you feel good, I’m not here to judge. I believe that you should ENJOY your life every day, but if the only way for you to achieve your goals is to be rigid with your rules, please, PLEASE, do something that makes you feel good during the holidays! Remember: it doesn’t have to involve food!

Tell me how YOU plan on making this holiday season happy and healthy in the comments below. I’d love to hear how you stay on track during the holidays or if you just throw your hands in the air and say “I give up!” and eat all the dessert.

Happy Holidays!

We’ve all heard the terrible stories about sugar causing obesity, diabetes, rotting teeth, and hyperactivity in children. But there are SO many other sequelae that are caused by sugar. I’m not going to get into these here, because that would require a whole other blog post.

To start, here are a few simple tips to help get you started on your crusade to eliminate sugar from your diet:

1. If it’s packaged, put it back. Most packaged foods have added sugar. Think cereal, cookies, candies, and other packaged foods. These have a TON of added sugar, as well as other fake ingredients that you should stay away from. If you MUST buy packaged foods, make sure you can pronounce the ingredients on the package, look out for sugar as one of the first ingredients (check out this article on different names for sugar: http://www.popsugar.com/fitness/Other-Names-Sugar-Appear-Labels-810571), and read the nutrition facts to see how many grams of sugar are in one serving. When you start reading food labels, you will realize just how much sugar is in your favourite packaged items.
2. Stay away from flavoured foods. Do you really enjoy the taste of strawberry yogurt or apple cinnamon oatmeal? Of course you do. That’s because there is a TON of sugar! You may think you’re taking a step in the right direction by purchasing these �?healthy’ items because the food industry tells us that we are, but take a closer look at the nutrition facts. I’m not telling you to eat plain oatmeal or greek yogurt, because let’s be honest, they taste pretty bland without anything added to them! Instead of purchasing pre-flavoured food items, which notoriously have a ton of added sugar and chemical ingredients, try purchasing the original, plain version and then sweeten and flavour with natural foods like fresh or frozen berries, maple syrup or honey, and some cinnamon. It’s so much better to ADD flavour and know what’s in your food, than to purchase it pre-flavoured.
3. Stick to water as much as possible for your beverages. I know drinking orange juice for breakfast is a tradition, but if you look at the amount of sugar in the juice you are buying, you will be shocked! Sports recovery drinks, soft drinks, and energy drinks are not only full of artificial colors and flavours, they are packed with sugar. So stick to water as much as possible. You can drink water plain, or add lemon, fruit, or drink it hot as tea or coffee.

What are some other tips that you can recommend to help people cut back on sugar? Share them in the comments.