Holidays should be about celebration not stress. Christmas and New Year holidays can be challenging on your health. It seems like one celebratory meal after another, and what about all those seasonal tipples? I share with you my top tips to help you survive the holiday season without sabotaging your health!
Festive eating – Savour the season without the guilt
Conquering the Christmas Buffet – smart choices for maximum enjoyment
Cheers to balance: Holiday drink tips and how to stay hydrated
The Big Day – mindful eating to maximise energy
1. Savour the season without the guilt
It sometimes feels like one party, cocktail, meal out after another. And I’m not here to be the party pooper. But a little bit of balance will serve you well over the holiday season.
Making small tweaks
Balance is key in all things, and it can be tempting to forget everything you have learned as all those festive goodies a paraded in front of you. But don’t panic, you can still enjoy yourself without adding several inches to your waistline.
Health is wealth, and at this busy time of year there seems to be even more bugs and viruses around. Investing some time and thought into your health will ensure that you are able to enjoy the whole celebrations. Here are my tips:
- 80/20 rule
Ideally apply this to each meal, it doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the things you love but make sure you balance that with healthier options. Choosing a salad for starter, or swapping fries for vegetables is a really easy option that will help you when eating out. And eating as many healthy meals as possible to counteract the excess is key – starting the day right can help set the tone. And if you are invited to a party where you are not sure what will be served, take a look at my tips for managing the buffet party.
2. Gut health is key
The increase of rich foods, and changes in your usual diet can play havoc with your digestive system. This can lead to bloating, indigestion and general discomfort. A quick tip is to remember fibre for the good guys, sugar feeds the baddies. So always prioritising fibre and avoiding eating sugar on it’s own is really helpful. Fermented foods will also support gut diversity so adding them whenever you can will help reduce symptoms.
3. Elimination of waste
Yes I am referring to poo! When your diet changes, which is likely to do for a short time during the holiday season, you may find that you become constipated. Or for others it might go the other way! But what you want to do is support your bodies natural process so that you eliminate toxins efficiently and that is mostly done through a healthy bowel movement. You are likely to be consuming more toxins – think sugar, alcohol, processed foods – so this is even more important at this time of year. I find with most people that hydration is something that suffers at this time of year, so if that’s you, grab a glass of water right now! And the other thing to remember is that fibre is key to efficient elimination, so eating more veggies will help your gut in more ways than one.
4. Immune support
You are likely to be socialising more, and mixing with people you don’t normally. That means you will be exposed to different bugs and it’s one of the reasons that many of us fall ill over the holiday period. When I’m thinking about immune health I imagine a plate full of colourful vegetables, lots of green leafy veggies and ingredients like ginger, garlic and turmeric. Simply making sure you add an extra portion of veg to your plate can help. Or why not make a batch of my immune boosting tea to enjoy? Recipe here
To listen to this podcast episode 226 released on 4th December click the link below
2. Conquer the Christmas Buffet Header
I love a buffet, but it can be tempting to just pile on everything you like the look of and forget that it’s actually a plate of food – that is going to fuel you, or not, for the next few hours. So before your fill your plate, read my tips that will mean you fuel your body as well as tantalise your taste buds.
The buffet sweep
Before you even pick up a plate take in the table (or tables) of food that is available to you. Call it a reconnaissance mission. Once you have assessed everything that is available to you, you can start to create a plan of action:
- Start by layering your plate with some salad. It gives you a green layer and already up’s the nutritional content of the meal you are about to enjoy.
- Choose three things that you REALLY want from the table and add them to your plate
- Then fill the rest of your plate with healthier options – there are always some – think crudities, eggs, chicken
- Choose one thing from the dessert table to enjoy – and if there is fruit add that to your dessert plate too
- Eat first? I wouldn’t recommend this all the time, but if you are really worried about what there will be to eat then just eat beforehand.
Mindset is key
No-one wants to listen to your woes about the buffet table. And if you start to tell yourself that you are denying yourself, or not enjoying yourself then you will manifest that. So hit the party with a positive attitude, you will have a better time and so will everyone else around you.
To listen to this podcast episode 227 released on 11th December click the link below
3. Cheers to balance
The holiday season can be a time of excess, and many of us will be enjoying a bit more alcohol that usual. But even if you are teetotal and drinking alcohol free don’t think that they are healthy! They can be filled with even more sugar than alcohol and should be treated with the same caution and respect I want you to give to alcohol
Hydration is vital
Alcohol and sugar are dehydrating. If you are consuming them at a party or event then it’s so important to add additional hydrating drinks regularly. If you are sitting at a table this is a little easier as you can order a jug or bottle of water and just keep sipping.
What if you are at a standing event, or even dancing, it can be a bit trickier. A good tip is to just order a glass of sparkling water in between each drink, or even at the same time – just make sure you drink it all before you move onto your next drink. It sound simple but you’ll notice the difference the next day in your energy, your digestion and your skin.
Give your liver a rest
Our livers are amazing and they are our main detoxification organ, meaning all those additional toxins your are consuming will be passing through the liver for detoxification. It can even regenerate itself, but it needs time and space.
Alcohol and sugar are particularly damaging to our liver, and can cause irreparable damage known and Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease and more recently NAFL (non alcoholic fatty liver disease). Simply giving your liver a day or two rest in between bouts of sugar or alcohol consumption is enough to give this amazing organ chance to repair.
Remember it’s not about denying yourself it’s about balance. So take a few minutes to plan, which are the days that you will want to consume these things, plan them in and then plan your rest days. And on the rest days why not add liver cleansing drinks such as celery and apple juice along with milk thistle to really show your liver some love?
To listen to this podcast episode 228 released on 28th December click the link below
4. Eating for energy on the big day
So the big day has arrived, and if you are anything like our family it is punctuated by food and drink. As a child it was the only time that chocolate was acceptable as part of your breakfast – I grew up in the days before Cocopops were the norm! And even as a child I can remember feeling pretty bloated, uncomfortable and lethargic come 5pm. So how do you enjoy the day and through to the night?
Excess isn’t mandatory
The average Christmas dinner contains over 5,000 calories, and even if I don’t count calories we all know that is way more than we should be eating in an entire day, not just one sitting. It works out that you’d need to walk non-stop for over a week to burn them off! So I give you permission to exercise a little restraint when it comes to your main meal of the day: maybe just add one roast to your plate!
Remember that it is still a meal like any other. It is meant to be providing you with the nutrients you need to fuel your day, which means it should still be a balanced plate. With some protein, fibre, colour and healthy fat.
And stop eating when you get full, if you loaded too much on your plate, be humble, apologise and stop eating!
Keeping up with tradition
Christmas is a time when there are often traditions to cope with. And whilst they may not always be what you want, you might be observing them for the sake of other people in your life. That’s part of the joy of the season, and I would never suggest upsetting someone for the sake of a bit of chocolate or cream. However you can still eat in a way that honours all the things you have learned about what makes you feel good – you might just need to be a bit clever about how you do it.
Here are some of the things that I’ve done that might give you inspiration:
- Bacon muffins for breakfast – a non-negotional with my inlaws, so I just asked if I could add a few slices of tomato to mine.
- Bucks fizz as the first drink – I just got up a bit earlier and made my usual hot water and lemon. Then sipped that whilst drinking my fizz – and make sure I drink slowly and refuse seconds
- The main meal – this is self serve with everything in bowls in the middle, so I just pile up with lots of veggies and noone notices
- Dessert – I don’t actually like Christmas Pudding, Christmas Cake or lots of desserts, so it’s easy for me to just say no!
- All day grazing – everyone else is so busy passing around plates of food they don’t notice if you just don’t take something from it.
- Staying hydrated – I’m the one constantly asking if anyone wants a cuppa, or a top up, and I just make sure I drink plenty of herbal teas where i can
- Fresh air and exercise – there is always someone who wants to go for a walk after dinner, so grab your coats and get some steps in.
Remember to enjoy yourself. It’s just one day afterall, so if you do enjoy a few too many glasses of fizz, or an entire box of celebrations it’s not the end of the world. Tomorrow is a whole new day.
Happy Christmas to those that celebrate it, and I hope you are all having a wonderful end to 2024.
To listen to this podcast episode 229 released on 25th December click the link below
Did you enjoy the topic of these episodes, have you got any feedback or questions? Please reach out to me via my social media channels, I’d love to hear from you. And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast so that you don’t miss an episode.
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Want to know more about ways to work with me?
There are many ways that you can work with me to balance your hormones and improve your health and wellbeing.
On Facebook the Fab Female Nutrition Club is a wonderful FREE community where I offer lots of support and advice on female health and wellbeing. I also love to cook and create recipes and I’ll often be seen in the group cooking live and sharing all the wonderful health benefits of the ingredients used.
My Fab Female Nutrition Membership sits alongside the free club, but offers you lots of resources and group coaching with me. The hub has the full recipe book that is constantly being updated, the 5 elements of health containing resources and guides to help support you in your health journey. And 6 group coaching calls a year, plus access to other member benefits such as discounts from group programs.
A few times a year I work with groups of ladies to transform their health and wellbeing. Appropriately called The Transformation Program it can help with many differing issues and we have had hugely impressive results – including up to 100% reduction in symptoms. If you suffer with IBS, fatigue, inflammation, hormonal imbalances or just want to spend some time concentrating on your health and wellbeing they are fabulous value and great fun.
If you feel like you need a more bespoke option, then my 1:1 coaching and testing is for you. We will concentrate on your specific needs creating nutritional protocols that support your health goals. We take a full health history, then tailor testing to help create and refine protocols so that you learn about your body and how to support it. I will be with you every step of the way to guide you and ensure that you realise your true health potential. Find out more here.