Tips and Tricks for a Healthy Holiday Season

Just when you’ve come out of the Halloween sugar high the Thanksgiving food coma hits and then the holiday parties and treats threaten to undo a whole year of hard work on your health. But just because people are bringing endless baked goods to the office and there are holiday parties every week with fantastic food and drink, it doesn’t mean that you are destined to have Santa’s belly by 2017. Just follow a few simple tricks and trades and you’ll be cheering to your health and pre-holiday body!

Don't go hungry. A great tactic to ensure that you won't overeat at parties or in the break room is to not let yourself get hungry. Eat a light but satisfying snack before you go...100-150 calories should do it. A half turkey sandwich on whole grain bread, veggies and hummus, string cheese, a handful of nuts or a protein shake should do the trick.

Take a step back. You see all the food on the table and you want to make a beeline for the buffet. Go for it, but once you've gone through the line once, plant yourself on a far away and out of arms reach of the gingerbread cookies and peppermint martinis and, better yet, keep your back to the food and drink. With this little trick, you are less likely to absent-mindedly snack.

Work it out. So the holidays can cause stress, right? Lots of shopping, spending, parties and work. Who has time for exercise? YOU DO! Exercise reduces stress so make sure you put your workouts on the calendar and stick to it like you would an important meeting: because it is.

Exercise portion control. Where does it say that just because you can eat a truckload of food, you should? Get one plate of food and make sure that at least half is filled up with veggies, fruits and lean protein, the other half can be your favorite holiday food picks…”favorite” being the key word here. Don't waste precious calories on food that you don't really love. Pick out your favorites and savor them slowly.

Drink Dilemma. If you decide to have a drink or two while celebrating, make sure your drinks are around 100 calories or less. Wine spritzers, 1 oz liquor with a calorie-free mixer, a glass of champagne and light beer all have around 100 calories. And of course, drink two glasses of water to every alcoholic beverage to keep you from over-drinking as well as staying hydrated.

Skip the food or drink hangover. Schedule a sweat session for the morning after a party with a trainer or friend…knowing that you will be going to be working hard the next morning will make you think about how much you’re drinking AND eating that evening, plus, you'll burn calories from your “favorite” treats and zap fatigue and winter blues all at once.

Happy, healthy holidays!

Roasted Root Vegetables

So...it's definitely fall now and that means that Thanksgiving is right around the corner. I know for most, it is an all out eat fest and that's great. Even so, I'm really thankful for my health and want to feed my body some really good, yummy, nutritious food even if I indulge in some gravy and pie. Plus, if you are dealing with food allergies and sensitivities, Thanksgiving feasts can be a bit daunting. Therefore, I have worked hard to make the yummiest root vegetable hash possible. Root veggies are amazing. They fight cancer with a healthy dose of antioxidants, fill you up with fiber and can even help you absorb more iron for strong bones and cartilage.

What you need:

• 1 large sweet potato
• 4 large golden beets
• 2 cup whole Brussels sprouts (I know it's not a root veggies...but they are soooo tasty in this dish)
• 1 small butternut squash
• 1 medium red onion
• 6 whole carrots
• 6 whole parsnips
• 2 cups vegetable or chicken broth
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste
• optional: 1 tbsp my favorite spice to put on veggies

                               
                                       What to do:

1. Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees
2. Peel all veggies and cut into 1 inch cubes (I know this seems like a lot of chopping and such but it took me less than 20 minutes and I passed the time watching my guilty pleasure tv series)
3. Saute all veggies except butternut squash (they get too mushy) in broth for about 5 minutes to get them just a little soft...but not too soft or they will be mushy
4. Salt, pepper and drizzle with olive oil
5. Spread on two separate baking sheets to provide enough room for veggies to roast
6. Bake until tender or about 20 minutes

Nutrition Facts per one cup serving: 100 calories, 20 carbs, 2.5 grams protein, 2 grams fat, 5 grams fiber