Holiday Survival Guide Nutrition Tips

Thanksgiving meals (turkeys made of butter), holiday decorating, epic meals, parties and special traditions… year-end routine disruptors can make skipped workouts, overeating, and weight gain feel inevitable.
Good news: Holiday nutrition doesn’t have to be a disaster.
Look through the tips below to help you eat and move more intentionally during the holiday season. I promise you’ll be feeling strong, confident, and in control no matter how frenzied your days may be.
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​​Ｈｏｌｉｄａｙ Ｓｕｒｖｉｖａｌ Tip ＃１​:​

Eat slowly and to “satisfied” instead of “stuffed”
The most effective (and sanity-preserving) tool for holiday eating may also be the simplest one:
Eat slowly. (And stop at “satisfied”, instead of “stuffed”).

This strategy helps you avoid overeating for two main reasons:

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It takes 15-20 min for your digestive system to let your brain know that you’re satisfied. Slowing down a meal allows that to happen before you overeat.

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When you slow down, “sense into”, and savor your food, you feel content with much less. This means you’ll eat less but enjoy what you’ve eaten more.
Indeed, when eating slowly (and stopping at “satisfied” instead of “stuffed”) you can try all the delicious foods on Grandma’s buffet without guilt or “working it off later.”
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Ｈｏｌｉｄａｙ Ｓｕｒｖｉｖａｌ Tip ＃２:
Sneak in quick, effective workouts over the holiday season
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​It’s one of the most common patterns we see among our Nutrition Coaching clients: People who want to get (and/or stay) fit will exercise diligently for months, only to get derailed by the holidays and “fall off the wagon” and get stuck off the wagon.

​Instead of feeling overwhelmed by the thought of an hour-long workout (or even a half hour), do 10 minutes here…10 minutes there, etc. It WILL add up!

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Ｈｏｌｉｄａｙ Ｓｕｒｖｉｖａｌ Tip ＃３:
​Eat well on the go.​
​The end of the year has most of us bouncing around among errands, tasks, and special traditions – much more than usual.

When you’re on the go, it can feel like navigating a nutritional minefield: Hunger signals overpowering, junk food everywhere, little time to sit down and eat your veggies​ or protein​.

Challenging, of course, but not impossible.
With smart strategies you can eat well on the go no matter where life takes you.​
  • ​Planning to be on the go for several hours? Eat something satisfying first so you don’t find yourself hungry and reaching for junk.
  • Pack a mini meal. Consider a soft cooler bag and ice pack for perishables
  • Aim for better, not perfect. ​ This helps you avoid the f*ck it mentality. Sometimes a convenience store is your only option. No big deal. Look for fresh fruits, greek yogurt, hard boiled eggs, jerky, edamame, string cheese, oat based bars, hummus, mixed nuts
  • Remember, hunger is NOT an emergency. It’s OK to feel hungry for a couple of hours if you don’t like your food options.
  • Think ahead and check your head. Decide whether you’ll stick to your healthy habits or take a temporary detour. Either way is fine as long as it’s a conscious choice.

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​​​Ｈｏｌｉｄａｙ Ｓｕｒｖｉｖａｌ Tip ＃​４

Your hand: The best portion control guide​
​Want to get through the holidays without losing strength? Without gaining extra weight and body fat? That’s all possible.

Sure, it’ll feel difficult with all that calorie-dense food in front of you. But your health can survive another year of ​mom’s mostly-butter mashed potatoes and Aunt Marie’s pumpkin bourbon cheesecake if you just eat slowly and pay attention to portions.

No, no… not calorie counting. That’s often annoying, impractical, and inaccurate, especially at Christmas dinner. So try our “hand measure” system instead.​
​Protein

Females: 1 palm (~ 20-30g of protein)
Males: 2 palms (~ 40-60g of protein)

Carbohydrates
Females: 1 cupped hand (~ 20-30g of carbs)
Males: 2 cupped hands (~ 40-60g of carbs)

Fat
Females: 1 thumb (~ 7-12g of fats)
Males: 2 thumbs ( ~ 15-25g of fat)

Vegetables
Females: 1 fist

Males: 2 fists​
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​​​Ｈｏｌｉｄａｙ Ｓｕｒｖｉｖａｌ Tip ＃５
​Prep your veggies
​Another effective strategy to avoid gaining weight and body fat during the holidays? Eat lots and lots of veggies. They’re water-dense, calorie-sparse, and full of the nutrients you need to keep your energy and mood up for holiday party #17.

The only problem? ​Veggies tend to get a bad rap – especially compared to ultra-palatable holiday food.

The challenge?
  • Choose a veggie that you’ve avoided in the past (or have been afraid to try). Research actually shows that vegetable distaste is REDUCED with exposure. It can take 3-4 tries to start liking something you originally didn’t at first.

Try spicing things up. Literally. Play around with different spices (pepper, ginger), sour flavors (like lemon), salty (like mustard).

And experiment with different cooking methods. Don’t like steamed asparagus (neither do I), try tossing them in the oven instead!

Want help becoming the healthiest, fittest, strongest version of YOU (even during the holidays)? Set up a free consultation call at www.salusnj.com/nutrition.
This is your chance to change your body, change your mind...and change your life.