Thriving in the festive period
During the month of December, it can be easy to fall into a bottomless pit of mince pies, mulled wine, sausage rolls, chocolate and other festive temptations around us! These should be enjoyed without guilt but if your physical and mental health starts to be compromised, I urge you to follow these top nutrition tips. This will ensure that you stay hormonally balanced with good digestion and enough energy to see you through this festive season!
1. First off, December is a season to have fun! I don’t recommend ‘dieting’ but I do recommend working towards a maintenance goal instead. Be realistic and make your goals for December achievable.
2. Ensure you eat protein at each meal. Protein is essential for sleep, mood, hormone balance, bones, muscles & immunity. It also keep you satiated and balances your blood sugar. Protein sources include meat, fish, eggs, legumes, lentils, beans, soya, protein smoothie.
3. Chew your food. This is vital for digestion and optimal gut health. With proper chewing, you are mechanically breaking down the food to enable your digestive enzymes to work their magic to absorb all the vital nutrients from your meal.
4. Prioritise your exercise and getting out into nature even when it is cold. Even though there may be opportunities to go out more and attend social events, these should not be to the detriment of your exercise regimes. Getting out into nature can help us reset, burn off any over-indulgence and aid in your sleep. Walking helps to digest your food better and balance your blood sugar levels.
5. Hydrate effectively - At this time of year, there are many more temptations and the cold weather can make it hard to want to drink water. Excess coffee and cocktails will dehydrate you quickly. Thirst is the first sign of dehydration. Step up your water intake and enjoy some lovely herbal teas that are naturally caffeine free.
6. Make good alcohol choices. Any amount of alcohol will act as a toxin in your body, making you feel tired, impacting your sleep and contributing to weight gain. If you do drink alcohol, avoid creamy or sweet drinks. Always drink with food to reduce the impact of alcohol and its sugary component on your blood stream. Always aim for at least two alcohol-free days a week to allow your liver and body to recover.
7. Avoid partying on an empty stomach. If you do, you are more likely to make unhealthy choices. Even a quick protein smoothie an hour or so before you leave is much more likely to put you in a good place and enable you to resist too many temptations that might jeopardise your health goals – whether these are physical or mental.
Here some healthy snack ideas to support yourself during the party season!
A small handful of nuts – Almonds, cashew nuts, brazil nuts
A handful of toasted seeds
Celery stick with a ‘no added sugar’ peanut butter
Crudités with 1tsp cream cheese
Slice of ham with 2 tomatoes
Half an avocado with oil and vinegar dressing and a few toasted pine nuts.
Tuna, celery, cucumber and spring onion with oil and vinegar dressing
6 cubes of feta cheese with 6 olives and a handful of cherry tomatoes
Half an avocado, chopped and mixed with toasted seeds
Cup of instant miso soup & 1 rough oatcake
Hard boiled egg & 2 sticks of celery
30g chocolate covered nuts
Click here to get my Chocolate Fruit and Nut Clusters recipe
If you want to thrive, not just survive, this December, I have a fabulous Christmas Thrive Guide that you can download for FREE – just click here:
The guide is filled with nutrition and lifestyle advice to festively thrive at Christmas and help you feel energised and empowered throughout December. It is jam packed with lots of lovely healthy Christmas recipes and the opportunity to set yourself a personal development plan with goals for this Christmas. There is additional advice on how to eat healthily when dining out this December.