'Tis the season for family gatherings, traveling, holiday baking, and going out to eat. Fear not, all these festivities can be a part of your healthy lifestyle. Each one of these challenges can be overcome with a plan and a little self control. Keep in mind that it's holiday season and you don't have to be perfect. For me, it wouldn't be Christmas without cream of crab soup, but I know that I have to eat it in moderation with other, healthier items.
First diet saboteur is the family gathering. It took every ounce of willpower in my body to not eat my aunt's juicy golden turkey with a shimmery waterfall of silky gravy goodness poured over the top on Thanksgiving, but I knew that if I ate it, I would be really, really sick. The best way to tackle the family gathering is to bring something healthy to share with everyone else. I brought roasted sweet potatoes, herb roasted veggies, vegan green bean casserole, and homemade cranberry sauce. This way when I smelled that turkey cooking, I had something yummy to eat instead. Plus bringing a dish to share with your family can help them try some healthy food.
The next challenge of holiday season is traveling. However you plan on getting to see your loved ones (or getting away for them), the most important part of staying healthy while you're away from home is to be prepared! I always bring a couple healthy snacks with me when I fly, so I'm not starving when I get to my layover in Atlanta. Or a raging bitch ready to eat a small child by the time I get to Florida and finally see my family. When I finally get to wherever I'm going, my family is usually pretty good about eating healthy, we just eat allllll the time. Too much healthy food is still too much food. But the biggest problem when I travel is the drinking. The Tolson clan is known to sling a few back. I do my best to keep a healthy eating plan and just sum the drinking up to "It's ok I'm on vacation." I try to help cook a few meals while I'm there, incorporating my own healthy recipes and techniques. It's fun to cook with my mom and bond with everyone while we cook, plus I know that I'm making healthy meals for everyone I love. Speaking of, I'm sad that I won't be able to see everyone this Christmas, but I will be there soon!!! Miss you all!
The holiday baking can sometimes get out of hand too. My mom makes so many holiday cookies, it would make your head spin. And considering my standard batch of pumpkin chocolate chip cookies makes six dozen, there are so many sweets around my house when I start to bake. The way I prevent eating the entire batch and going into a diabetic coma is to wrap up at least half of my cookies as soon as they cool. Last year I got some cute little boxes and filled them up to give as gifts. Last time I made my pumpkin cookies, I wrapped up half on a platter and brought them into work. Not only did I get rid of half my cookies, but I got a lot more visitors at my desk that day.
The easiest task to overcome during holiday season is going out to eat. Between stopping to eat while you're shopping, catching up with friends that are in town, and entertaining family, a lot of restaurant eating happens this time of year. The good news is, there are almost always some healthy options when you are eating out. And if there isn't anything you see on the menu, ask the waiter and they can usually accommodate you. Today, I went to the Vietnamese restaurant by my house and ordered the vegetarian pho, but they use chicken broth in all their soup. I asked if they could use water instead, but the manager insisted on making me some vegetable broth! They were so nice! A lot of restaurants will make me a vegetarian version of whatever I order. You can make most dishes healthier by asking for a whole grain version or no cheese or cooked dry (without the oil or butter). Just keep in mind that when you go out, you want to choose a healthy option. Don't think that you have to splurge every time you go out.
Hope these are some helpful healthy tips for you! Happy Holidays to you all! <3
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