Healthy Holiday Tips from HealthKick

From the HealthKick family to you, here some tips on how we stay happy and healthy over the holidays. We hope you have a wonderful holiday season!

Think differently about food:

Don’t think it’s “now or never” when it comes to holiday food. Let yourself have the mashed potatoes, turkey or pumpkin pie but also know you can choose to eat those foods at other times. Don’t feel guilty for having an indulgent meal — it happens– the key is balance. Your next meal is a clean slate, and you can take that opportunity to incorporate healthier choices.

Set aside time for you:

Holidays can be a hectic time for everyone, but you need to set aside time for you.  No matter what is going on, try to spend at least 20 minutes to an hour on yourself. Have family in town? Not sure if you’ll be able to get your full workout in? Niece and nephew wanting your attention 24/7? That’s okay. You ALWAYS have 20 minutes. Don’t have time for a full workout, do a guided meditation, go on a walk, or treat yourself with a face mask instead. We don’t always have time for the whole meal, but we always have time for a snack.

Make small healthy changes:

Every year, my family replaces one “traditional” holiday food item with a healthier choice.  For example, instead of cooking green beans with tempura on top, we’ll steam the beans and keep them simple – or we’ll smoke a turkey breast instead of a whole turkey with all the added seasoning and butter.  

Do gratitude exercises:

On holidays my family plays a game where everyone writes an anonymous note about what / who they are grateful for, and we all try to guess who submitted each note. For a COVID-19 version, families who are spending the holidays apart could shower each other in postcards with messages about why they are grateful for each other or, they can write notes about their favorite memories together to help everybody feel a little closer during this time.

Don’t eat it, freeze it:

The holidays have so much great food that it can be hard to resist – but you don’t have to eat it all now.  Many foods freeze well – including baked goods and cookie dough.  You can even freeze leftover wine in an ice cube tray and add a cube the next time you are making spaghetti sauce or stew to add a bit of flavor.  So if you are feeling full, you don’t have to eat that extra cookie – put it in the freezer and eat it at a future date. It’s like enjoying the holidays all over again.

Practice acts of kindness:

Simple acts of kindness to neighbors and even strangers, go a HUGE way not only (hopefully) making their day, but yours as well.  It is a great way to foster a sense of community and togetherness, especially during this tumultuous year.

Take care of yourself:

Not sure where to start?  Try watching the replay of the HealthKick Sleep Health webinar, for tips on how to get a good night’s sleep. Or, try the breathwork seminar to calm yourself and reduce stress.  And don’t forget to spend time with loved ones — family, puppies, and friends!! Get and give as much love as you can. 

Be mindful of your eating:

Be mindful and kind to yourself! Notice and acknowledge your hunger and cravings — eat a piece of pumpkin pie! But with that, be mindful of when you’re full and when your craving has been satisfied.

Have a family turkey trot:

Make fitness a family adventure. Take a walk early in the day and then again after dinner. It is a wonderful way for families to get physical activity and enjoy the holiday together.

Try these delicious healthy recipes:

Garlic Mashed Cauliflower with Rosemary

It is healthier than mashed potatoes, and it tastes just as good! This recipe is perfect for Thanksgiving

Ingredients:

·      1 large cauliflower chopped into small florets

·      3 ounces low fat cream cheese

·      2 tablespoons salted butter

·      1 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic sautéed

·      1 tablespoon fresh rosemary chopped into small pieces, optional

Instructions:

Bring a medium pot of water to boil. Once boiling, cook the cauliflower for 8-10 minutes or until fork tender. Remove and drain cauliflower. Place cauliflower along with all other ingredients into a blender or food processor and pulse until smooth and creamy.

Low Carb Cranberry Sauce

Ingredients

·      24 ounces fresh cranberries

·      2 cups of water

·      1 cup Swerve confectioners

·      2 tsp orange zest and or 1 orange cut up in bite size pieces

·      2 teaspoons liquid stevia orange flavor preferred but not necessary

Instructions:

Combine cranberries, water, Swerve, orange zest to a saucepan. Boil over medium heat, stir frequently, mash cranberries if needed, for about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and add stevia. Cool slightly then taste and adjust sweetener.  Refrigerate 3 hours or overnight.

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Healthy Thanksgiving Recipes

With Thanksgiving right around the corner we’ve rounded up a few of our favorite delicious and healthy recipes from our HealthKick partners, for all your Thanksgiving celebrations! 

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5 Tips For Mindful Eating

These days, our kitchen, office, bedroom, relaxation area, and workout studio are all under the same roof. For many of us, it’s challenging to create boundaries within each area, and for many, even more difficult to foster a place for mindful eating within our new normal.

As a celebrity wellness chef and nutrition coach, I’ve helped many clients tap into the practice of mindful eating over the years. This has helped clients keep energy up, hormones balanced, their mind clear, and their soul happy.

During this time with so much change and unknown, adapting to positive habits and conscious eating can help create a sense of calm and centeredness. Here are five ways to practice mindful eating.

1. Set The Foundation

Mindful eating starts with the food you keep in your house. Before you do your shopping for the week, think of your goals, how you want to feel, and who you want to be that week. 

Furthermore, keep the following formula to mind when shopping and building each meal: Think protein, fiber, and fat.

I recommend keeping high-quality protein options like wild and grass fed meats, above ground vegetables (fiber), like broccoli, cabbage, brussels sprouts, lettuces, cauliflower, and lastly, fat like avocado, olive oil, and nuts in the house.

Additionally, the less packaged foods the better — this pushes you to cook and create dishes to keep on hand, which connects you to the food you’re eating. Keep it simple and dedicate a little time to baking veggies and protein so you’re never in a mind. If you’re short on time you can also make eggs, and/or purchase a rotisserie chicken. 

2. Eat Smart, Not less

This brings us to the next tip. The aforementioned three-part formula of protein, fiber, and fat will help to keep you full, satiated and energized between meals. The best part? You can eat until you’re satisfied and not worry about counting a thing.

This naturally fosters a sense of mindfulness as you’re relying on your own measurement of hunger.

3. Change it up, but eat what you love

If you’re dining out, going food shopping, or ordering in, think of the foods you’ve been eating and how you can provide your body with new information. If you’ve been eating a lot of chicken, change it up to beef, or turkey. 

Before ordering off a menu, tap into what you’re craving before you go looking. Think of what you’d like to have and find that item or something similar on the menu. 

On the topic of eating what you love… this is where you can get creative.

If you’re craving italian, get creative by sauteing vegetables and a protein in a red sauce like Rao’s Marinara. 

If you’re craving Indian, use a pre-mixed spice blend like Garam Masala or Curry and create a dish using your favorite vegetables, protein, and coconut milk.

But there’s an exception! Sometimes you’re really just craving something familiar and something you love. 

The other day I really wanted a grilled cheese, and instead of ordering the gluten free version on bread that I knew wouldn’t do it for me, I ordered it on crunchy sourdough and went for it to the fullest. I was so happy and content and later switched back to the three-part formula and went heavy on the vegetables. My body was craving it by that point and I was able to listen to it because I listened to it earlier before.

4. Be intentional

If you’re craving something really indulgent, tap into the feeling and decide if you’re really truly craving that item, or if it’s the sensation you’re craving from a self-soothing standpoint. For example, if you’re craving a crunch and want to reach for the bag of chips, this typically stems from anxious energy. Eating crunchy items like carrots, celery, or swapping tradition chips for grain-free chips like Siete can help give you that same sensation while keeping you feeling great. From a physical standpoint, going for a walk, run, listening to music, and weight lifting can help move that anxiousness out of you.

If you’re craving foods that require scooping and sucking like ice cream, cereal, or a glass of wine, this typically comes from the primal sensation of sucking which gives us a sense of comfort, love, and nourishment. Try mimicking that sensation by having coconut yogurt, chia pudding, or sipping tea. For the physical swap, take a bath, spend time with a loved one, or journal to foster your deep need of connection to self and others.

5. Let go of perfection

There’s so much information out there on eating, working out, biohacking, and wellness. The science is constantly changing and we are fed (pun intended) conflicting information through ads on television, our phones, influencers, and friends and family. Sure, information is power, but sometimes all the information gets confusing and difficult to sift through, and ultimately our decisions around food and living have to come from deep inside our soul. 

Mindful eating is like strengthening your intuition, and the more you use it, the more you trust it. Trust your judgment, trust your body, and be true to what you’re needing and craving because your body ultimately has all the answers. 

Written by HealthKick partner

Shauna Faulisi, celebrity wellness chef & nutrition coach