Healthy Eating – After the Holidays
If wellness is important to you, you may be concerned about falling off your healthy routine over the holiday season. If so, you are not alone. But there is no reason you can’t enter the New Year feeling great, starting now. Let this be the year you maintain your best self—one step at a time.
Take Stock
If you decided to enjoy the holidays to the fullest, sampling all those decadent favorites along the way, savor your experience. Even if you became accustomed to those rich, festive foods and generous holiday portions, don’t be hard on yourself. Especially if you plan to shift gears and refresh your nutritional focus once the fanfare subsides.
Get Back to Basics
Most health-conscious people have food basics that they count on. These will serve you well post-holidays. Simply aim for a variety of whole foods—real, fresh, natural, organic, local, seasonal and unprocessed as much as possible. Also, try to minimize the amount of refined, highly processed foods and non-nutritive substances you consume, such as hydrogenated fats and artificial flavorings, colors, preservatives and
sweeteners. Another healthy rule is to emphasize plant-based foods, no matter what type of diet you generally follow.
Benefit from Breakfast
One of the best patterns you can resume is starting your day with a healthy breakfast. A nutrient-dense, high fiber morning meal boosts your energy, jump starts your metabolism and stabilizes your blood sugar to help prevent a mid-morning crash. It also strengthens your ability to concentrate. Pairing complex carbohydrates with protein will keep you going long and strong. Think whole grain toast with nut butter, fiber-rich cereal with fruit and yogurt, a veggie scramble, oatmeal with chopped almonds or a protein bar with a smoothie.
Thrive with Five
Though many hostesses offer heaping servings during holiday events, now is your chance to resume healthy portion sizes. A winning strategy is to “thrive with five,” targeting five small meals throughout the day or three modest meals with two nutritious snacks. Light, frequent eating helps to curb your appetite, boost your energy, improve your mood and even speed your metabolism, since the process of digestion itself burns calories. Plan to have nutritious mini-meal options on hand like oatmeal bars, string cheese, apples, fresh almonds, carrots and hummus, or a peanut butter sandwich.
Enjoy the Journey
The best way to approach healthy life style changes is to view the process as a journey, not a destination. Food should be delicious, pleasurable and fun, as joyful eating inspires and nourishes body, mind and spirit. Celebrating where and how our food is grown and its bond with nature complements and enriches our relationship with our food and community.
Take Charge
Whole Foods acknowledges all dietary paths on the road to health and provides support with tools, education and guidance to expand awareness about health-supportive food choices. We empower you to make the best personal decisions for your own health and well- being. Check out The Healthy Pantry–A Guide to Good Ingredients at www.wholefoods.com. Also, don’t forget to check for in-store specials featured in the Hot Deal Flyer at Whole Foods!
Published in the Winter 2010 Whole Foods Market Simply Fresh Newsletter.