Top Ten Simple Eating & Stress Hacks for the Holidays

The holidays are often a joyous time spent with family and friends but often are also a time of increased busyness, stress, and emotional triggers. Dr. Mariza of the Essentially You podcast recommends the below hacks to overcome emotional and fatigue-triggered cravings and to enjoy the holidays without overindulging and enter the New Year in a healthy way.

1) Set an intention. Focus on one thing and make it small and doable. Examples include: eat a salad before dinner; move your body every day; eat more veggies and fruits; drink enough water. Make it simple and specific. Whatever feels good to you and where you are in your health.

2) Plan time for moving your body. moderate daily exercise every day. 10–20-minute walk after eating

3) Before party or event, eat a light snack. raw veggies, protein, almonds, curb your appetite, less likely to overindulge. Help stabilize blood sugar levels.

4) Scan the entire buffet before choosing. That way you can pick those things you can focus on healthy choices while also adding in a treat or two that you really want to try. Focus on veggies for the fiber and protein. Both will slow your digestion and feed microbiome.

5) Be mindful when you eat. Most important is to slow down as you eat. Take some big belly breaths before starting. Say a short prayer, express gratitude, or set an intention. Set your fork down between bites.

6) Be mindful of beverages. Lots of holiday drinks, like eggnog, spiced rum or wine drinks, and mocha peppermint coffees and hot chocolates are loaded with sugar and fat. Most cocktails are also loaded of sugar but there are ways to decrease the alcohol and the added sugar. Mocktails of sparkling water with a squeeze of lime or lemon, topped with pomegranate seeds looks just as festive as champagne drinks. Add in raspberries and strawberries to make water infusions. Sugary drinks can really spike your blood sugar and it can take days to recover.

7) Move the focus off food. There are a lot of other fun ways to spend time with family and friends besides eating. Try a new holiday tradition like participating in a turkey trot, a family hike, a family danceathon, even taking a local walking tour.

8) Bring your own healthy dish to the holiday gathering. That way you can be ensured of having something satisfying but healthy to eat. Try butternut squash soup; fall salads with pomegranate and almonds; salmon; or roasted sweet potatoes. You can even bring a sparkling water infusion. Hosting the gathering yourself is another way to ensure that there are healthy options.

9) Try some healthy holiday recipes. Research treats that are lower in sugar and calories. Make trade-offs in recipes. Try making mashed sweet potatoes or healthy fish part of a new holiday tradition. Dairy free, gluten free. Find healthier versions. Roasted potatoes

10) Recognize your emotional eating triggers and avoid them. Often, we eat to fill an emotional void, which offers us only temporary wholeness. Maybe try reaching out to others instead of reaching for food. Start to notice when you descend into negative self-talk and pull yourself out or reach out to a trusted friend for a sanity check. Emotional eating happens to all of us sometimes because of stress, hormone changes, and mixed hunger cues. We often feel worse after so it is important to address emotional needs head on.

Ways to Cope with Stress so you can Avoid Emotional Eating:

a. Meditation. Even simple deep breaths can work. 6 counts in, 8 counts out. The longer exhale will activate the parasympathetic (rest) nervous system

b. Release the emotion by writing in a journal or talking to others

c. Move your body. Can be through yoga, walking, swimming, running, dancing, etc.

d. Feed your body. Fuel with nutritious foods of fiber, fat and protein

e. Remove common offenders. Your will power to avoid salty, sugary, processed foods will fail eventually so ensure that they are not in your house. If you are going to eat something unhealthy, you will need to leave the house to get it.

f. Know your triggers. Past trauma will resurface when you are exhausted and stressed so ensure your house is a safe zone.

g. Be GENTLE with yourself. The holidays can be an unsettling time of extended period of time socializing, traveling, engaging with family and friends. The COVID-19 pandemic adds even more stress, given different individual comfort levels and precautions

Daily stress removing hacks:

1. Take a short hike

2. Smell citrus, tangerine, lemon for a mood lifter

3. Walk away your worries

4. Dance to your favorite music

5. Do less, enjoy more. Savor the holiday time with family & say no to some events

6. Stick with a healthy routine as much as possible, including nutritious meals, self-care, exercise,

7. Laughter is best medicine.

8. Let go of perfection.

9. Get out of the house; go to a movie, a park, the beach, or even ice skating

10. Go digital-free for the morning or evening

11. Try not to OVERSCHEDULE!

**Content provided for educational and informational purposes only. It is derived from information from Dr. Mariza Snyder’s Essentially You podcast. It is not to be considered medical advice.**