Disclaimer: Please remember if you have any medical condition such as high or low blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, or any other condition or are dealing with depression, to discuss with your doctor what nutrition you need and other interventions that they recommend This information is not intended as medical advice.
Many people struggle with the holidays, whether it is with emotions, weight management, lack of sleep, poor nutrition, financial struggles or other ailments.
Nutrition to boost your immune system and mood:
• Vitamin C; has antioxidants that help keep you from getting run down or sick.
• Potassium: eating foods rich in potassium helps to keep your blood pressure under control (if you have low blood pressure or kidney issues, check with your doctor or dietician as to how much potassium you should consume each day- for some people too much can be dangerous, but most of us are not getting enough).
• Vitamin D: helps to prevent depression.
• Zinc: nuts (in moderation) are a great addition to your holidays, they are rich in zinc which is loaded with antioxidants, as well as protein to keep you satiated before heading to the potluck. There are also studies that link eating 2 small handfuls of cashews to staving off depression (they also have tryptophan in them which is believed to produce serotonin).
• This is a great time of year to add a Nutriblast smoothie to your daily routine (only veggies, fruit and water and maybe some nuts or flax for a boost). Focus on fruits such as blueberries, apples, berries. Toss in a little kale and spinach. Ask Santa for a Bullet or Ninja blender if you don’t have one and then USE IT.
Herbs and spices to add to your diet:
• Cinnamon: maintains blood pressure, blunts blood sugar spikes when you eat it with sweets.
• Ginger: fights cold symptoms, helps with digestion.
• Turmeric: anti-inflammatory. May help with pain management.
Get enough sleep: Make sure you are getting enough sleep. Chronic sleep deprivation is known to increase your stress and cortisol levels in your body and can greatly impact your mood. Lack of sleep can also increase your risk for having a car accident, puts you at risk for many diseases and can amplify symptoms.
Don’t wait until New Year’s to make healthy choices: Your body doesn’t know the date. Start now. Don’t let your current fitness and nutrition plan fall to the wayside. Stay healthy. The holidays are not a good time to make major transformations, but a time to try to maintain health and fitness. Keep going to the gym, eat clean.
Make “better” bad choices when you go to parties: Eat the veggie tray and turkey slices at parties rather than the cheese plate and meatballs. If you must have the cheese/meatball/cookie/fudge or whatever treat you tell yourself you just can’t live without, have a taste of it, not a 2,000 calorie serving.
Keep emotional and financial struggle at bay: The best advice I can give to anyone who may be struggling is to keep focused on the positive, albeit hard to do sometimes. Find things to keep you busy, like networking events and parties, without over-burdening yourself and becoming harried. Don’t over spend. Nobody needs a WII or and IPhone more than you need to pay your bills. Stay healthy. The holidays are not a good time to make major transformations, but a time to try to maintain health and fitness. Keep going to the gym, eat clean. Make “better” bad choices when you go to parties.
Follow me on Facebook for tips throughout the holidays: https://www.facebook.com/liz.jones.1441810
Liz Jones is a wellness professional in Rockwall, Mesquite, Wylie and surrounding areas. She is a writer, certified yoga instructor, personal trainer and wellness coach. Liz Jones can be reached at: [email protected].
