Healthy Holiday Eating Tips

We love the holidays, but the fun & festivities can present special challenges for your healthy lifestyle. Today’s edition of The Gene Smart Coach discusses 5 simple healthy eating tips to help you enjoy the holidays more than ever, without stressing out or abandoning your healthy lifestyle. As a bonus, we’ve included an extra special tip at the end that may be the most important of all!

Stress Free Healthy Holiday Eating Tips

Make the most of your holiday meals and avoid the guilt of eating too much with these healthy holiday eating tips:

1. Slow down. Enjoy your food. We mean really enjoy it. Practice Mindful Eating. Notice the colors. Smell the aromas. Savor each bite. Slow down some more. Listen to the crunch. Pay attention to how it feels on your tongue. Chew slowly. Go for a quality experience instead of a large quantity of food. Eat until you feel satisfied, and stop eating well before you are stuffed.

2. Relish your conversation. Take time in between bites to enjoy the company of your loved ones.

3. Don’t skip meals. Before leaving for a party, eat a light whole food snack like raw vegetables or a piece of fruit to curb your appetite. You will be less tempted to over-indulge in less heathy choices.

4. Scout the Appetizer Table. Check out the range of options before digging in. Opt for the shrimp cocktail, which is filled with Omega-3, or the veggie platter, which is filled with polyphenols and fiber (just go easy on the dip).

5. Be Proactive. Bring your own healthy dish to your next holiday party. That way, you know you’ll have at least one healthy option!

Find the Perfect Holiday Gift

Still have gifts to buy? Check out our Healthy Holiday Shopping Guide for gift ideas that your family and friends will love, and that won’t break your wallet. There’s something for everyone – from the techy to the outdoorsman.

Consider giving the gift of health. Do you have a friend who is interested in healthy eating or struggling with a health condition associated with inflammation? Get them our Anti-Inflammatory Diet Starter Kit. It includes The Gene Smart Diet, a Daily Food Journal, and a 30-day supply of the 3 supplements recommended by Gene Smart for those following an anti-inflamatory diet plan.

Or, for the one on your list who loves to measure their health status, perhaps our Omega-3 Home Blood Test! Studies have shown the Omega-3 Index to be a better predictor of heart disease risk than cholesterol, and most in America do not consume enough each day to acheive the desired range.

Stress Free Holiday Planning Tips

Take the focus off of food. Instead of cookie parties, have crafty parties to create gingerbread houses or other fun holiday things like wreaths. Plan other group activities, like volunteering at a nursing home or homeless shelter.
Many people will offer to help you with your holiday party planning, and you may feel that, as the host, you should politely decline. Accept their offer – people will feel happy to be involved, and it will help take a little bit of stress off of you! Not hosting? Offer to help with the planning of your family or friend’s party.

Special Bonus: Our Most Important Tip of All

This season, amidst the hustle and bustle, slow down and pay attention to those things that are truly important. Enjoy time spent with family, friends, and loved ones, and help spread holiday cheer to everyone around you.