7 Healthy Holiday Party Tips

TIP 1

Make the party about your relationships with the people…more talk less food and drink.

When we go to a party there are friends and acquaintances we want to join in conversation, some friends we are catching up with while some we are getting to know better and often we are meeting new friends.  As much as we like to make the party about the food if we stick to concentrating on the relationships we will eat less and enjoy more.  Focus on being a good listener and really hearing what friends are saying and talking about, make thoughtful and positive comments in return. You will leave the party with a greater sense of your friends and you will have consumed much less food.

TIP 2

Limit your alcohol consumption to one drink – one drink a day is more than enough alcohol so enjoy the party without the extra alcohol.

It is so easy to overindulge in your alcohol consumption when you are caught up in the excitement of the party, friends and good food.  We often are busy chatting and eating that our drinks are consumed quite mindlessly and before we know it the glass is empty. When you get to the party begin with a glass of water (sparkling water can be fun too), enjoy the water and get yourself hydrated. Once you have drained your water glass wait a few minutes before you get something else. When you do have your alcoholic beverage enjoy it and pay attention to how it tastes, what you like about it and why you are enjoying it. Once you have finished your one drink switch to something else nonalcoholic, either water or juice if it is offered. If you are really paying attention and merely sipping both the first glass of water and your one alcoholic drink you will find yourself satisfied without over indulging.

TIP 3

Have a snack before the party so you do not arrive starving and reaching for the most calorie-laden foods.

In the rush of preparing to go to a party we often arrive hungry and sometimes even feeling ravenous. That is the worst for us because we end up picking at all the foods loaded with fat and sugar and never feel satisfied. Instead take the time to care for yourself by planning your time and leaving time for a small meal or snack before you go to the party. Make the plan to eat before you begin getting ready for the party by making it a priority.  Getting to the party with food in your stomach also helps to put your focus on the party and your friends (see tip 1) and not on the food.

TIP 4

Going to a potluck? Bring something made with nutrient dense whole foods. Not only will you have something good to eat but your friends will be inclined to follow your example too.

It is so easy to get caught up in the excitement of the party and wanting to show off our fabulous cooking so we don’t always bring the most nutritious dish to share. Instead this year come up with some new and delicious dishes that all your friends will oh and ah over. Try a quinoa salad or a colorful veggie salad for something sweeter make a delicious fruit salad, if you want something warmer bring a crockpot full homemade vegetable soup. Not only will you have a healthy choice but your friends will have one as well!

TIP 5

Don’t stand near the food or the bar that will only lead to extra-unwanted food or drink.

How many times have you found yourself standing next to the buffet table and continuously eating all night?  Make a conscious choice to stand away from the table and plan which foods you will enjoy.  Decide what you will drink at the party before you go and then stick to that plan as well.

TIP 6

Avoid the little snacks like nuts or chocolates that are in the pretty little bowls. If you must reach for some of those snacks take only ONE, one nut or one small piece of chocolate may really be all you need to take the edge off.

How easy it is that we find ourselves picking away at the bowl of nuts or M &M’s and before we know it we have consumed 500 calories in nuts and chocolates. Yes they are pretty and a nice touch but stay away from them if at all possible and if not allow yourself to only have ONE. And before you reach for one nut visualize yourself enjoying the nut as you walk away from the bowl!

TIP 7

On your way to the party visualize yourself driving home from the party pleased with yourself for making healthy food /drink choices and not over indulging, see yourself happy and satisfied with all that you enjoyed at the party.

Remind yourself how awful it is to come home from a party only to feel bloated, stuffed and unhappy with your overconsumption of food and alcohol. Visualizing your excellent choices and the enjoyment of the party will help to solidify your plan at the party.  Have fun at the party and bring that happiness home with you, body, mind and soul!

Do You Have a Murmur of Negativity?

As I ponder life and my goals and dreams I realize that many of my thoughts tell me a negative story about mysef. What I now know is that these are my limiting beliefs, they are thoughts and beliefs that have been with me me since childhood. As many wonderful positive affirmations I can say to myself there is still a continual murmur of negativity always running in the background.

What are limiting beliefs? They are false beliefs that keep us from reaching our potential, from realizing our dreams and keeping us living below our potential. They are the thoughts that we keep thinking that keep us held back from reaching our dreams (or even reaching for our dreams).

The wonderful thoughts that are on the surface are all well and good but then we listen to the fleeting little thoughts that keep nudging us. You know the ones that pass through your mind at lightening speed, so much so that we often are not even aware of them.

Here’s how I see it. We have goals and dreams for all kinds of wonderful things and we can dream and visualize these ideas and make them as real as we want. Then they bubble up to the surface so we can begin to act on them. On the way to the surface these dreams and goals have to go through our filters which then attach to our judgments. 90% of the time these are negative beliefs we picked up in our childhood. Now our beautiful dreams are clouded by negativity and the pollution of our false beliefs.

Let’s talk more about where these limiting beliefs come from. As I mentioned they primarily come from our past and start as a small comment, thought or observation you picked up from someone else.  For instance in my case I often heard one of my parents comment about how overweight someone was in a derogatory voice implying that something was wrong with them. This happened over and over again so as I was growing up I came to believe that the person was less than because they were overweight. Although I had no real proof that there was anything wrong with them it was a judgment I carried from my past. As a result I had a prejudice about people who were overweight because of this belief I was taught from my parent. Imagine how I felt once I became that 'fat' person.

When I quit smoking the pounds crept onto your body and before I knew it I was 40 pounds overweight. My parent never made a comment about my size but I knew inside what his beliefs were and knew that these were my beliefs as well.  Now in my size 16 - 18 clothes I felt worthless, incompetent and my self-esteem has plummeted. To top all of that off I also had come to believe that losing weight was extremely difficult and could only be accomplished through starvation and deprivation.

So as a well-intentioned child I picked up the limiting belief that shaped what was to become an adult living a life of feeling less than and not living up to my potential because of a limiting belief about the way my body looked.

Of course awareness is key to changing the limiting beliefs so once I understood where these 'less than' thoughts originated I have been able to consciously make the change to the way I think about being overweight. I have been able to clean out the filter that was clogged with thoughts about being less than because I struggle with my weight. 

Instead of letting those limiting beliefs keep me in a place of fear and pain I have been able to release them and as well release some of the weight that was such a struggle. I still have issues with my food and weight but with more awareness of my limiting beliefs and being able to let them go I feel better every day!

What limiting beliefs are keeping you from reaching your goals and dreams?

It's Time to Come Clean!

I decided today that it is time to come clean about my less then stellar eating habits and to let you know that although I know the best way to eat I do not always follow my own advice. It is not uncommon for me to have an excellent breakfast and lunch of delicious, nutrient dense whole foods but so often go down hill and before I know it I am eating ice cream, potato chips or chocolate.

Let me digress for a minute....
Until I was in my early thirties weight had never been an issue for me no matter what kind of food I ate. I attribute that to the fact that I was also a smoker and often had a cigarette to curb my appetite or just because it was easier to smoke than it was to prepare food. In 1994 I quit cigarettes and gained 50 pounds in a very short period of time. Of course without the cigarettes my sweet tooth grew out of control. I remember moving to Maine from California and thinking that all of these new friends will never have known me as a slim person and was disappointed with myself. I did continue to maintain that 50 pounds overweight for many years but still my sweet tooth was my driving force behind my food imbalance. I could eat brownies and ice cream while my kids were in school and then prepare them healthier foods when they were home. This went on for a few years until I met a doctor who taught me about the Zone diet. I maintained that diet for a few months and lost about 30 pounds. Then gradually one thing led to another and before I knew it I was back to my old tricks of eating all those sweet foods again and of course the weight came back on. That was the time I really began to read about nutrition and learn about the different diets from Atkins to the Zone.

Although I had a few bouts of managing my food and losing a few pounds, I still pretty consistently maintained my same overweight self. A couple of years ago I was managing a cafe in a health center, I had a white board that I specials posted to every day and there was always one little section that was left blank. One day I just wrote 'Helen's Health Tip' and wrote a tip about eating nutrient dense whole foods. I was intimidated because I wasn't a medical person and was amazed that doctors and nurses alike stopped to read my tips! I had been making and selling my own yogurt there and worked with customers to make healthy food choices so they already knew I was knowledgeable about food and nutrition. From there Helen's Health Tips blossomed and with the encouragement of friends I began a Facebook page and an email list. I am viewed as an authority on nutrition although I am not always able to practise what I preach.

Last winter, after much research I went on an anti fungal food plan. In a nutshell it is a food plan that eliminates sugar (in all forms) which in turn eliminates mycotoxins in the body. I loved the food plan and all the delicious food I ate and 40+ pounds just melted off. The bonus was that I felt fabulous, my confidence soared and I got to buy a whole new wardrobe. I was following my health tips and life was grand! As with most food plans that do not become lifestyles I began to sneak in a little bit of chocolate, ice cream and bread. Now I am 15 pounds heavier than I was last year and not happy with myself. The sugar makes me depressed which in turn lowers my confidence and I am a mess. Not to mention the shame I feel for being a fraud and not practising what I preach.

So here I am ready to tell you that I am changing my lifestyle to include nutrient dense whole foods while keeping processed foods to a minimum. Of course that means I have to pay attention to my emotional highs and lows that trigger my sweet tooth and be gentle and loving with  myself as I navigate the new road. I invite you to join me by coming clean with your eating habits and your intentions for moving to a healthier lifestyle. It is always easier when we do it together.

Label Comparison

Is it just me or do you find yourself misled by the labels put on 'processed' food.

Let's take for instance the Kashi Go Lean cereal vs the Kashi Go Lean Crunch cereal. When I have seen these two cereals in the store I have seen that they both have a lot of fiber (9 & 10 grams) and a lot of protein (12 grams). Plus they say GO LEAN on them and Kashi seems to be a name I could trust. They each have the words naturally sweetened on the label and the clusters has a picture of the cereal with blueberries on it. So if I went out to buy cereal I think I would pick up the Crunch just because it was more appealing with the pretty picture of the blueberries. Oh but did I mention that there are no blueberries in them but that you could have the blueberries in them if you wanted. Why do I feel a little bit decieved?

So at first glance I figured these would have about the same amount of calories. I mean they both say Lean on them and they both say 'stay fuller longer' so really except that one is a crunch and one is not I figured they would be pretty equal in calories.

Upon further inspection I noticed that in fact there was a large difference in the calorie count. The Kashi Go Lean Crunch has 240 calories in the cup that is 2.3oz (65 grams) and the Kashi Go Lean has 130 calories while in the same size of cup there is 1.6oz (45 grams) of cereal weight in the cup. I dumped each of these single serving cups into one of my regular bowls to get a visual of the quantity and it sure looks like they have the same amount in each cup.

Looks like it is a pretty healthy serving of cereal.

Is it really just me or do you also think this is a little bit decieving?

That is just one more reason we need to watch the labels of anything we are eating because what the company wants us to believe and what is the truth about a product may be very different.

I could be eating Kashi Go Lean Crunch, thinking I am eating something healthy for me but really I could be eating the same size container of Frosted Flakes with less calories than the Kashi Go Lean Crunch. Ok so the quality of ingredients is different but calorie for calorie I would stick with the Kashi Go Lean IF I was going to be eating cereal.

Be sure to check the labels for the calorie count to make sure you have not been misled by the pretty pictures and fiber and protein count.

Helen's Health Tip: Read the labels and be sure you are eating what you are being led to believe you are eating. Watch the calorie count and other misleading information.

To nourishing yourself,

Helen