Healthy Tips for Eating During the Holidays

Health and holiday do not cancel each other out. It may take a bit of careful steering on your part, but it is possible to eat, drink, and be merry without losing sight of the nutrition goals you've been pursuing all year

Shift Gears. The road ahead will be filled with lots of delicious detours but that doesn't mean you have to lose your way. If you've been following a weight loss regimen, Downshift for the next few weeks and keep your eye on maintaining your present weight.

Prepare for the Trip. If you know you're heading for a party at night, the worst thing to do is to starve all day. Just the opposite. Eat a well-balanced breakfast and lunch but make them a bit more low-calorie than usual. And if time permits, increase your exercise in preparation. Add an extra thirty minutes to your gym time or leave the car in a central place and walk to all your errands, returning to stow your bundles in the trunk and starting out again. In other words, use your day to earn your night.

Cruising. Don't dive into the appetizers, but don't avoid them either. Grab a plate, the smallest you can find and cruise past, then cruise past again, scanning your choices. Look for raw foods or ones that have been prepared simply and naturally. You'll find that the fiber and texture of whole grains and veggies will satisfy you just as much as crunchy fried foods and dip-soggy chips. And once you've made your choice, move as far away from the buffet table as you can.

Maintain the Speed Limit. Eat consciously, employing what mindful meditation practitioners call the Four S's - Sit, Savor the texture of each mouthful, Slowly chew, Still your mind.

Or if you prefer, take the opposite tack. Get your mind off food. Plate in hand, use this time to circulate and socialize. After all isn't that why you go to a party? Engage your mouth primarily in talking, and only secondarily in eating.

Unlawful Drinking. Eggnog is definitely a felony and sweet mixed drinks, misdemeanors. If you prefer an alcoholic beverage and still want to follow the rules limit yourself to white wine. But start off with a glass of seltzer. The carbonation will slow down the process of drinking while allowing you to circulate, glass in hand like everyone else.. And should you want more than one glass of wine, first have another seltzer.

Rough Road Ahead. Sitting down at the dinner table is fraught with temptation with all those plates and platters passed your way, but there are a few ways to deal with it without drawing attention to your predicament.

Fill your plate, with salad and vegetables taking up half, and use the other half for whatever meats or sides that may tempt you. Starting with salad, eat one foodstuff at a time, saving whatever is your favorite for last. This counteracts the tendency people have to unconsciously shovel food into their mouths. You just may find that by the time you get to your saved treasure, you're full.

And when table mates pass the dessert you just may find yourself saying. "That looks delicious but I just can't take another bite!"

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Juicing: Heath Benefits or Just Another Fad?

Want to live a healthier lifestyle? Well, one ways to do that is to incorporate more fruits and vegetables in one’s diet. According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), people should eat five to nine servings of fruits and vegetables a day. While eating nutritious food daily is important, many people eat little to no fruits and vegetables. One can integrate more fruits and vegetables by eating produce, taking supplements, or juicing.

Juicing is one of the hottest trends in the health industry today. Some say it’s just a fad that will soon pass like all the other health food crazes, but many feel it’s here to stay and should be added to one’s daily nutrition needs. While most would agree that incorporating fruits and vegetables is important to include into one’s daily diet for healing and overall wellness, not all agree on the method. Evaluate the following myths and health benefits to see if juicing is right for you.

Juicing myths

1 Juicing is all that is needed.

Juicing is a great way to add needed nutrients to your body, but it is not the only requirement needed to promote or maintain health. Exercise, drinking water, and cutting out “junk food” is also needed along with juicing.

2. Juicing is costly.

Some people may feel that juicing is too costly, and that you need to buy enormous amounts of fruits and vegetables. Truthfully, buying more fruits and vegetables may be a little more expensive, but is not as expensive as numerous trips to the doctor. What price would you pay for better health?

3. Juicing alone is the best way to lose weight.

Juicing will cause you to initially lose weight, but it is not to be used exclusively as a weight loss regimen. Excess juicing without adequate protein and healthy fats will cause one to also lose muscle mass.

Health Benefits of Juicing

1. Provide immediate source of vitamins and nutrients.

Nutrients are absorbed quicker into the body because juice bypasses the process of food breakdown. Fruit and vegetable juice is made up of smaller particles than solid food, and therefore can be immediately absorbed into the intestines. Juicing is also great because you can all the recommended servings in one glass a day.

2. Easy on the digestive system.

Juicing is a great way for people with gastrointestinal issues to get the benefits of fresh fruits and vegetables. Many people with digestive problems need nutrients without the added fiber or bulk.

3. Energy boost.

A green drink is perfect for breakfast and will provide you with abundant energy, and is also a great way to start the day. Juicing will give you an instant energy boost without the “crash” that you experience after eating sugary, processed foods.

While juicing may be a new trend, it is also an excellent way to add the recommended servings of fruits and vegetables to your diet. Juicing will increase vitamin, mineral, and antioxidant intake to the body, but it should not be a stand-alone regimen. Juicing should be added to a well-balanced diet.

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Vitamin Enhanced Water: Hydrate or Hype?

You hear it all the time. Drink plenty of water. Be sure and get your vitamins. Getting both in one fell swoop seems like the perfect solution, and on the surface, vitamin enhanced water seems like a dream come true. But when it comes to nutrition and overall wellness, these drinks fall short of what you can get from your faucet. 

Tap water doesn't contain vitamins, but it also doesn't contain sugars and artificial sweeteners. Most people don't really need the vitamins they get from enhanced waters. Getting vitamins from foods is best, but if you're falling short on your nutrition requirements a multivitamin is preferable to vitamin enhanced water.

 

Vitamin enhanced water is sold under a lot of names. Vitamin Water, from Glaceau is first to come to mind. SoBe Life Water is also popular, as is Propel, a product of Coca Cola which includes electrolytes. Normally, it takes an intense workout of an hour or more before extra electrolytes are necessary.

What is most important, for those who do drink vitamin enhanced waters is the purpose they expect them to fill. Generally, eight to ten glassed of water per day is the standard recommendation, and the best way to replenish is through plain old H2O without anything extra. If the tap water in your area doesn't taste right, a faucet or pitcher filter can help to make it taste more pure.

But those who don't like plain water often want to spruce things up, and many are reaching for vitamin enhanced waters to do it, which can put a lot of extra sugars or artificial sweeteners into their diet. If enhanced waters are meant to replace the original, they are not worth it. You spend a lot of extra money to load up on harmful sugar and chemicals for a relatively small benefit from whatever vitamins are included.

 

If you have to spruce up water, a bit of fruit juice or a slice of lemon, lime, or even cucumber are better choices than an enhanced water, and far less expensive.

 

But for some who are trying to lick the soda habit, enhanced waters is a better choice. Eight ounces of Coca Cola, for example contains 105 calories, the same amount of Vitamin Water has just 50. There are also low calorie or no calorie versions of both soda and enhanced waters, but most contain potentially harmful artificial sweeteners that have been found to increase cravings for high calorie foods.

 

If these "waters" are consumed, it should be in moderation, and the vitamins they do include shouldn't be counted on to replace healthy foods like fruits and vegetables which have numerous benefits beyond their vitamin content. Ultimately, drinking more regular water should be the goal, especially if you want to lose weight and improve your overall wellness.

While moving toward a healthier weight is always good, there can be challenges that can be addressed by a chiropractor. A person's center of gravity can change, and this can throw off the body's alignment. Not everyone thinks of seeing a chiropractor in order to help them deal with different weight fluctuations, but it can be an important part of the journey to wellness.

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Five Tips For a Healthier Holiday

I know how you feel. The holiday season rolls around… everyone’s running around shopping, planning and getting things done. When it’s over, it’s time to kick back a little and enjoy the company of friends and loved ones, whether it’s the office party of family gathering.

The challenge is that the holiday season is filled with so much delicious food, and sticking to your healthy eating and exercise routine during the season can seem close to impossible. Here are a handful of suggestions to help you get through the holidays without gaining any extra weight. And if you’re really good, you may even lose some.

Never Go Hungry

Arriving to a party hungry is a recipe for disaster. Have a normal breakfast and lunch on the day of the gathering. Sitting down to a holiday dinner when you’re starving can make overdoing it all too easy. Maybe even snack on a handful of nuts or a yogurt on your way out the door, so you don’t snack on the first thing you see when you get there.

Step Away From the Food

Ah… that buffet of food that seems to be calling your name. Keep your distance so you are not tempted to snack all night. For extra backup, you can chew gum, which helps resist the temptation to sneak a bite here or there.

Choose the Right Foods

Sure, some of that great food comes only once a year. Just don’t go in with that mindset when you sit down for a big holiday meal. Enjoy that good stuff in moderation, and stick with the lean meats and veggies otherwise. You (and your conscience) will feel much better afterwards.

Skip the Alcohol

Alcohol is a common feature of many holiday parties. It’s also a big source of empty calories you don’t need, so avoid the temptation to overindulge. If you feel like a drink, a glass of red wine can spare you some calories, and you get some healthy antioxidants in the process.

Stay on Top of Exercise

Yes, holidays are a very busy time, and you may not get out for some exercise as much as you’d like. If you are having a hard time fitting it in your schedule, find ways to build it into your holiday activities: maybe a post-dinner walk outside to catch up with family, an extra lap around the mall during your 11^th-hour shopping, or even a snowball fight (assuming the weather cooperates, of course).

So, enjoy the holiday feasts in moderation, enjoy the company of family and friends abundantly, and most importantly, enjoy the season!

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How NOT to Hurt Your Back This Summer/Fall

Keeping your back in good health is extremely important. You need to take care of it all year long.

However, during the summer, and even as it cools down into fall, you are probably doing more outdoor activities – such as water sports, exercise, athletics, and gardening. This is the time when we see more back injuries than any other time of year. Of course, you don’t have to avoid these activities, but you can still avoid hurting your back in the process.

One of the most important actions you can take is to warm up and stretch your muscles before starting any activity. Gardening probably does not top the list of activities that you think would hurt you, but you should take a few moments to stretch before you begin. A few simple stretches will help get you ready for your yard work. Bend down and try to touch your toes and do some back muscle stretches. You use a lot of muscles when you are pulling weeds, mowing, or a variety of other common yard-related activities. Most importantly, you should wear a back support if you are doing any heavy lifting.

Do you enjoy water sports? These are another potential hazard for your back. The water supplies a constant resistance when you are moving around in it, so you wind up using many of your muscle groups in the process. One of the biggest aquatic culprits is any type of skiing. You are being pulled out of the water by a rope or some other method, which takes a lot of strength from all of your muscle groups – especially your back and arms. Many people experience back pain in this situation.

There are many types of sports that you may be involved in during the summer months. The best way to keep your back healthy and pain free is to try not to overdo your activities and never start without warming up first. Most pain that is associated with your back comes from muscle tension. A muscle spasm can be extremely painful, and can last for days. Muscle spasms can be caused by a misaligned spine. Regular visits for chiropractic care can relieve (and help you to avoid) back pain. Spinal adjustments by a chiropractor – along with heat therapy and massage therapy – can help you maintain good back health.

One more thing to consider to keep your back healthy, that you can do yourself: Watch your posture. Always keep your back straight, whether you are standing or sitting. Some of us tend to slouch forward when we are on our computers, watching television and other activities that you do while sitting. You might even consider purchasing some kind of lumbar support for your chair if you spend a lot of time at a desk, such as at work. You should also try to maintain a strong core, in order to better support your back. There is not one practice, but many together, which will help you maintain good back health.

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