by gloortara@gmail.com | Dec 6, 2016 | Healthier Holidays, Self-care, Uncategorized
Today I’m featuring a guest blog post from my friend, the very talented personal chef, Anisha Anand, aka He“art”ful Earth Cuisine Personal Wellness Chef. Anisha’s article “Health Matters Even During the Holidays” offers some great tips to help us maintain our health during these often very tempting and stressful times.
It’s often very challenging to stick to our healthy eating plan over the holidays, after all, ’tis the season of tasty foods. To help combat throwing caution to the wind and forgoing our healthy eating this season, Anisha encourages us to…………
- Eat Mindfully
- Meet Your Farmer
- Plan & Prep
- Use Scraps
- Think Colour
- Think Outside the Box!
Read Anisha’s article to learn more …………
Health Matters….Even During the Holidays
By: Anisha Anand
The holidays are a time of giving, a time to be surrounded by loved ones, in person or in spirit, and of course, a time of feasting and sharing food! Food doesn’t just nourish our bodies; it also feeds our soul. The connection we have to the food we eat, the preparation of that food, and even the way we consume it are all part of the nourishment process. We enjoy preparing our food together, and enjoy eating it over a table filled with laughter and love. This helps elevate meal time from a quick body recharge to a feast for the body and spirit. Food and food aromas create new memories and also bring back old memories!
No matter how busy our holidays and lives get, it’s good to find some time to focus on staying well. Here are my top six ideas and tips to help you stay on track during this holiday season:
- Always eat mindfully. Take the time to sit down, take the time to chew, savor and breathe, be present and enjoy your food. If you are indulging, then eat guilt-free! Feeling guilty ruins the moment and takes away from your satisfaction and digestion.
- Meet your farmer. Consider a family shopping trip to the farmer’s market to enjoy some fresh air and pick up fresh, local, in season produce. It is more nourishing and tastes more flavorful when you cook with local, fresh produce.
- Plan, Prep! Plan, Prep! Take the time, even if it is only a couple hours every week, to prepare and stock up on some healthy snacking options so that, when you are too hungry to prepare something, you have some nutritious choices. When we are hungry, we grab what is in front us, so why not always have some nourishing food available?
- Don’t scrap those scraps. Save all your vegetable scraps and any turkey or other meat bones. Simmer your way to good health with vegetable or bone broths. You can always freeze batches in glass jars for making soups or adding to vegetable and rice dishes later!
- Think color. Consider adding different colored vegetables to every dish you cook at home. Plant-based whole foods provide a wide variety of natural chemicals called phytonutrients. Phytonutrients serve various functions in plants, such as protecting the plant’s vitality. For example, some phytonutrients protect the plant from UV radiation while others protect it from insect attack. Not only do phytonutrients award benefits to the plants, but they can also provide benefits to those who enjoy plant food.
- Think outside the box! Holiday cooking is all about traditions and family recipes; sometimes we can make our family recipes more nutritious and nourishing. If your recipes can be improved nutritionally by making a few ingredient swaps, then be creative and try something new! An example of this might be substituting regular mashed potatoes for Purple Pumpkin Seed Mashed Potatoes. In my recipe, the purple potatoes add phytonutrients or flavanoids while the pumpkin seed oil and pumpkin seeds add an extra rich, nutty flavor layer and it gives a boost of zinc, which helps with immunity. We can all use a boost to our immunity during flu season and the busy holidays.
Purple Pumpkin Seed Mashed Potatoes
Ingredients
1 medium purple potato roasted and peeled (Anthocyanins are flavonoids or phytonutrients that give the potatoes purple color, you may substitute orange sweet potatoes if you can’t find purple ones, orange sweet potatoes will have other flavanoids called Carotenoids!)
4 tablespoons almond milk (or dairy milk)
1 teaspoon pumpkin seed oil
Handful of pumpkin seeds
Salt and pepper to taste
Mash potato, add almond milk and pumpkin seed oil and mix well. Top with some pumpkin seeds and serve. Enjoy this nutty flavored, nutrient dense comfort food as a snack or a side dish!
Remember to enjoy the holidays, plan a time for activity, incorporate healthy recipes into your holiday meals, and don’t restrict yourself from enjoying your favourite holiday foods. Focus on things that make you feel good and make sure some of your needs are being met because you stand less chance of overindulging. In the long run, your mind and body will thank you.
As a Personal Wellness Chef, Anisha strives to inspire and empower people to promote their health and wellness with food. She creates and teaches nutritious recipes and meals in the comfort of your own home. She truly believes in the power of food as medicine and bringing wellness back into your hands and kitchens.
Anisha’s services include meal planning and in home chef services, nutritious & healthy recipes, cooking lessons, demos & workshops, and learn to cook parties, special family dinners, romantic dinners, & recipe creation. Congratulations to Anisha, as this article was featured in The Bay Area Health and Wellness Magazine of Houston, and thanks to her for allowing me to share!
P.S. Don’t miss Anisha’s Purple Pumpkin Seed Mashed Potatoes recipe featured in the article. It sounds delicious!
For daily inspiration and services, you can find Anisha at the following places:
Thanks for reading and keep well,
by gloortara@gmail.com | Nov 22, 2016 | Healthier Holidays, Uncategorized
Thanksgiving is a favourite American holiday, a day to count our blessings and be thankful as we feast together. While this time of year can bring lots of joy & happiness for many people, it can be quite stressful. How you are feeling around the holidays can directly impact how and what you eat. If you are feeling anxious about the upcoming holiday, remember that with a little preparation, mindfulness, and mental effort, we can keep ourselves grounded and together so that we can celebrate and connect with family and friends to create a healthy, relaxing, and restorative time.
Here are 12 Thanksgiving Tips for More Joy and Less Stress by Dorothy The Organizer.
I wanted to share some additional tips that help me throughout the holiday season:
- Drink a tall glass of water 20 minutes before starting the meal. This will pre-hydrate your stomach wall, which is lined with an acid buffer that is 80% water. The more water, the better the buffer, and the more acid your stomach will produce to enjoy more food. Studies show it helps reduce weight.
- Begin with mindful eating and remember to enjoy your food. Don’t eat food that you don’t enjoy. If you don’t like the traditional green bean casserole or the pumpkin pie, then politely pass. We want to avoid any negative associations with food and negative self-talk or guilt during or after eating, as this can create a toxic environment in your body. Enjoy and savor what’s on your plate.
- Force yourself to put your fork down and chew. The more time you give yourself to chew and relax, the more your stomach will gracefully expand and allow you to comfortably continue to enjoy your Thanksgiving meal without overeating. If you eat that same meal fast, it will hit like a rock and you will find yourself spending much of the afternoon on the couch. Studies suggest that slow, mindful eating helps us eat healthier and lose weight.
- If you’re feeling a little bloated after your feast, you can sip on some ginger tea – here is a recipe.
- Try and treat Thanksgiving as one day, not one month. Get back into your healthy regime after the event. If you do overindulge, don’t dwell on it, acknowledge it, and move on. Remember, don’t deprive yourself, enjoy your feast, but keep some of these tips in mind.
Wishing you health, happiness, and success this Thanksgiving and always. Here’s to enjoying the company of good friends and family as we give thanks. My warmest wishes to you and your family on Thanksgiving!
Thanks for reading and keep well,
by gloortara@gmail.com | Dec 22, 2015 | Healthier Holidays
Wishing everyone Health, Happiness & Prosperity!
The month of December, regardless what holiday you celebrate, can be a challenging and stressful time for many people. How you are feeling around the holidays can directly impact how and what you eat. While this time of year can bring lots of joy & happiness, for many people, it can be quite stressful. If you are feeling anxious about the upcoming holiday, remember that with a little preparation, mindfulness, and mental effort, we can keep ourselves grounded and together so that we can celebrate and connect with family and friends to create a healthy, relaxing, and restorative time.
Here are some tips from Kris Carr to help avoid overeating.
The things that help me are:
1.Eating regularly:
If you are going to an event, remember to eat before an event to fuel your body, don’t starve yourself all day in anticipation. You’re in danger of arriving ravenous and eating everything in sight. By eating throughout the day, you are less likely to over-indulge.
2.Planning ahead:
Creating a healthy eating schedule will keep your metabolism elevated by preventing overeating & giving in to those pesky cravings.
3.Balancing your meals & use a plate:
Might sound silly, but using a plate can help you keep track of what you are eating. Fill your plate with healthier options first, leaving a little room for those treats.
4.Stocking up on healthy snacks:
Always have healthy snacks available to avoid temptation. Nuts & seeds are great options.
5.Watching your alcohol:
Remember to watch the calorie-laden eggnog, and pay attention to your holiday drinks. Before you know it your coffee has turned into a dessert.
6.Focusing on the event:
Try socializing with friends, family members, or colleagues and concentrate on mingling not just eating.
7.Finally, try and treat the holidays as one day, not one month.
Get back into your healthy regime after the event. If you do overindulge, don’t dwell on it. Acknowledge it and move on.
If you do find yourself tempted, and those pesky cravings are attacking try these easy “5 D’s” to help manage your cravings – they really do help!
They are Delay – Distract – Distance – Determine and Decide.
Delay: Postpone whatever you’ve got a fancy for, wait 10-15 minutes. You’re not saying ‘no’ you are simply stopping to think before you eat.
Distract: Try a non-food activity to give you something to do. If you’re at an event, engage in conversation. If you’re at home, call a friend, or brush your teeth. Often cravings disappear in a few minutes when we keep our hands and minds busy without food.
Distance: It’s important to keep your food triggers at arm’s length. If you’re at home, keep those tempting foods hidden, or better yet try and avoid buying them. If you’re at an event, focus on the conversation and guests around you rather than the food.
Determine: After waiting 10-15 minutes, determine whether you are physically hungry, or simply thirsty, often these two get confused. Also, consider whether you might have an emotional or boredom hunger. Try and avoid getting over-hungry. This can be solved by keeping to a regular eating schedule.
Decide: Now it’s time to make a decision. Do you really want that ‘something’ that you have been eyeing, does it still look as appealing, or has the temptation passed? The important lesson here is to think before you eat.
If you do overindulge, don’t dwell on it. Acknowledge it and move on.
Remember to use your food journal & Hara Hachi Bu tools!
Finally, enjoy the holidays, and don’t deprive yourself ~ just keep some of these tips in mind!
Keep well, and thanks for reading,
by gloortara@gmail.com | Jan 1, 2015 | Healthier Holidays, New Year, Uncategorized
Wishing everyone Health, Happiness & Prosperity!
I stumbled across this quote at my dentist’s office “when was the last time you did something for first time”? How appropriate to begin a New Year!
How many times have you been asked if you made any New Year’s resolutions? We are so conditioned to focus on making these resolutions the minute the clock strikes 12 midnight, but it’s important to remember you can change your life at any time. You can change your habits and change your life. We need to clarify our vision and consciously design what we want. Be specific, what old habits need to be broken and what new ones need to be created? While this is true, let’s be clear change is hard work and in order to succeed we need to work at it consistently.
Life is short, I know that’s a cliché that we always hear, I even wrote that in my high school yearbook, not having any idea what it really meant but it sounded good at 17! Joking apart we really don’t know what tomorrow holds so it’s important to live in the present moment. While goals are important for our growth and development let’s not forget to appreciate and respect what we have in the here and now.
Often we don’t need a new version of ourselves, what we really need is to see the real and authentic us and the courage to be content with that.
Thanks for reading and keep well.
I would love to hear about your conscious designs for 2015.
by gloortara@gmail.com | Dec 22, 2014 | Diets, Healthier Holidays, Uncategorized, Weight Gain, Weight Loss
I think we can all relate to feeling a little frazzled during the holiday season, so much to do and so little time. It’s important to fix that festive frazzle before you run out of steam…… all you need is a little bit of savvy planning. I have created a list of my top 10 Tips that have served me well during the holidays.
Your Survival Guide to Healthier Holidays
- Exercise: Most people have a little extra time available over the holiday season. Take this opportunity to develop a regular exercise regime. This will help to burn off the excess calories and fat consumed over this period. It will also get you into the habit of exercising, and you can continue the regime after the holiday season is over.
- Eat regularly: If you are going to an event don’t starve yourself all day in anticipation. You’re in danger of arriving there feeling ravenous and eating everything in sight. Instead, have some healthy snacks throughout the day. By doing this, you’ll be less likely to over-indulge when you are out. Remember to eat before an event to fuel your body, and always chew well, aim for 25 chews per bite.
- Plan ahead: Leading up to your event make sure you create a healthy eating schedule: eat every 3-5 hours, and get at least 7- 8 hours of quality sleep. Eating regularly will keep your metabolism elevated and getting enough sleep will help prevent overeating the next day and giving into cravings.
- Survey your food choices: When you arrive at the party, ask for a glass of water with lemon and wait at least 30 minutes before eating. This will give you time to relax, get comfortable in your surroundings, it will also give you time to notice the food items and what your choices are enabling you to make a wiser decision.
- Balance your meals & use a plate: Use a plate to keep track of what you are eating. Don’t be tempted to fill your plate with those rich calorie-laden foods. Instead have a little of everything including fruit and vegetables, fill your plate with the healthy options first, leaving a little room for those treat options.
- Stock up on healthy snacks: Always have healthy snack options available to avoid temptation, some good examples are: nuts (unsalted walnuts or almonds), seeds (unsalted pumpkin or sunflower), fruit and raw vegetables such as carrots or celery, very easy to prepare and transport.
- Moderate alcohol intake: Alternate your drinks, switch between alcoholic beverages and water. Don’t forget that alcohol does contain calories and a lot of them. Drinking water can help starve off cravings, give you satiety and help ward off those holiday headaches the next day. Remember to limit the calorie-laden egg-nog. There are plenty of lower-calorie beers and wines available that can help, so opt for the healthier version whenever possible. Also watch your holiday coffee drinks, don’t turn your coffee into a dessert.
- Make your own dish: Volunteer to bring an appetizer or a favorite dish, this way you are guaranteed to have at least one genuinely healthy option.
- Focus on the event: Try socializing with friends, family members or colleagues and concentrate on mingling and not just eating.
- Mindful thinking: Treat the holidays as one day, not one month. Get back into your healthy regime after the event.
Finally, enjoy the holidays and don’t deprive yourself just keep some of these tips in mind!
Thanks for reading and keep well.
I would love to hear about some of your tips for surviving the holidays.
