Preventing the Holiday Hangover!

Happy Holidays on this lovely Taco Tuesday. The weather is cooling down as the holidays come into full swing! With all the changes, it is easy to pick up some no so good habits...you know what I am talking about! Just one more piece of holiday candy...or just that one extra glass of wine to relax...you get where I am going.


But wait! Before you give in to the temptations that America calls the "Holidays", let me interject. I've been hard at work in the past few weeks developing ways to prevent the "Holiday Hangover" that you will probably experience if you're not careful!

So, tonight's blog is dedicated to Preventing the "Holiday Hangover"! What is a Holiday Hangover, you might be asking?

Similar a real hangover, the "Holiday Hangover" includes:

- General bodily discomfort
- Lack of energy
- What I like to call "brain fog"
- Probably a few extra pounds you didn't have last month
- And a total lack of motivation to do anything about it.

There you have it. Not what I want to be feeling come the New Year!

Now I could just tell you what to do once you're feeling the "Holiday Hangover", but I thought I'd do you a big favor, let's call it my GIFT to you, and help you PREVENT it in the first place.


5 Ways to Prevent the "Holiday Hangover"

1. Plan Ahead Know what meals you will be eating at home and away before you go to the grocery store. Make a list and plan your meals. You will thank me later.

2. Eat a small, but healthy snack before you go to a holiday party or get together. This will help by decreasing your chance of overeating and increasing your ability to make healthy choices (aka ability to use your brain instead of your stomach!) Note: This is also a great tip to do before hitting the grocery store.

3. Moderation Just like my Mom has always told me, everything is ok in moderation, but please, still remember the discussion from my last post. How many desserts you want to have to stay healthy? My guess is it still is just one. Reading labels still applies here!

4. Have healthy snacks available to guests who stop by. Give them the gift of good health and lead by example. I have listed below a few healthy snack/appetizers to get you started.

5. Drink plenty of water! Just like a real hangover, water is crucial to your health, especially as the cold weather can be very dehydrating. Try adding fresh mint, orange or lemon slices, to your water for a festive look and a little taste. Sparkling water is also a nice alternative.

I hope that these FIVE simple tips will help you avoid the "Holiday Hangover" and stay well this holiday season!

If you happen to live in the bay area, I would like to invite you to a more personalized version of my blog at the Sunrise Bistro in Walnut Creek on Thursday December 16th from 6-8pm. Piggybacking of the Eat and Learn philosophy, we're doing a Holiday Eat and Learn, providing a healthy dinner, cooking demonstration, and nutrition talk all about staying in good health during the holidays. Please send me a note if you're at all interested! Kristin.Zellhart@gmail.com

Below are a few snack and appetizer ideas to get you in the right mindset. Think simple, think whole foods.

Chargrilled Eggplant Bruschetta

 

Ingredients 

1 Large Eggplant, cut crosswise into 5mm slices
Olive Oil
1 garlic clove

Salsa
2 medium tomatoes, diced
1 tsp olive oil
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
small handful fresh basil leaves
1 garlic clove, crushed
salt, to taste

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350 F
2. Spray eggplant with oil and rub each slice with salt and the garlic
3. Place on oven rack directly, with cookie sheet on the rack below to catch any dripping. Bake for 20-30 minutes until firm, but done.
4. To make salsa, combine all ingredients and season well.
5. Spoon salsa mixture on top of eggplant slices. Enjoy! 

Roasted Grapes (yes, really!)

Ingredients

1/2 pound grapes, separated into small clusters
3/4 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
1/8 tsp kosher salt, to taste
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
1/4 cup plain, organic yogurt

Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 450 F. Arrange grape clusters in a single layer on a baking sheet. Drizzle with oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast until the skins are slightly crisp, but the grapes are still soft and juicy inside, about 15 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature, with yogurt for dipping.

 Other Holiday Snack Ideas

-a platter with almonds, cubed cheeses, fresh cut apple slices with a squeeze of lemon to keep from browning
-Fresh, seasonal fruit (apples, citrus)
-Home made trail mix from the bulk bins (be careful of pre-made due to sugar and oils added to most commercialized mixes)
 -hummus with fresh-cut, seasonal vegetables.

I hope these recipes and ideas inspire you this holiday season! Thanks for reading!

In good health,

Zelda F.