Are you noticing lately that your eating habits have slightly taken a turn for the worse? This time of year, a lot of you are probably enjoying baking cookies at home with the kids, eating treats passed around the office, drinking speciality holiday drinks at Starbucks and so on. I want to encourage you on this Focused Friday to make one healthy choice for every unhealthy choice you make.

It’s awfully common around the holiday season to pack on few pounds with the numerous amount of cookies and chocolates sitting around the kitchen just waiting to be snatched every minute you walk by the table or island. We all know it’s not good for us. So why do we do it?

“It’s The Holidays!” we tell ourselves.

Just because it’s “The Holiday’s”, does that mean we get a pass to be junk food addicts? I tend not to think so; however, I do enjoy eating Christmas cookies every so often. Moderation is key!

I don’t feel bad about it, and I don’t worry about what the effects of the extra calories are every time I take a bite of something sugary. Instead, I enjoy the treat and then I follow up with a healthy choice.

Today, on Focused Friday, I want you to stay focused over the next couple of weeks when it comes to consuming holiday treats. You can still enjoy them while not letting your health suffer.

How do I do that?

1. Consume smaller portions. Cut a piece into a smaller portion, cut a cookie in half or maybe try to eat half the candy piece that’s in the wrapping. Portion control is so important.

2. Hide the sweets in a spot that is difficult to get to and nowhere to be seen. I put the sweets in the pantry, back where I don’t go often. I also put some sweets up in the highest cabinet where I would have to get a stool in order to reach for it.

3. For how many sweets you eat in that day, do a cardio workout for x10 minutes per treat you consumed (this is not to say you can work off your calories in a 10 minute workout, but at least it’s something to help you stay balanced.

4. Freeze the excess amount of sweets, cookies, treats that you have so you can save them throughout the year. There is no need to feel rushed to eat all the sweets that just all of a sudden piled up in the house overnight. You don’t have to let them go to waste either. Last year I froze a lot of cookies that were gifted to us and every few weeks I would pull a small bag of cookies out of the freezer for the family to eat later on in the year.

5. Set a limit for yourself. Maybe you tell yourself you can have two cookies a day. Setting limits helps to keep you accountable to yourself. A whole day can go by and you might have no idea how many cookies you consumed. Before you know it, the cookie tray is left to crumbs. Keep a close eye on how much you consume. It’s also beneficial to find someone else to keep you accountable – like a buddy system (maybe your spouse or best friend or sister-in-law, etc)!

Amazing Research Study

An interesting study in 2017 by Scientific Reports indicates that contrary to popular belief, eating sweet/sugary junk food doesn’t necessarily make you happier. 

In fact, eating healthy food options such as vegetables and fruits created more reported happiness overall in one’s life with the effects lasting up to 8 days. 

Here are the 3 main takeaways from the study:

1. Eating vegetables contributed the most to feeling happy.

2. Junk food was comparable to fruits and vegetables in creating happiness

3. Dinner elicited a similar eating happiness to snacking.

Therefore, rather than grazing on sweets all week, focusing on eating during regular meal times, with an emphasis on healthy foods, will make you happier than eating tons of junk food. You can always add on a couple fun treats at the end of your regular meals and remember: moderation and control is key. 

I just want to caution you this holiday season to be mindful of what you are eating, the potential amount of calories you are consuming and the side effects of what you decide to eat.

What is your favorite way to stay healthy during the holidays? I would love to hear from you with your ideas. Comment below!

Keep Smiling,

Dr. Jena Bradley, DPT

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-Jena

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