Bite-Sized Insights on Holistic Health & Nutrition

Sing to the tune of It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year: It's the most busiest time of the year!

I'm going to just lay it out there. During the holidays, you have the power to decide to eat foods and drink beverages that nourish your body and mind. Or, not.

Take a moment and jot down what that might look like for you.

Here's my shorthand for #nourishing foods:

1. Focus on choosing more whole, one-ingredient foods by prioritizing protein, fat and fiber;
2. choosing less processed foods;
3. and less nutrient poor #white foods.

What do I mean by #white foods? Sugar, flour, industrially processed seed oils like canola, corn, soy, safflower, and cottonseed oils, among others, that contribute to inflammation in the body.

I don't know about you, but inflamed (read bloated, tired, moody) is not the look I'm going for this holiday season. If the oil is not made from a food that can be squished to get oil out of it, like olive, avocado, and coconut, then probably best to avoid it.

These days even when I just stay up past my bedtime, I feel hungover the next day let alone if I do drink alcohol or am dehydrated.

If you want to feel your best throughout the season, prioritize water first thing in the day to replenish from your night of dehydrating yourself through exhalation - one of your body's detoxification mechanisms.

Drink water throughout the day. Mix it up with sparkling mineral water — at least you'd be getting some micro-nutrients, like electrolytes, with mineral water. Add a slice of lemon or lime, or to make it more festive, a splash of cranberry or pomegranate juice.

And plan to consume less caffeinated drinks and alcohol, so you can preserve your energy and sleep quality through these next several weeks.

Make a plan for what yummy whole foods you'll bring to share to your social events. Some of my go-to shareables are:

• shrimp cocktail, deviled eggs, smoked salmon with gluten-free crackers, charcuterie board, something green like strawberry spinach salad or steamed broccoli (because I know my kids will eat that) or a veggie tray, fruit kebabs, or rosemary chili roasted nuts. Now you have the menu for your own holiday appetizer party!

If you do these three things:

1. drink water
2. choose whole, one-ingredient foods more often to
3. crowd out processed foods,

you'll be feeling & looking so much better that you'll barely miss those things you said "no, thank you" to.

And, if you do end up indulging, I have a free 3-day virtual experience Jan. 12-14, 2025 to re-energize, and lose the bloat so you can Glow From the Inside Out. Here's the link to sign up.

After 8+ years of personal experimentation and tweaking, right now, my healthy eating game plan looks like: not drinking alcohol at home and reserving the choice to do so in special social situations. Why? Because lately I've noticed, drinking alcohol disrupts my sleep, mood, energy levels, and feelings of anxiousness. And not just for one day - for several days.

Additionally, about 10 years ago I did an elimination diet (I'll be honest, it was for vanity purposes and to lose weight) but I learned information about myself that completely transformed my mindset around eating. I learned that I have food sensitivities to gluten, low-quality dairy, and soy, which was causing all kinds of what I thought were unrelated symptoms like, a stuffy nose, brain fog and joint pain. Oh, and sugar gives me adult acne - fun!

Foreshadowing - I'll be leading a group coaching program in February, so you too can run your own experiment in a fun group setting, to see if any foods you're eating most days are causing you inflammation and other issues. And, yes, you might lose some extra body fat if you have some to spare. Watch for more details coming…

You need to experiment to find what works for you. Work with what works, and leave what doesn't.

It is not your moral failing when some guru's "perfect" diet, exercise regime, productivity tool, journaling technique, app, etc. doesn't work for you. It's just not designed for you by you.

This makes me think of Brene Brown's work and writing based on her shame research.

The societal norms, are just not working for most of us but we're ashamed because of our innate survival instinct to want to fit into the tribe. This is embedded at the DNA level, so we have to use tools that we learn to intentionally redirect our attention to what WILL work for us now in this season of our lives.

Best wishes for the happiest of holidays!

In Health & Happiness, Marie