To move effortlessly through the holiday season, maintaining your health into the New Year, my advice: indulge in your favourite holiday cookie, savour the perfection of a holiday feast and keep up your normal routine as much as possible.  To stay motivated here are 4 must haves for a healthy holiday season: 

Concord grape juice

Look deceptively glam sipping this deep purple juice from a wine glass in your sequin mini-dress.  Perfectly chic, this virgin cocktail provides a huge antioxidant boost and was recently cited as a factor in keeping your cognitive function high later in life.

Bonus: replacing wine and vodka sodas with this non-alcoholic drink means feeling better at your sunrise yoga class!

Steamed milk

With your holiday party schedule and the last minute crunch at the office you may be sneaking in an afternoon espresso or two. While caffeine gives our minds the illusion that we are awake our body is saying ‘sleep!’ Instead, try a mid-afternoon steamed milk, sprinkled with cinnamon and nutmeg.

Bonus: not only will you improve your sleep habits but your body will love you for this calcium and vitamin D boost.

Poached eggs

Strip away the bacon and creamy hollandaise sauce and rediscover the pure flavour of a well poached egg. Balanced with whole grain toast and a few clementine oranges, you’ll be ready for a day of shopping with the girls.

Bonus: having a lighter but satisfying breakfast will make it easier to resist that second oh-so-buttery cookie at Grandma’s!

Flaxseed and yogurt

Clients are often complaining of stomach aches, irregularity, bloating, and gas during the holiday season.  The culprit? A combination of a richer foods  and long days visiting or shopping leading to less water consumption, less exercise and a shift from your normal ‘routine’. Adding a daily afternoon snack of probiotic yogurt, 1-2 tablespoons of ground flaxseed and a glass of water will help to keep things moving. 

** If you have gas, bloating and irregularity on a daily basis it could be a sign of needing more serious changes to your diet and habits or could be indicative of a more serious digestion issue.  Speak with your doctor and dietitian about finding a solution.

by Kate Comeau