If you’ve ever been on a “diet” during the holidays, you might be cringing at the approaching seasons. As a society, we associate decadent food with happy times. And while there’s nothing wrong with this in particular, the onslaught of holidays, one right after another, and the incredible amount of parties we seem to be required to attend, can easily derail our otherwise healthy lifestyles. If this is your first holiday season trying to stay on track, DON’T PANIC! We have put together our top three tips and tricks from well seasoned practitioners as well as everyday people just trying to stay the course on their Wellness Journey.

Bring something to the table! It’s easy to allow ourselves the excuse that there’s simply nothing available to us within our boundaries of healthy eating, and use this to give in and give up. If there’s one thing we learn along the way, it’s the fact that empowerment is all ours for the taking. When you offer to bring a dish to the office party or family get together, you’re not only empowering yourself (because now you have an option, and you can eat the whole thing on your own if you want) but you’re also empowering others- if you stack your plate high with that vegetable dish, others may very well follow suit. Even if you are providing a pumpkin pie with a gluten free crust, trust us, no one will complain!

Ask your host to provide a healthy option! Anyone hosting a party or dinner wants their guest to be happy. This means they will likely be more than happy to provide an option for you- especially if you’re flying in the day of Christmas and won’t have time to grab something to contribute. Advocating yourself isn’t hard in this situation- there’s no ned to fall all over yourself giving your host a million reasons or apologies. You may even find that other guests are trying to make some of the same changes!

Allow yourself some grace. The key to being able to maintain a healthy lifestyle in general is moderation. It’s so important that we allow ourselves a bit of indulgence and decadence from time to time. Life is not all chicken and vegetables! So make that crustless quiche and load it up with veggies, and then allow yourself that smaller than usual slice of pecan pie after you’ve filled up on healthy side dishes and humanely raised turkey. Allowing ourselves a small dessert every now and then is absolutely ok- as long as we don’t go overboard and sample every desert on the table. And if you’re providing a dessert, make sure you re-read tip number 1! No one will complain if you provide a healthier yet still delicious version of your famous pudding pie.

A Guide to Surviving the Holidays (Part 1)