Holiday Survival Cheat Sheet

It’s that time of year again: snow, peppermint mochas, and the inevitable 5-10 pound weight gain, not to mention the high stress of juggling work, parties, and finishing the shopping list. Here’s some easy tips to stay in good health while still enjoying wine with dessert.

Avoiding coughs and sniffles:

• Hand washing!
• Avoid sick people and don’t be a hero yourself; take a rest!
• Keep your immune system up by sleeping well, staying hydrated, taking vitamins C and D, and keeping sugar intake as low as you can

• Garlic and onions are anti-viral: eat ‘em!
• Make your own cough syrup: cover 1 slice of onion with honey in a jar. Allow to sit overnight. Pull the onion out and use the honey as needed to soothe sore throats and that pesky cough that’s going around.

Support digestion to keep a healthy weight:

• To maintain weight, keep blood sugar stable. Avoid sugar... hahaha! No way! Have you seen the picture of my gingerbread house? It doesn't look like that anymore, by the way... So, when you're indulging, prevent sugar spikes and crashes by having slow-release energy with it - protein, fat, or fibre will provide sustained energy to prevent the peak and crash.
  
• Lemon water in the morning. Squeeze half a lemon into 500ml of room temperature water to get digestion regulated for the day, including the liver. Plus, it just feels like you're a bit cleaner inside which can help set you up for a cleaner day.
  
• Pack in protein, especially at breakfast. Especially with sugary foods, a dose of protein or fat can slow the spike of blood sugar and insulin that can lead to weight gain. Keep some nuts, cheese, or greek yogurt in your lunch bag. Ensure a good dose of protein (at least 20g at each meal, especially breakfast) to curb carb cravings later in the day.
• Don’t skip the fibre. In addition to the blood sugar stabilizing effects, fibre is necessary for regular bowel movements which is the #1 way we eliminate toxin metabolites that come from our livers... which we all know are working hard!
  
• Sweat! Not only will exercise help burn off excess calories, sweating is actually a method of detoxification. Also keeps your mind sharp and energy up!

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