Top 5 Ways to Eat Well Through the Holidays

I used to get really stressed when the holidays rolled around about how I would make it through without gaining weight, eating badly every week, and losing motivation to exercise. I realized this time around though that that stress has totally vanished for me, and I go through the holiday season feeling great without any fluctuations in weight. Is that annoying to say? Some of you might be looking at me with a Kristen Wiig in Bridesmaids face like......

And I get it haha! But the thing is it's totally possible for you too. And I do not sit around drinking herbal tea, eating kale and saying no to every holiday party, no way. I've just got a good routine down so that going through the holiday season doesn't mean binging and letting myself go for a few months in order to have fun, and then feeling insanely guilty once January rolls around. I had to really sit and think about what it is that has changed everything for me because it's become second nature now.  I came up with a handy list for you guys of my top 5 tips to make it through the holiday season with grace and ease so you can feel great heading into 2017. 

1. Eat Mindfully

Have you ever gone to a holiday party and found yourself hovering by the food table, grazing and chatting and next thing you know it you’ve eaten a whole plateful of cheese and sampled every single cookie on the table and you’re actually not even sure what else you put in your mouth and you weren’t even hungry in the first place? Then the guilt sets in, and you didn’t even get a chance to enjoy what you ate! The holidays are prime time for social snacking and we end up eating much more than we usually do without even realizing it. This is where mindful eating, or simply paying attention to the food that we put into our mouths comes into play. 

It takes time for your stomach to send signals to your brain to indicate that you are full.  Devouring your food quickly and mindlessly doesn’t allow enough time for these signals to travel meaning that you keep eating, and eating and eating forever, or until you satisfy your hunger or cravings. Eating with awareness makes you more present to the whole process of consuming food rather than shoving something in your mouth impulsively and regretting it later and will allow you to sense when you are full and take in fewer calories overall. By paying attention to our food, we are able to appreciate the varying flavors, textures and feelings it can produce and we can actually enjoy it rather than eating it mindlessly and regretting it later. And food should be enjoyed, especially during the holidays!

Try this exercise in mindful eating. Take the next thing you eat, say a blueberry, and look at it, smell it and touch it. Think about where it came from, where it grew. Then take one small bite to pay attention to the taste and texture of it. Seriously, do nothing but focus on eating this blueberry in its entirety.  Then maybe never do this ever again, but you get the idea. Focusing on being present when eating allows you more connection to your food and your body to identify when you are hungry or full, or how certain foods make you feel. Use this method next time you are standing next to the snack table at a party. If you are hungry, fill up a plate with food you really want to enjoy, and take time to sit down, appreciate the flavors, textures and joy it brings with each bite and stop when you are satisfied. (It will be much easier to tune into you’re the signals your body is sending). Then step away, step away from the table and enjoy your time socializing with friends and family! 

 2. Crowd Out

The term “crowding out” means adding in good, healthy food to your diet rather than focusing on restricting or taking away foods. The idea is that by eating more vegetables, fruits, and other nutrient-dense foods, your cravings for less healthy foods will naturally diminish. There just isn’t as much room for junk food and unhealthy overeating when you’re satisfied and nourished by real food throughout the day. Crowding out is such a good tactic for the holiday season because it doesn’t have to mean going without your favorite, traditional foods. 

Some tips on how to successfully crowd out:

• Plan ahead. Planning ahead for your week will help to ensure you have good, nutrient-dense foods on hand so you don’t find yourself starving in front of a plate full of sugar cookies. By doing just an hour or so of meal prep on Sunday, you can set you up with meals for the next few days. My 5 Day Detox Meal Plan will help give you some insight into how you can prep and plan for the week ahead. I typically make a batch of whole grains, roast veggies, and cook up some protein like a roast chicken and store it to create varied dishes throughout the week. It’s also a good idea to bring some healthy snacks to have with you at the office (see meal plan for suggestions), or even bring a healthy meal to any potluck you attend so you know there will be something you can feel good about eating.

• Eat the good for you foods first. When faced with a big, holiday party spread, aim to fill up your plate with foods like vegetables, salads, whole grains and lean protein first. This way you will fill up on good, healthy food and will have less room for sweets and treats. This will also keep your meals more balanced and your blood sugar more stable to ensure you don’t get a nasty sugar crash from eating a plate full of chips and brownies. This doesn’t mean you can’t have any treats, just start with a good base to set yourself up for success.

• Stay hydrated. Sometimes the body’s signals for thirst get confused for hunger and cause us to eat when we aren’t really hungry. Simply drink enough water throughout the day to avoid becoming thirsty and you should be good.

3. Identifying Emotional Triggers

The holidays can be a very emotional time for a lot of us, triggering thoughts about past experiences, family, relationships and self-worth and comparison. And we know that emotions and stress can often trigger internal cravings we interpret as hunger and cause us to head straight to the fridge. Say you just went through a bad divorce or break up and your holiday celebrations this year look way different than they have in the past. You may experience feelings of grief, sadness or loneliness and if you do, congratulations, this means you are human.  If you find yourself home, bored, on the couch watching Love Actually for the third time this holiday season you may gravitate towards the fridge to look for something to satisfy that craving, not even realizing why.

If ignored, however, these feelings can cause us to feel out of balance and our brains send out signals that we need to find something to feel better. Often times what we turn to is food for instant gratification as we mistake these signals for physical hunger. This is called emotional eating or stress eating and is a common phenomenon in our society.  Although it doesn’t feel like it when we are operating on autopilot, we do in fact have control over these feelings and there are steps we can take to work through this cycle of emotional eating. 

• Don’t Judge Yourself. The first step to stopping the cycle of emotional eating is to become aware of those feelings when they come up rather than shoving them down further. Practice becoming aware of feelings like stress, loneliness, and sadness and allow yourself to feel them as they pass through you. It can help to identify exactly what emotion you are feeling to begin to unravel what’s really going on. Try to observe these feelings from a place of self-love rather than self-judgement for not being perfect.

• Find another outlet. When you do experience intense emotions and your initial reaction is to turn to food for a feel good boost, just become aware of this and try to channel this energy into another coping strategy such as going on a walk, calling up a friend, going to a yoga class, reading a good book, getting your nails done, whatever works for you!

• Journal. It can be helpful to start a little food/ mood journal where you write down what you are thinking and feeling when you have a massive craving or can’t get out of a cycle of eating. Just having it written down can help you track patterns and bring awareness to the real issues going on.

4. Swap in Healthy, Whole Foods

Almost everything can be modified to be a healthier version of itself with just a few substitutions.  It’s all about getting away from the boxed, packaged, processed foods and making your favorite dishes with real, whole, nutrient-dense food. You can tailor everything to your specific dietary needs, but just know there are always options to make your favorite holiday foods more nutritious.   Here are some examples for inspiration: 

• Pumpkin Pie from My New Roots: https://www.mynewroots.org/site/2012/11/spiced-salted-pumpkin-pie-minis/

• Mac and Cheese from Martha Stewart Living: http://www.marthastewart.com/900309/gluten-free-mac-and-cheese

• Green Bean Casserole from Gimme Some Oven: http://www.gimmesomeoven.com/healthier-green-bean-casserole/

5. Keep up the exercise

Exercise can be one of the first things that falls off when you get busy during the holidays.  You start to feel crappy from eating indulgently, changing routines, drinking more and just can’t get motivated. But it’s so important to keep moving.  I want to emphasize that exercise should not be viewed as merely a way to “burn calories” so you can consume the food you want.  This notion of strictly monitoring calories in and calories out has dominated our way of thinking about weight loss and healthy eating for years. But when you think about it, it’s really not the best or only method and it can make you crazy in the process! 

It’s nearly impossible to regiment ourselves to the point that our calories in equal the exact same amount (or less if the desire is weight loss) of calories we expend on a daily basis. Rather, the quality of the food we eat and the type of calories we put in our bodies are much more important than just the number of calories themselves. For example, I think we can all agree that 100 calories of green beans pack a much bigger nutritional punch and makes our bodies feel better than 100 calories of Oreo cookies. This is something I speak about much more in detail in my one on one coaching, but essentially what I want you to take away is that as long as you are putting good, whole, real food in your body and moving your body in a way that makes you feel alive and gives you energy, everything starts to fall into place.

So brainstorm what type of exercise that feels right for you. If the thought of slogging it out on the treadmill at the gym makes you depressed (join the club), don’t do it. A good idea is to think about what you used to love when you were little. Dancing, stretching, swimming, brisk walking, and playing team sports are all great methods of exercise that work differently for different people. Just get out there, move, sweat and enjoy yourself! 

I hope these tips are helpful to you as you enjoy this holiday season :) If you have questions or want to get more in depth about any of the topics listed above click the button below to set up some time for one-on-one coaching to figure out a plan that works best for your unique life.

xx Christina Tidwell, MN, RN, CHC

On Gratitude for Illness

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What if today, instead of diagnosing, monitoring, analyzing, treating and trying to fix your chronic illness you took a moment to step back, do nothing and simply be thankful for its place in your life. Yes, thankful for the thing that causes you pain, fatigue, confusion, loss of control and at times suffering. If you’re all “Yeah whatever lady, I didn’t ask for this, you don’t know what it’s like,” hear me out.

Illness is our body telling is that something is out of balance. It’s our body trying to get our attention so we can work towards fixing the imbalance. Having an illness in any form is not something anyone asks for, but if we can view illness as an opportunity to slow down, quiet down, and listen to what is going on internally it can be used as a great tool for healing and personal growth. 

Illness, when simply observed with kindness and viewed without judgement can provide us with huge insights into the very core of ourselves.  It can act as a catalyst for personal awakening and growth because it forces us to become really aware of what is going on in our bodies and our lives at the most basic level.  As a busy society, we get pretty good at ignoring the subtle signals our bodies send us when we are burnt out and trying to keep up with the pace of life, and dulling them down when they become inconvenient. As Lissa Rankin eloquently states in her book Mind Over Medicine,

“Illness offers us a precious opportunity to investigate our lives without judgement, diagnose the root cause of what might be contributing to an illness, realign ourselves spiritually, and do what we can to make our bodies ripe for miracles.” - Lissa Rankin, MD

More often than not in life great catalysts of change come in the form of tragedy or sadness.  Illness can be one of these powerful vehicles of change if we let it.

Those who have chronic illness, whether you like it or not, have to become masters at identifying subtle cues in the body and strengthening this mind body connection as a survival mechanism.  This can come in the form of paying attention to food and what we put into our bodies, identification of environmental triggers for disease, knowing when to rest and when to keep moving, etc. Although this vigilance can be tiring, annoying, and cumbersome at times it’s ultimately one of the key pieces of living a healthy, robust life.

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Here are a few things that having a chronic disease has given me personally:

• A strengthened connection between how I feel and what is going on in my body in order to detect imbalances before they become unmanageable.

• My life calling and career path in health and wellness.

• The ability to be a better nurse and healer for others because of a deeper understanding of the illness experience.

• A true appreciation for food and how it’s the key to good health.

• Greater connection to nature and the world around me through using food as nourishment and medicine.

• A more grounded outlook on life and the things that truly matter.

• The deeper ability to understand who I am and what I value at my core (a work in progress).

• The ability to know when I need to slow down and take care of myself rather than push through and the wisdom to not judge myself either way (another work in progress).

• An open mind about the myriad methods of healing, conventional and alternative.

• Connection to a community of like-minded individuals who want to change the way chronic disease is managed in our current health care system.

• A fierce appreciation for health, energy and good times!

So today I give you permission (you may totally not need it from me but, hey, sometimes it’s nice to hear!) to give yourself a break, do nothing, and know that what you are doing is enough. Because, OMG it can get overwhelming to be in charge of monitoring and healing these complex bodies of ours on or own.  I encourage you to take a moment today to think about or write down what you are thankful for about having an illness.   Or if not an illness just something traumatic that happened to you where you made it out alive (and if you're reading this you are most certainly alive). If anything just this act of positive thinking can pull you out of a rut if you are feeling stuck. As my girl Lissa Rankin says,  

“Gratitude keeps you optimistic, and as we’ve seen, evidence shows that optimism improves your health. When you focus on gratitude, positive things flow in more readily, making you even more grateful. As long as you keep your gratitude vessel full, you’ll avoid the unhealthy plunge into dark places.” - Lissa Rankin, MD

You may not be in a place where gratitude feels possible right now. Maybe the burden of your disease is greater than anything else and that is ok. No matter where you are today, simply try to take one moment to listen to what your body is telling you without judgment. See if you come up with something you weren’t aware of before and see if there is a tiny space for gratitude just for having this moment. One day you will be able to find one shred of it and it may make all the difference.  

In Health, 

Christina Tidwell, MN, RN, CHC

PS: If you do make a gratitude list be sure to share it with me I would love to see it! As always, if you want to chat more about your health and how you can strengthen this mind body connection I’d love to support you.  Click the button below to schedule a complementary Discovery Session with me and we’ll have a chat.

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What to Bring to Your Next Doctor’s Appointment

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You make an appointment at your doctor’s office for three weeks out, you sit in the waiting room for 30 minutes, you get into the room and your doctor asks you a few questions about what brought you in, writes your prescriptions, types in notes, and is out the door faster than you can say “Echocardiogram”.  Does this sound familiar to you guys? You leave thinking of the questions you mulled over for weeks that you meant to ask, and about the answers and care that you did not get. It’s frustrating! And can cause issues we have to slip through the cracks and our overall health to decline.

Despite the best intentions of health care providers, our current health care system does not always allow us the time we need to feel cared for.  In a perfect world we would have as long as we needed with our providers.   We would be encouraged to be our own advocates, and to ask questions not only about our specific health concern but also about how our body is working as whole.

I do believe that a more holistic view of patient care is on the rise, but while we work within the confines of our current system, here are some tips I’ve learned from personal experience to maximize your time at your next doctor’s visit to get the best care possible:

Write down a list of questions before your visit. This way you won’t forget everything you’ve been thinking of before the visit and have a checklist to systematically go through.  You can let the provider know that you’ve prepared these questions and he/she will be more likely to spend the time reviewing your concerns.

Bring another person.  Especially if you are feeling stressed out or concerned about your visit, another person can help you remember what was said during the appointment. Doctors often times forget that not everyone knows the medical jargon they use and a lot can get lost in translation. Another trusted person can serve as a note taker, a second opinion and even a support system.

Bring your medications, if taking any, to review with the doctor or nurse.  The doctor may ask if you need any prescriptions refilled or may change certain medications, and it’s really beneficial if you have all of them in front of you to avoid double dosing or taking discontinued medications at home.   The nurse at the office would be happy to review these with you and make sure everything checks out.

Do your research.  Doctors or nurses might be cringing as they read this thinking of the piles of googled WebMD articles that will flood their desks, but I don’t mean it in this way! If you doctor has suggested a new therapy, read up about it and find out everything you can so you can have a meaningful and productive conversation during your visit. Be your own advocate! It is your body and it is 100% your business.  You may also come across alternative therapies you may want to suggest to your provider that he/she didn’t think of that could add to your overall health and well being.  

Do you guys have any other tips from your own experience? Leave a comment or send me an email and let me know! 

xx Christina Tidwell, MN, RN 

The Case for Slow Eating

In the iconic 1990s movie Clueless, Alicia Silverstone taught me that “Searching for a boy in high school is as useless as searching for meaning in a Pauly Shore movie.” Now as a celebrity turned healthy food advocate, I recently watched an interview with Alicia where she imparted the equally valuable advice to “Eat slowly and chew your food.”  Now I don’t know if I’d take all my life advice from Cher Horowitz but she was right about highschool and gosh darnit, it looks like I’m going to listen to her on this one too.

I am SO guilty of spending time cooking up a beautiful meal only to inhale it within seconds afterwards.  People marvel at the speed at which I can take down a meal. I attribute it to being a nurse and having only a few minutes on lunch breaks to stuff food in my face, but I can’t be sure.  What I do know is that it’s a habit I’m trying hard to break for many reasons.

The process of digestion starts when you simply look at the food in front of you. Your body begins to secrete saliva and enzymes in preparation to digest and break down the food you are about to put in your body. By taking the time to slow down, look at, and appreciate the beautiful food in front of you before digging in you are actually setting yourself up to digest and absorb nutrients more efficiently.

It takes time for your stomach to send signals to your brain to indicate that you are full.  Devouring your food quickly doesn’t allow enough time for these signals to travel meaning that you keep eating, and eating and eating FOREVER, or until you satisfy your hunger. Eating slowly will cause you to actually take in fewer calories during one meal, and you’ll feel happier doing it. 

Slowing down during a meal makes you more present to the whole process rather than shoving something in your mouth impulsively and regretting it later. By paying attention to our food we are more able to appreciate the varying flavors, textures and feelings it can produce.  Eating with more presence allows you to enjoy the experience of meals and the company you share them with. Don’t we all deep down want to be beautiful, sophisticated Italians who linger over long meals at giant tables with family and wine? We do. Here are some ideas for how to slow it down…

Chew more. Aim for 20 chews per mouthful.  Not only does this action force you to slow down, but it helps break down food to aid in the overall digestive process.

Drink water during your meal.   Water helps to fill your stomach while you’re eating so you’ll feel full sooner. It also gives you a break from shoveling that food in.

Put your fork down. Just put it down. Take a moment to sip your wine, talk to friends, and enjoy the experience of nourishing your body with a meal.

Practice mindful eating. You may feel like a big weirdo, but try this exercise in mindful eating. Take the next thing you eat, say a blueberry, and look at it, smell it and touch it. Then take one small bite to pay attention to the taste and texture of it. Seriously, do NOTHING but focus on eating this blueberry in its entirety.  Then maybe never do this ever again, but you get the idea. Focusing on being present when eating allows you more connection to your food and your body to identify when you are hungry or full, or how certain foods make you feel.

So practice slowing it wayyyyy dowwwwwn this week and see you how feel!

Send me an email and let me know how this works for you! I would love to hear how it changes the way you think about your meals.

Click the button below to schedule a free 30-minute discovery session to chat with me to see how you can benefit from one-on-one health and nutrition coaching. 

 xx Christina Tidwell MN, RN