5 Tips to Maintain a Healthy Diet During the Holidays

‘Tis the season for feasting with family, going to parties, and spending cozy nights in front of the TV. But with all the food, drink, and winter-induced energy lows, it can be hard to stay healthy. When it’s dark early and icy outside, it’s hard to find the energy to go to the gym and when there are indulgent treats everywhere you look, it’s hard to pass them up for a salad. The supermarkets are lined with all the salty-sweet decadence you could possibly imagine, and the office keeps filling up with cakes.

And then there are the Christmas and New Year’s parties. The drinks are flowing, the buffet brimming with luxurious foods, and the hangover comes knocking the next day. Whilst we don’t advocate missing out on the festive fun, we do think it’s important to take some simple steps to maintain a healthy diet during this time.

That’s why we’ve put together this short and sweet list of tips for maintaining a healthy diet during the holidays. We outline tips regarding diet, exercise, and – of course – healthy juice drinks that will help you keep feeling your best. Read on and get ready for a holiday season that is fun, delicious, and indulgent, but won’t compromise your health!

5 Tips To Maintain A Healthy Diet During The Holidays

1. Plan, Plan, Plan!

Good planning is at the core of most healthy living. Don’t worry -- you don’t need to make a detailed meal plan for each day or count every calorie! But there are a few steps you can take to keep your diet balanced. Firstly, make a shopping list when you go to the supermarket that includes plenty of the things you’d normally eat. Load up on fresh, seasonal fruit and veggies, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds. It’s easy to get distracted by all the festive offerings and deals, but if you fill your kitchen with healthy items, it’ll be easier to stay on track.

Keeping cupboards and fridges stocked with nourishing ingredients means you won’t reach for unhealthy snacks and can make plenty of healthy but seasonal meals. Buy plenty of healthy juice drinks and snack on tangerines, roasted nuts, and dried fruit.

If you’re cooking a feast for Christmas day, plan the meal carefully to ensure it is balanced and includes plenty of vegetables. You don’t need to skip the meat, stuffing, or roast potatoes, just make sure there’s a range of colors on the table! We love Brussels sprouts with chestnuts, red cabbage with apples, and roasted maple carrots and parsnips. Plan how much to cook and you won’t make too much. However, we think cooking too many veggies is always a good idea as they make for delicious leftovers the next day!

2. Treat Yourself, In Moderation

Yes, you can treat yourself! As they say, enjoy everything in moderation. Have that night out with your work colleagues, but plan a time to leave or a number of drinks to have and cap it at that. Have a decadent plate of festive foods on Christmas day but say no to seconds. Get the cheeseboard out and try them all, just don’t overdo it. We know this is easier said than done, but avoiding excess is the key to maintaining your healthy lifestyle over the holidays.

3. Include Lots of Healthy Juice Options

Don’t forget about all the healthy juice drinks we sell! Stocking your fridge with healthy juice options means you can always start the day well. It’s a great accompaniment to breakfast and will ensure you get a powerful dose of essential vitamins and nutrients each day.

Our Healthy Through The Holidays juice kit will make sure you have plenty of healthy juice drinks to enjoy over Christmas and New Year. It includes refreshing green juices such as The Clover and Gold‘n Greens, as well as the mighty Fireball immunity shots.

You should also check out our Healthy Holiday Cocktails & Mocktails Kit. We’ve curated a selection of our healthy juice options that will work wonders in cocktails and mocktails. How about a Gingersnap hot toddy? Whether you opt for a cocktail or mocktail, these cold-pressed juices will give your body what it needs. If you’re going to have a cocktail, you might as well have one full of nutrients, right?!

4. Slow And Steady

We all know the Christmas dinner feeling. You sit down to a fantastical spread of delicious foods and you dive right in, desperate to consume everything at once. Before you know it, you’ve eaten enough for three! This is why it can be easy to lose track of your healthy diet over the holidays. There can be such an abundance of food around and the more food in front of us, the faster we tend to eat it.

But what can you do about this urge? Well, it’s just about self-control. Mindfulness, even. Take a moment to breathe and gather your thoughts before you begin a meal. You’re not in a rush. Go slowly, and listen to your body. It can also help to put out only some of the food first or to plate up everyone’s meal and ensure plates aren’t overflowing. You could try the small plate trick - whatever it takes!

5. Keep Active

There’s a strange pace to the holiday season. On one hand, it feels like you’re constantly rushing around… buying presents, preparing parties, decorating the house. On the other hand, it feels like you’re being your laziest self! Dark evenings and cold weather can cause us to stay at home more in our free time. We might be less likely to go to the gym, for a walk, on a day trip, or to do activities with friends.

Set small goals. Make yourself go for a walk before binge-watching that Netflix show. Meet a friend for an ice skating session before hitting up that bar. Think of that stressful Christmas shopping day as a workout! Skip the bus, ditch the car, and throw on some comfortable walking shoes. Keep an eye on your step count for motivation, and increase your daily target.

Snowing out? Wrap yourself up and get out there! As an adult, it’s sometimes easy to forget the joy of playing in the snow. If you’ve got kids, you’re probably still dragged out to make snowmen. But if you don’t, get yourself out there anyway! Challenge your partner to a snowball fight, meet some friends for a snowperson-building competition, or find somewhere for sledding.

As long as you’ve got warm enough clothes, you won’t be missing your sofa! And nothing feels better than getting home after a day in the freezing cold and enjoying a hot drink in front of the TV. If you want a hot drink packed full of nutrients, try heating up a glass of our Gingersnap juice. Healthy juice drinks can absolutely be enjoyed warm too!

Final Thoughts

A lot of the tips we’ve shared may be things you do already. They’re at least things you’ve probably heard being recommended. There are no magic tricks when it comes to the holiday season, it’s just about keeping your head in the game. Yes, you can load up on treats and indulge yourself with family and friends. But, as always, it’s about balance. If you help yourself to a second serving of Christmas dinner, you might want to skip the double dessert! Gorged on too many chocolates? Go for an extended walk in the park the next day.

One of the simplest additions you can make to your diet to ensure you aren’t missing out on any vital nutrients is our healthy juice drinks. Cold-pressed juice isn’t just for Christmas, but it certainly helps! Start your day with a glass of the good stuff, or use them to make delicious cocktails and mocktails for your guests. Healthy juice drinks really are a shortcut to feeling good.

None of these tips involve a huge amount of effort, and with these in mind, we think you’ll find it easy to maintain a healthy diet over the holidays. Just don’t forget to relax and have fun. A bit of holiday over-indulgence can always be made up for with the traditional January health-kick…!