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Holiday party survival guide
The time is here for parties, family dinners, and goodies around the house. This is a recipe for disaster, and if you’re not careful it could reverse your fat loss results quicker than you can say Happy Holidays! I’d like to make it easy for you to stay on track with your healthy eating, even while being tempted by all kinds of holiday foods during this festive time of year, so keep reading for 5 Holiday Party Survival Guide Tips… Holiday Party Survival Guide Tip #1: Don’t Eat Anything Fried Fried food is loaded with fat and calories while offering zero nutritional value. It’s a lose-lose! Sure, fries and chips TASTE good, but healthier items also taste good. Just say no to the deep-fried items on the menu. You’ll be leaner, healthier and won’t have greasy fingers. Here’s a healthier alternative to frying foods… Use a broiler If you simply must have a French fry, then make them at home in your oven. Use sweet potatoes, as these are a more complex carbohydrate. Cut into matchsticks, drizzle with a tablespoon of olive oil along with a dash of salt, then place in your oven on broil. Mix every 5 minutes until the fries are tender on the inside and crispy on the outside. Holiday Party Survival Guide Tip #2: Don’t Eat White Bread White bread products have zero nutritional value and are quickly converted by your body into sugar. So, you really may as well eat a cupcake. Even breads that are technically wheat, but are as soft and smooth as white bread, should be avoided. Don’t be afraid to discard the bread from your sandwich or to push away that bread basket. Your waist will shrink and you’ll lose that bloated feeling that high carbohydrate meals give you. Here’s a healthier alternative to white bread… Enjoy Sprouted Grain Bread If you must have bread, then stick with sprouted. Sprouted grain bread is a lot easier on your digestion and is packed full of nutrients. Sprouted grain breads are often kept in the freezer section since they don’t contain preservatives to prolong shelf life. Holiday Party Survival Guide Tip #3: Don’t Eat Creamy Dressings You were so good to order a salad, but then you ruined it by drenching the salad in fattening creamy dressing. Just a few tablespoons of creamy dressing contain more than 20 grams of fat and hundreds of calories. Same goes for pasta dishes – avoid the ones with creamy, heavy sauces, as these are simply loaded with extra fat and calories. Here’s a healthier alternative to creamy dressings… Vinegar Dressing and Red Sauce Dressing and sauce are meant to lend flavor to salad and noodles, not fat and calories. Vinegar-based dressings pack amazing flavor in with minimal fat and calories. You can even mix your own dressing at home. Take high quality vinegar, fresh lemon juice, salt and pepper, your choice of dried herbs, and a bit of olive oil. Holiday Party Survival Guide Tip #4: Don’t Drink Sweet Beverages ‘Tis the season for sugary beverages like egg nog, sweet cocktails, and hot cocoa. Just like white bread, these sugary drinks have zero nutritional value – other than calories. The sheer number of sugar grams in one of these beverages is usually the same as dessert! So before you indulge in a sweet drink, consider changing your order to something less sweet, or count it as your dessert. Here’s a healthier alternative to sweet beverages… sweeten with liquid stevia Carry a small bottle of water-based, liquid stevia and use a little squirt to sweeten your beverage of choice this holiday season without adding any grams of sugar. Ask for your beverage to be made without sugar, and then sweeten it yourself without any repercussions to your fitness results. Holiday Party Survival Guide Tip #5: Don’t Overindulge on Sugar Sugar and high fructose corn syrup are the epitome of anti-fitness food. Nothing will destroy your progress, expand your waist and plummet your energy levels like sugar will. If you only take away one tip from this article, please let it be to not overindulge on sugar! The holidays are full of sugary treats, so you must make a conscious effort to keep your intake under control. Here’s a healthier alternative to sweet beverages… enjoy some fruit Don’t turn to artificial sweeteners to get your sweet fix, instead turn to nature’s wholesome source of sugar: fruit. Eat organic fruit that is seasonal and locally grown. Stay away from dried fruit and fruit juices, as these are high in simple calories. Eating right, along with challenging exercise, is the formula for a toned, lean body. Guarantee your results by teaming up with me. Together we will come up with a fitness plan that is uniquely yours, one that fits your lifestyle and helps you achieve your goals. Call or email today to get started.    Your Time: One of the Healthiest Gifts  When Pat moved to a new town in her 60s, she quickly visited the local animal shelter to volunteer. Pat always has been an animal-lover, and she thought volunteering would be a good way to meet people and learn about the community. And she was right. She made new friends and found a purpose in serving the animals, many of them desperately neglected or abused. "There's something I can do to help. It gives you such a feeling of love, which obviously makes you feel good -- to do something for this little creature that is beyond words,” she says. Experts say older people who volunteer typically give more time than any other age group. More than 18 million older adults contribute 3 billion hours of community service each year. They help in a wide range of services – helping other seniors and at-risk youth, providing education and job training, and pitching in after natural disasters. "A growing body of research shows an association between volunteering and mental and physical health benefits," the organization says. "In particular, older volunteers report lower mortality rates, lower rates of depression, fewer physical limitations, and higher levels of well-being." Studies show volunteers walk more, perform everyday tasks better, and are less likely to develop high blood pressure, among other benefits. You can learn about volunteer opportunities at community centers, organizations like the Lions Club, community theaters, museums, places of worship and more. For Pat, volunteering is part of her healthy lifestyle that includes eating right and exercising five times a week with weights and yoga. And the payoff continues: Just this year she found her own new furry friend at the shelter. She and Blondie couldn’t be happier together. Antioxidant An antioxidant is a chemical that reduces the rate of particular oxidation reactions in a specific context, where oxidation reactions are chemical reactions that involve the transfer of electrons from a substance to an oxidising agent.
Antioxidants are particularly important in the context of organic chemistry and biology: all living cells contain complex systems of antioxidant chemicals and/or enzymes to prevent chemical damage to the cells' components by oxidation. The importance and complexity of antioxidants in biology is reflected in a medical literature of more than 142,000 scholarly articles.
A diet containing antioxidants from plants are required for good health since plants are an important source of organic antioxidant chemicals. Antioxidants are widely used as ingredients in dietary supplements that are used for health purposes such as preventing cancer and heart disease. However, while many studies have suggested benefits for antioxidant supplements, several large clinical trials have failed to clearly demonstrate a benefit for the formulations tested, and excess supplementation may be harmful.
Antioxidants are chemicals that reduce oxidative damage to cells and biochemicals. Researchers have found high correlation between oxidative damage and the occurrence of disease. For example, LDL oxidation is associated with cardiovascular disease. The process leading to atherogenesis, atherosclerosis, and cardiovascular disease is complex, involving multiple chemical pathways and networks, but the precursor is LDL oxidation by free radicals, resulting in inflammation and formation of plaques.
Research suggests that consumption of antioxidant-rich foods reduces damage to cells and biochemicals from free radicals. This may slow down, prevent, or even reverse certain diseases that result from cellular damage, and perhaps even slow down the natural aging process.
Since the discovery of vitamins, it has been recognized that antioxidants in the diet are essential for healthful lives. More recently, a large body of evidence has accumulated that suggests supplementation of the diet with various kinds of antioxidants can improve health and extend life.
Many nutraceutical and health food companies now sell forms of antioxidants as dietary supplements. These supplements may include specific antioxidant chemicals, like resveratrol (from grape seeds), combinations of antioxidants, like the "ACES" products that contain beta carotene (provitamin A), vitamin C, vitamin E and Selenium, or specialty herbs that are known to contain antioxidants such as green tea and jiaogulan.
Disclaimer The information presented here should not be interpreted as medical advice. If you need more information about Antioxidants, please consult your physician or a qualified specialist. Pass the Teriyaki Meatballs!
If you are a lover of teriyaki then these subtly sweet meatballs are right up your alley! These make a wonderful appetizer for your holiday party. Feel free to use liquid stevia rather than the honey if you are looking for an extremely low sugar dish. However, for most of us, this small amount of healthful, raw honey is perfectly A-OK and beneficial. Serve these tasty meatballs up as an appetizer or serve over arugula or spaghetti squash for a small, fitness-minded meal. Enjoy! Courtesy of RealHealthyRecipes.com
What you need
1 tablespoon garlic, minced Instructions 1. Combine the garlic, ginger and scallions in a food processor. Pulse until well combined and finely minced. 2. Transfer the garlic mixture to a large bowl and add the ground beef and sea salt. Use your hands to mix until well combined. Form the mixture into 20 meatballs, about an inch in diameter. 3. Place a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the sesame oil. Add the meatballs and cook, shaking often, until browned on all sides and cooked through. Remove the meatballs and set aside on a plate. 4. Add the coconut aminos, honey and vinegar to the skillet. In a small bowl whisk the arrowroot starch and water together until fully dissolved. Add to the skillet, mix and simmer until the mixture has thickened, about 2 minutes. Return the meatballs to the skillet and cover in the sauce. Serve immediately, garnish with scallions and sesame seeds.
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Lawrence Marcuson 2670 Charles Ct NW 5072023894   GRAND PA STRONG Online Life Transformation Online Coaching/Training is a new and exciting way for me to provide more effective, and more cost effective, body transformation services for people looking to be their best and Move Well to Age Well. Your virtual Personal Trainer - Anytime or Anywhere!! Learn more: Drops of Inspiration "Obstacles can't stop you. Problems can't stop you. Only you can stop you." ~ Jeffrey Gitomer Here’s How to Avoid Overeating at the Party…
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