{"id":5060,"date":"2010-12-28T23:19:42","date_gmt":"2010-12-29T07:19:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/?p=5060"},"modified":"2013-08-29T10:52:56","modified_gmt":"2013-08-29T18:52:56","slug":"5-smart-nutrition-tips-to-deal-with-holiday-excess","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/5-smart-nutrition-tips-to-deal-with-holiday-excess\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Smart Nutrition Tips To Deal With Holiday Excess"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>

<\/a><\/p>\n

It\u2019s the HOLIDAYS! Isn\u2019t it just brilliant?! If you\u2019re anything like me then you\u2019re rapt that finally, you have time away from your normal routine and the chance to engage with family and friends. Finally, you get to unwrap those Christmas gifts that have been taunting you all month and (even better) you get to rest assured in the knowledge that you don\u2019t have to worry about Christmas shopping for at least another 11 months. 11.5 at a stretch. And FINALLY you get to eat, drink and be merry \u2013 and all without the usual serving of guilt. Right?<\/p>\n

After all, it\u2019s the holidays! A time to indulge and enjoy! Dieting and exercise be damned \u2013 yes?
\n<\/em><\/p>\n

Well, sure. Like it or not, indulgence tends to go part and parcel with this time of year. Which is fine and dandy, but wouldn\u2019t it be just excellent if you could enjoy your holiday merriment without the residual, how should I say it, well enhancement of your figure?<\/p>\n

I\u2019m all for eating, I\u2019m definitely all for a few extra glasses of red at this time of year, and I most certainly won\u2019t say no to a bit of merriment, but if there\u2019s one thing I can\u2019t stand it\u2019s knowing I\u2019ve undone (or at least feel as though I have) a year\u2019s hard work in just a few short weeks of vacation.<\/p>\n

Here are five simple but very very smart nutrition tips that I use to avoid just that. I think you\u2019ll like them.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Knock back 2 tablespoons of apple cidar vinegar before each major meal. Many people swear by apple cidar vinegar for digestion, and I\u2019ve found it really works wonders first thing in the morning to get things moving. Whether or not the validity of this is based in \u2018real\u2019 science or not, I\u2019m unsure but I say \u2013 if something works for you then keep doing it. And this definitely works for me. I\u2019ve also read that taking apple cidar vinegar can blunt the insulin response of a sugar-loaded or large meal.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Use cinnamon liberally. Cinnamon not only adds a yummy flavour to meals both sweet and savoury, but it\u2019s used widely by health practitioners to lower blood sugar response to food. It is even used in some diabetes treatment for this purpose. According to studies at the USDA, cinnamon not only reduces blood sugar, but also triglycerides and cholesterol in people with Type 2 diabetes. This is why cinnamon is often referred to as a \u2018fat-loss spice\u2019. I like to add some to my coffee.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Hold off on the juices, sodas, or other sugar-based mixers. This is just plain old common sense, isn\u2019t it! Drinking alcoholic beverages is one thing at this time of year, but adding calorie-loaded sugars to them can really add up. Choose soda and fresh lime, or stick to the wine. Your belly will thank you!<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Enjoy some red wine vinegar with freshly squeezed lemon and lime on your salad. These natural and healthy dressings will help your body to become more alkaline \u2013 a simple way to deal with the toxic overload that too much eating can induce. Red wine vinegar, like apple cidar vinegar, may also help to manage blood sugars \u2013 I know I keep harping on about that, but let\u2019s face it \u2013 too much food usually does mean too much sugar!<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Eat a protein-based breakfast. Healthy proteins and good fats will not only give you that morning energy boost but can prevent cravings later in the day and help you to manage temptation wisely. Rather than plain toast or cereal, which tend to be eaten in a rush and lead to hunger pangs earlier than you\u2019d like, try a whole boiled egg or some salmon with avocado. Another yummy option is to use nut butter like almond butter on gluten free toast. I personally notice a huge difference in how much I eat for the day as a whole when I consume protein first thing, and I once read a study showing children who eat protein for breakfast chose naturally to eat 46{54c12dad2cc2b53ae830e39915b1a3e70288dbcbbeb8bbf8395437c5dc3c512c} less for lunch than those who ate plain porridge.<\/p>\n

What do you do to keep yourself in check during the holiday eating madness? Aside from the obvious (and, let\u2019s face it, kinda boring \u2013 restrain yourself) If you have any smart nutrition \u2018tricks\u2019 that aren\u2019t on this list, I\u2019d love to hear them!<\/p>\n

Kat Eden is a personal trainer and nutrition\/lifestyle coach from Melbourne, Australia. For regular tips on nutrition, health, and motivation visit Kat over at her blog www.bodyincredible.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Don’t Forget To Follow PickTheBrain on Twitter<\/a>!<\/p>\n

Related Articles:<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

4 Musts to Staying Committed To Your Diet<\/a><\/p>\n

The Massive Benefits of a Healthy Diet and How To Make Yours Stick<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I\u2019m all for eating, I\u2019m definitely all for a few extra glasses of red at this time of year, and I most certainly won\u2019t say no to a bit of merriment, but if there\u2019s one thing I can\u2019t stand it\u2019s knowing I\u2019ve undone (or at least feel as though I have) a year\u2019s hard work in just a few short weeks of vacation. Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12163,"featured_media":17724,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0},"categories":[40,6],"tags":[1049,4648,1003,85,1050,1047,1048,66,4629],"yoast_head":"\n5 Smart Nutrition Tips To Deal With Holiday Excess - Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"What do you do to keep yourself in check during the holiday eating madness? Aside from the obvious (and, let\u2019s face it, kinda boring \u2013 restrain yourself) If you have any smart nutrition \u2018tricks\u2019 that aren\u2019t on this list, I\u2019d love to hear them!\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/5-smart-nutrition-tips-to-deal-with-holiday-excess\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"5 Smart Nutrition Tips To Deal With Holiday Excess - Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"What do you do to keep yourself in check during the holiday eating madness? Aside from the obvious (and, let\u2019s face it, kinda boring \u2013 restrain yourself) If you have any smart nutrition \u2018tricks\u2019 that aren\u2019t on this list, I\u2019d love to hear them!\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/5-smart-nutrition-tips-to-deal-with-holiday-excess\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pickthebrain\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2010-12-29T07:19:42+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2013-08-29T18:52:56+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/pre-holiday-diet.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"500\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"375\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@pickthebrain\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@pickthebrain\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Erin Falconer\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/5-smart-nutrition-tips-to-deal-with-holiday-excess\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/pre-holiday-diet.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/pre-holiday-diet.jpg\",\"width\":500,\"height\":375},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/5-smart-nutrition-tips-to-deal-with-holiday-excess\/#webpage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/5-smart-nutrition-tips-to-deal-with-holiday-excess\/\",\"name\":\"5 Smart Nutrition Tips To Deal With Holiday Excess - Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/5-smart-nutrition-tips-to-deal-with-holiday-excess\/#primaryimage\"},\"datePublished\":\"2010-12-29T07:19:42+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2013-08-29T18:52:56+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/2da8ae162c097bdb749ab098472b4cc5\"},\"description\":\"What do you do to keep yourself in check during the holiday eating madness? Aside from the obvious (and, let\u2019s face it, kinda boring \u2013 restrain yourself) If you have any smart nutrition \u2018tricks\u2019 that aren\u2019t on this list, I\u2019d love to hear them!\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/5-smart-nutrition-tips-to-deal-with-holiday-excess\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/5-smart-nutrition-tips-to-deal-with-holiday-excess\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/5-smart-nutrition-tips-to-deal-with-holiday-excess\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"5 Smart Nutrition Tips To Deal With Holiday Excess\"}]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/2da8ae162c097bdb749ab098472b4cc5\",\"name\":\"Erin Falconer\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1173c63284b173ff225e5f87a1af5028?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1173c63284b173ff225e5f87a1af5028?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Erin Falconer\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/author\/erin\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"5 Smart Nutrition Tips To Deal With Holiday Excess - Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement","description":"What do you do to keep yourself in check during the holiday eating madness? Aside from the obvious (and, let\u2019s face it, kinda boring \u2013 restrain yourself) If you have any smart nutrition \u2018tricks\u2019 that aren\u2019t on this list, I\u2019d love to hear them!","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/5-smart-nutrition-tips-to-deal-with-holiday-excess\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"5 Smart Nutrition Tips To Deal With Holiday Excess - Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement","og_description":"What do you do to keep yourself in check during the holiday eating madness? Aside from the obvious (and, let\u2019s face it, kinda boring \u2013 restrain yourself) If you have any smart nutrition \u2018tricks\u2019 that aren\u2019t on this list, I\u2019d love to hear them!","og_url":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/5-smart-nutrition-tips-to-deal-with-holiday-excess\/","og_site_name":"Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement","article_publisher":"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pickthebrain","article_published_time":"2010-12-29T07:19:42+00:00","article_modified_time":"2013-08-29T18:52:56+00:00","og_image":[{"width":500,"height":375,"url":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/pre-holiday-diet.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"twitter_card":"summary","twitter_creator":"@pickthebrain","twitter_site":"@pickthebrain","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Erin Falconer","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/","name":"Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/5-smart-nutrition-tips-to-deal-with-holiday-excess\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/pre-holiday-diet.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/pre-holiday-diet.jpg","width":500,"height":375},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/5-smart-nutrition-tips-to-deal-with-holiday-excess\/#webpage","url":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/5-smart-nutrition-tips-to-deal-with-holiday-excess\/","name":"5 Smart Nutrition Tips To Deal With Holiday Excess - Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/5-smart-nutrition-tips-to-deal-with-holiday-excess\/#primaryimage"},"datePublished":"2010-12-29T07:19:42+00:00","dateModified":"2013-08-29T18:52:56+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/2da8ae162c097bdb749ab098472b4cc5"},"description":"What do you do to keep yourself in check during the holiday eating madness? Aside from the obvious (and, let\u2019s face it, kinda boring \u2013 restrain yourself) If you have any smart nutrition \u2018tricks\u2019 that aren\u2019t on this list, I\u2019d love to hear them!","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/5-smart-nutrition-tips-to-deal-with-holiday-excess\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/5-smart-nutrition-tips-to-deal-with-holiday-excess\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/5-smart-nutrition-tips-to-deal-with-holiday-excess\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"5 Smart Nutrition Tips To Deal With Holiday Excess"}]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/2da8ae162c097bdb749ab098472b4cc5","name":"Erin Falconer","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1173c63284b173ff225e5f87a1af5028?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1173c63284b173ff225e5f87a1af5028?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Erin Falconer"},"url":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/author\/erin\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5060"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12163"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5060"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5060\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17724"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5060"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5060"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5060"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}