SavvyHealthGirl's Blog

Well it is officially that time of the year — holiday party time!! That’s right, the time to mingle with co-workers and clients, show-off your new significant other, and schmooze your boss for that Christmas/end of the year bonus. But, what people tend to love most about holiday parties is that there is generally great food and an open bar. Who can resist the all-you-can eat shrimp cocktail station, delectable mini crab cakes, or the pomegranate martinis? Maybe we can’t, but maybe we should. When it comes to eating and drinking at the party, the sky is NOT the limit. Just because the invitation says open bar, doesn’t mean YOU are in charge of keeping it open all night. Remember, everything should be done in moderation. What’s in your favorite holiday drink may have you busting out of that cute little cocktail dress by the end of the party! What you may not know is that so many of the cocktails contain tons of calories and sugar. Some have more than your favorite scoop of ice cream. Of course, we all know that too much alcohol has proven to have harmful effects on our health. Now, I would be a hypocrite if I said don’t drink at all, but what I am saying is be aware of what you are putting in your body. Don’t overdo it this year by adding too many extra, extra calories to your diet. Trust me, I will be taking my own advice.

So what’s in your favorite holiday drink?
Apple Martini: 235 calories, 11.5 sugar, 11.6g carbs
Martini: 185 calories, 1g carbs
Champagne: 182 calories, 5g carbs
Margarita: 408 calories, 25g carbs
Mojito: 180 calories, 22g carbs

For you non-alcoholic drinkers:
Hot Chocolate: 320 calories, 38g carbs, 16g fat
Eggnog (w/o liquor): 343 calories, 21.4g sugar, 34.4g carbs,19 g fat
Peppermint Mochas: 470 calories, 61 g carbs, 22 g fat

Check out Newsweek and Health Magazine for some of the latest reports on the effect of alcohol on women’s health. There are several studies that indicate alcohol can be more harmful to a woman’s body than a man’s, while some say that moderate drinking is actually good for your health. There are even studies that show the occasional glass of red wine can have health benefits like reducing your risk of heart disease, dementia, and some cancers. Although, the benefits of drinking wine were seen more in women over 55 than younger women. But the key word here is “occasional.” We often make the mistake of thinking that drinking wine is better than drinking hard liquor or beer, but alcohol is alcohol. Wine should be drunk in moderation, just like any other alcoholic beverage.

Naturally, if you are pregnant or planning to become pregnant soon, then you shouldn’t be drinking at all. Alcohol can have detrimental effects on the fetus and can result in birth defects such as fetal alcohol syndrome. Even the French, who have been known not to discourage women from having the occasional glass of wine during pregnancy, are placing warning labels on wine and alcohol for pregnant women.

Now, we all know that too many cocktails are just not a good idea. Think about how you feel at the end of the night – sluggish, dehydrated, and maybe a little nauseous. In the morning, you probably don’t feel that much better. More than likely you have a bad headache and are moving a bit slow. So, as you hit the next holiday party or go out with friends to toast to the season and the New Year, remember your health and keep everything in moderation! Salud!

Congrats, you survived TG! Hopefully you followed my tips on Wednesday and didn’t have to let out any pants or fall into a food induced coma after dinner. But most of all I hope you enjoyed your time with family and friends as you broke bread. Well, now that the leftover turkey has been turned into soup, salad, or sandwiches; TG officially ends and thus marks the beginning of the Christkwanannakuh season. (That’s my meshing of Christmas, Kwanzaa, and Hannakuh). Now begins the real work! Over the next 40 days, our faith will be tested at home, in the malls and at the office. We will soon be inhaling the delicious smells of freshly baked cakes, cookies, pies, holiday bread pudding, and the list goes on. From holiday cocktail parties to new year’s celebration, we may be overwhelmed by decadence. Crab dip with crostini always looks and tastes better than cold veggies on a platter; even with the buttermilk ranch dip. Ahh the decisions we will soon be faced with in the very near future. To help us through this, I will post Savvy Holiday Survival Tips until the new year. I welcome your suggestions for tips and topics.

Here is your first tip as you embark on the mall tomorrow for more of those post TG sales — So you need a snack in between store-hopping, go for the Cinnamon Sugar Pretzel from Auntie Anne’s, instead of the reduced-fat cinnamon swirl coffee cake from Starbucks. The coffee cake has 330 calories, 4 grams of protein and 40 grams of sugar, and the pretzel has 450 calories, 26 grams of sugar and 8 grams of protein. In this case you are better off being more energized with the pretzel and eating less processed sugar. If you want to be really good, opt for the plain whole wheat pretzel, no salt, no butter. It has only 10 grams of sugar and 11 grams of protein! This is truly your better option. Happy bargain hunting!

So it’s the day before Thanksgiving and my plan was to go and workout at 6:00 a.m. but that didn’t exactly go as planned. As a matter of fact I never made it to the gym. But as a replacement I did walk up all of the escalator stairs when I got off the train this morning. In 3″ heels! Hey, that has to count for something. I am trying to get in some extra activity today, as Turkey Day quickly approaches. I am also trying to keep in perspective what I will eat tomorrow. If you are really trying to be healthy, have you ever really thought how hard that it is to do, the day before a feast? To consciously remind yourself not to overindulge on the yummy food that is going to be placed in front of you? The candied yams/sweet potatoes, collard greens, pecan pie, sweet potato pie, macaroni and cheese (my ultimate favorite) and oh we must not forget Grandma’s homemade rolls dripping with butter!! Oh now you all know that is so hard to do!! But we know it can be done. Right? I can’t hear you! That’s better. So what do we do? How do we resist the temptation of overindulging and still enjoy? Well, I am not a physician nor a nutritionist, but my expertise is in health. I would like to share my personal tips for Turkey Day or any feast. Don’t worry I am going to keep it real!

· Eat breakfast and make sure it has a good amount of protein. This is good for everyone, but especially if you have an early meal time. This will help you curb the desire to eat more than you should because you haven’t starved yourself. So often, we think we have to save up for the big feast and won’t eat anything all day. So not a good idea. All it’s doing is keeping you hungry, low on energy and cranky because you didn’t eat. Who is going to want to sit next to you during dinner?

· Have a couple of small meals/snacks if you are having a late afternoon meal. Again, it will prevent you from going crazy when the mashed potatoes and gravy hit the table. An apple with peanut butter or even a sandwich with some of that freshly carved turkey will keep you satiated until dinner time. That is, if you are allowed to have some of the turkey.

· Attempt to burn some extra calories while waiting for the feast. Go for a walk with a loved one and catch up since they may only be in town for a few days. This a great time for fellowship and to be active as a family.

· Ready to eat? Start slowly and take small portions of food. Remember the saying ” Your eyes are bigger than your stomach?” Keep that in mind. There is nothing wrong with tasting everything, just keep it in moderation. Use a small plate if it will help you from piling food on. You will be surprised how content you will feel and how great it will be not to have that overstuffed feeling. You know kind of like a stuffed turkey! Then you won’t feel so guilty about having that slice of sweet potato pie!

- If all else fails and you get caught up in the wonderful display and aroma of all of the food and lose your mind. Not to worry, there is only one thing to do, put your fork down and . . . STEP AWAY FROM THE TABLE!!! Breathe, rub your ears and say Woosahh! Then try making your plate again with about 3 scoops less of the mac and cheese.

The bottom line is, it’s okay to indulge a little, just don’t over do it. Thanksgiving is about fellowship, gratitude and sharing. And there is something about food, really good food and preparing food that brings all of these together. So enjoy the day in a healthy way!