Holiday Drinks Three Ways + Tips for Staying Healthy

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If you are just tuning in, I’ve been in Mexico this past week for two different weddings, so sadly I didn’t get to spend Thanksgiving at home with my family. Although Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays (Christmas is the other in case you were wondering), I am glad that I didn’t have to suffer through the whole food coma thing after stuffing my face with too much food.

Inevitably, I get pumped up for the holiday season and I overdo it on food. This year I’m really trying to eat mindfully. I haven’t had a chance to listen to the latest Lively Show episode about Eating Intuitively During the Holidays but it’s on my to do list for my flight back to Philly today. P.S. I absolutely love The Lively Show and you should check it out if you haven’t already!

In an effort to eat more mindfully, I wanted to share a couple of my tips for staying healthy and leaving the guilt behind during the holidays.

1. Drink lots of water

This is my absolute #1 tip! It is so important to stay hydrated any time of the year but especially when you find yourself eating too much. In fact, drinking a glass of water before and/or during a big meal will help you feel full faster so you don’t continue to gorge yourself. To make matters worse, sugary and alcoholic beverages are everywhere during the holiday season. I’ve told you before that I’m not a huge drinker but I do love the occasional mojito or fancy champagne drink, and I’ve found ways to make cocktails lighter and more hydrating. My favorite way to make a “lighter” cocktail or mocktail is by using seltzer water much like you would for a wine spritzer.While there are plenty of calorie-free flavored waters out there, I like to make my own by adding drinking vinegar, kombucha or coconut water to plain seltzer water. Today, I’m sharing three (alcohol-free) drinks made with Vintage Seltzer water that could easily be made with a touch of your favorite spirit. You should be able to find Vintage Seltzer at most grocery stores in the drink and water aisle. I buy the liter bottles if I am having a party or the cans if it’ll just be me drinking it so it doesn’t lose its fizz.

2. Get in some exercise

You don’t have to take a sweat-dripping class or run 15 miles everyday to get your fill of exercise, but make sure you do at least 15 minutes of physical activity each day. Some of my favorite activities around the holiday include: walking around the neighborhood with family, dancing my butt off on the dance floor, hiking, and family touch football or volleyball. If you have a device that can track your steps like an iPhone or Fitbit, then this is a great time to set some step goals for yourself and try to meet them everyday.

3. Pile on the veggies

You don’t have to feel bad about eating veggies, as long as they aren’t coated with cheese and butter. I love roasted veggies with olive oil added to salads, paired with a protein, or eaten as a snack. And you can also steam and then puree veggies for your veggie serving with dinner. Raw veggies instead of crackers or bread are delicious to eat with dips like this Skinny Greek Yogurt Spinach & Artichoke Dip.

4. Eat when hungry, stop when full

This is something I am really working on this holiday season. I have a tendency to keep eating because the food is in front of me, even though I’m not hungry anymore. Have you ever noticed that after the first couple of bites, the food doesn’t taste as good as it did during the first bite? Savor your food, eat slowly, and pay attention to your body’s signs. Even if you find yourself hungry at 11 am, 3 pm, and 10 pm- I personally don’t think it matters as long as you are listening to your body. Don’t “save up calories” for a big meal because you’ll be a hangry monster by the time your meal begins and you’ll be tempted to overeat.

5. Eat dessert!

The tagline for this blog is “a (mostly) healthy food blog” for a reason. I don’t believe in “bad foods” and this definitely goes for dessert too. This is the season to eat pumpkin pie, Christmas cookies, and whatever else your heart desires-just make sure you keep your portions in check. To keep myself accountable, I try to choose one dessert that I wouldn’t be able to make myself, and then I eat a little bit of it. This keeps my sweet tooth in check and my heart happy.

What are your favorite healthy holiday tips? 

If you’re in the market for Vintage Seltzer water, you can get $1 off a 12-can pack OR Follow Vintage Seltzer on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram! Users who tag @DrinkVintage on Instagram will receive a $1 off coupon!

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.