Healthy Holiday- Part 3 - Navigating December Holidays

With the holidays upon us, many of us will be involved in parties and family gatherings which can make it difficult to stay on the path of true health.  It is easy to say that I’ll just have one cookie, chicken wing, piece of pizza, or whatever is on the buffet table and enjoy, but most of us can’t stop at just one!  This self-talk continues through the holiday season and you continue to find ways to rationalize your poor food choices.  As a result, you feel sluggish, bloated and tired (although you blame this on the hustle and bustle of the season!) and vow to do better in the New Year.  To break this cycle, there are steps you can take to avoid this pattern that seemingly happens every holiday season.

First of all, start by remembering the purpose of the holidays.  Despite what the media wants us to believe, it’s not all about spending money.  No matter your religious background or beliefs, we can focus on spending time with family and friends and celebrating our connection to them.  We have always been social creatures.  In the past, humans relied on each other for survival and today our positive relationships with others help to improve our physical and mental health.  In Kelly Turner’s book, Radical Remission, she found that cancer patients who had strong social connections lived 25% longer than those who didn’t.  (1)  Other research has shown that receiving love and social support increases dopamine, oxytocin, serotonin, and endorphins, and the effects of this are decreased inflammation (which lessens disease risk), increased circulation, increased white and red blood cells, and increased body’s ability to find and fight cancer cells.  Looking at it from the opposite view, the lack of social connection can result in loneliness, not only during the holidays but throughout the year, and that can lead to earlier death.  If you know someone who will be alone during this time of year, make the effort to get him/her to attend your gatherings.  Focus on the people you are with and spend time reconnecting and strengthening those relationships.

Of course we can’t deny the fact that food will be a part of the holiday celebrations. Many people you know may not view health in the way you do and the food they contribute to the celebrations won’t be what you know to be health promoting. Therefore, you can plan ahead for these situations. If you are taking a dish to the gathering, bring something that you will eat, so this way you know that there will be at least one item for you. Especially if it’s a sit down meal, you may have to volunteer to make a couple dishes. Often there are fruit and vegetable trays available so focus on those, without mountains of the dips that usually go along with them. If it is a cocktail party or reception, socialize with your friends as far from the food as possible and with your back to the buffet. This makes it more difficult for you to fill your plate with unhealthy foods because the distance gives you time to think about what you are doing, getting more food, than if you were right next to the buffet. When we see food and are in close proximity to it, we are more likely to eat it. Through research it has been found that our friends influence how much we eat. (2) When we eat with one other person we can consume 35% more food than if we were alone, with four people it’s 75% more food and in a group of seven or more people it’s 96% more food consumed. We look to others for validation of what we are doing and if our friends are eating that gives us permission to eat as well.  Plate or bowl size also influences how much you will eat. For example, a study was completed with subjects using two different sized bowls for ice cream and two different sized serving spoons.  (3) Participants served themselves, and the ones using the larger bowl and serving spoon ate 57% more ice cream than the group with smaller bowls and serving spoons.  When you are at a party, seek out a smaller plate, possibly a salad plate, and use that to put your food on, and if you are hosting, provide your guests smaller plate options. The more food you have the more food you will eat.  However, if salad and vegetables are available without the fat containing toppings such as bacon and cheese or the creamy dips, you are free to eat as much as you want! Keeping these strategies in mind not only during the holidays, but throughout the year, will lead to them becoming habits and then you will be able to spend less time consciously thinking about making good food choices.

 Being healthy through the holidays requires some advanced planning, as well as being mindful of what you are eating in social situations.  Keeping the focus on social connection and the meaning of the season will allow you to feel better and experience more joy during this time.

(1)   Turner, Kelly.  Radical Remission.  Harper Collins; 2014.

(2)  de Castro JM. “Family and friends produce greater social facilitation of food intake than other companions.”  PhysiolBehav 1994; 56(3):445‐55.

(3)  WansinkB, Cheney MM. “Super Bowls: serving bowl size and food consumption.” JAMA 2005;293(14):1727‐8.

Healthy Thanksgiving- Facebook Live Video Ideas

Healthy Thanksgiving-   2nd video in holiday series by Empowering True Health 

Not realistic to give up turkey- I don’t promote eliminating meat, use organic grass fed

Gravy- replace with spices, use sparingly, make plant based

Mashed white potatoes- no butter, use spices to replace fat flavor, plant milk, vegetable broth, garlic, chive, nutritional yeast

Sweet potatoes- bake, bake with apples, add cinnamon, maple syrup

Green beans/vegetables- no casserole, add salt, pepper, spices, balsamic vinegar (flavors: buy or make)

Acorn squash- bake, add rice, carrots, apple

Lettuce salad- different types lettuce, spinach, beet greens, raw vegetables, chopped apples, mandarin oranges, cranberries, no bacon, cheese, balsamic vinegar dressing

Fruit- holiday grapes, orange slices, make baked apples/applesauce

Bread- whole grain rolls, loaf, find a local baker, use jelly/fruit spread or oil free hummus (pumpkin hummus recipe on website- news/blog section, also use as appetizer)

Soup- creamy carrot, wild rice and mushroom (Oct. newsletter)

Dessert/pumpkin pudding- on website- news/blog section, tastes like pie

Pumpkin cranberry cookies

Fruit/apple/cranberry crisp- use instead of pie

Drinks- high in calories, one glass wine/can beer, tea, coffee, warm cider with cinnamon sticks

Summer Produce

At some point each of us will get sick. Keeping our body as healthy as possible allows us to more effectively fight the germ. Eating a whole food plant based diet is part of being healthy. With the fresh fruit and vegetables in abundance right now, its a great time to get on the path toward true health! Instead of going through the drive through at your favorite fast food restaurant, find a local market and pick up some fresh produce! Support your body and your local farmer!

Healthy and Better

“When you are a healthy person, you are a better person." This came from someone who constantly proves this true. Changing just one bad habit or eating blueberries isn't the solution to good health. Addressing your overall eating pattern, lifestyle choices, and stress level is. Focus on what you are doing to make yourself a better person. What a beautiful world this can be.

Facebook Videos

I have been posting videos on the Empowering True Health Facebook page. Most of them are short, 5-10 minutes, on topics to help you along your path to true health. After watching any of them, feel free to share them and like the page if you haven’t already done so!

Recent Newsletter Article- Wearing A Mask??

Standing in line at the grocery store, I noticed the cart behind me full of junk food (cookies, ice cream, processed foods, etc.) and the obese man behind the cart.  When I noticed the mask he was wearing I almost laughed out loud!  Using the mask to protect himself from the coronavirus (or maybe he was trying to protect me) should have been the least of his concerns considering his food choices and weight!  Masks have become the new fashion accessory and it sounds like its one accessory that may be around for a while, but are they worth their hype?   As a result of my education over the last few years, I am spending a lot of time doing research instead of watching the newscasters deliver more fear.  So I decided to delve into the effectiveness of wearing a mask for disease prevention and here’s what I found.

Since Covid-19 is a relatively new virus, as expected, there isn’t a lot of research specifically on it and the cotton masks we are being told to wear.  I did find a study from South Korea that compares the effectiveness of surgical and cotton masks at blocking the coronavirus1.   The participants were exposed to the virus and while wearing and not wearing the masks coughed into a petri dish.  The inside and outside of the masks were tested.  The testing showed the same amount of germs on the inside and outside of the masks allowing the researchers to conclude that the germs traveled through the material or went around the edges of the mask.  This is why the researchers noted the importance of washing hands once you touch the mask.  Although the study had a small number of participants which makes it hard to draw definitive conclusions from, the researchers said that both masks were ineffective at preventing disease spread.  A larger study was conducted in 2015 also comparing the effectiveness of cloth and medical masks2.  This study involved healthcare workers who wore their given mask on their shifts for four weeks.  The masks were evaluated for their effectiveness at preventing the spread of clinical respiratory illness, influenza like illness, and respiratory virus infections.  The rate of infection for all diseases was the highest with the cloth masks.  Overall, 97% of the particles were able to penetrate through the cloth masks and 44% of the particles through the surgical masks.  The surgical masks were better at preventing spread than the cloth masks but did not eliminate the spread.  The authors feel that the problem with the cloth masks may be moisture retention, the reuse of them, and poor filtration which may increase the risk of infection.  Therefore they do not recommend health care workers using them.  The authors of this study wrote a follow up article that was published on March 30, 2020 in response to the Covid- 19 outbreak because health workers were asking them if they should use cloth masks in lieu of the limited supply of PPEs.  The authors feel that the workers should have protection and if cloth is all that is available they should use that. They offer some guidance such as washing and drying the masks after daily use and using an appropriate sanitizer during the day on the mask. This information they caution is not based upon research.  They also state that different types of cotton material may make a difference when it comes to effectiveness, but studies have not been completed in this area.  Finally, I found a letter written to Dr. Droegemeier in the Office of Science and Technology Policy at the White House from Dr. Richard Besser a member of the Standing Committee on Emerging Infectious Diseases and 21st Century Health Threats3. Dr. Droegemeier wanted to acquire information on the effectiveness of cloth masks being worn by the general public during this current pandemic.  A team of people from the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine put together information regarding his request.  A study is currently being done that compares thicknesses of cotton masks and their effect on stopping the spread viruses as well as the person’s ability to breathe easily while wearing a mask.  The team also indicated that the person wearing the mask plays a role in its effectiveness.  The mask has to fit correctly to prevent germs from escaping and if the Velcro/straps are weak that will affect the fit.  They speculate that wearing a mask could be a reminder to socially distance when out in public. However they were concerned that people wearing masks would not take other precautionary measures to prevent spread.  The conclusion of the document states that there is not enough evidence to know if cloth masks are effective and more research needs to be done.  The extent of the protection is based upon how the mask is made and worn and how many other preventive behaviors a person employs. 

Depending upon your work situation, you may be required to wear a mask while others of us will have to make that choice for ourselves when we go out. Let’s just make sure that the wearing of a mask is not distracting us from making changes in our lives that would truly be beneficial and already proven by research.  The man I saw at the grocery store would benefit more by losing weight, since obesity is a risk factor for many diseases that make Covid- 19 worse, and eating a whole food plant based diet to strengthen his immune system than walking around wearing a mask.  In the end this eating pattern may not keep us from getting the corona virus or any other disease that becomes the next pandemic, but it can help us fight it and be less impactful on our health.

1Seongman Bae, MD; Min-Chul Kim, MD, Ji Yeun Kim, PhD , et al. Effectiveness of Surgical and Cotton Masks in Blocking SARS–CoV-2: A Controlled Comparison in 4 Patients. Annals of Internal Medicine. April 2020.

2 MacIntyre CR, Seale H, Dung TC, et al. A cluster randomised trial of cloth masks compared with medical masks in healthcare workers. BMJ Open. 2015;5(4):e006577. Published 2015 Apr 22. doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2014-006577

3Besser M.D., Richard, Fischoff, Baruch; Rapid Consultation on the Effectiveness of Fabric Masks for the CoVid- 19 Pandemic; April 8, 2020.

Virtual Class- The Path Away From Illness and the Role of Food

Pre-existing conditions…. You’ve heard so much about them related to covid-19.  What can you do to minimize your chance of developing chronic diseases or stop them from progressing?  Why is our country’s population so sick? Join me for an evening of exploring the answers to these questions. You will be inspired to take control of your own health and live without the fear of illness. 

When: Wednesday, June 3, 2020  

Time:  7:00pm- 8:30pm ET

Where: The comfort of your home - virtual class using Webex

Registration fee: $12.00

Register: Online under “purchase” tab on this website

An invitation will be sent to your registration email with the code to enter the class.  You will need to download Cisco Webex onto your computer or phone but do not need to create an account.