4 Global Tips For Eating & Drinking Healthily Over The Holidays

Guest blog by Pooja Mott
Author of The 3-Day Reset: Restore Your Cravings For Healthy Foods in Three Easy, Empowering Days

1. Eat only what I call “WAMP” food, which stands for “Whole and Minimally Processed food”. WAMP foods include poultry, meats, and fish prepared in simple ways as well as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, lentils and key cooking ingredients and seasonings such as butter, cacao, plain yogurt, maple syrup, honey, olive oil, mustard, and soy sauce. WAMP foods are never processed foods and do not contain any additives, preservatives, flavorings, refined flour, sugar, fats, or salts.

This means that when you’re at a party, you’ll want to stick to dishes, appetizers and mezzes that are WAMP – olives with whole wheat pita bread and hummus, grilled chicken finger food, roasted vegetables, raw fruits and vegetables, etc.

2. While on the cocktail party circuit, stick to only wine and/or champagne. Both wine and champagne rake in about 120 per glass and have no added sugars or simple syrups like most mixed drinks do. If you do want to indulge in an alcoholic drink, make it a simple, ancient one like wine or champagne. And stick to only a glass per party and about three to four per week during the party season! It only comes once per year, so don’t feel guilty about indulging, just do it in moderation and in this clean, simple way.

3. Skip Dessert for 70% + chocolate bar at home. Because most desserts contain white, refined flour and refined sugar, they’re not WAMP, they’re not healthy. Try your best to skip those tempting treats on the party circuit and instead wait until you get home and indulge in a much healthier kind: a chocolate bar with at least 70% or higher cacao content. The higher the cacao content, the more nutrients in your bar and the less sugar.

4. Use this season to crack open your cookbooks! Although the holidays are the season for giving, partying, and socializing with friends and colleagues, take some time out this season to dive into the creature comforts of cooking at home. Pot roasts, stews, soups, and baking (using whole grain flours, of course!) are perfect for this time of year.