Healthy Holidays | Guiding Stars

How Not To Be A Victim of Holiday Stress Eating

December 27th, 2016 by Kitty Broihier in Healthy Holidays, Nutrition Science

It seems like most people either fall into one of two camps when it comes to stress: it either prompts you to eat more than you usually would (science shows that’s about 40% of the population), or it completely takes away your appetite (another 40% fall here; the other 20% don’t change their food intake at all in the face of stress). Add in all the holiday “joy” that’s around right now and it’s not difficult to see that lots of us use food and alcohol to assuage our seasonal stress. And yet, there are ways around it, thank goodness. For the sake of your health and sanity, you owe it to yourself to try and manage your stress in non-food ways.

Holiday Recipe Flipbook

December 8th, 2016 by Recipes in Healthy Holidays, Recipe Roundup

Looking for more nutritious recipes to try out this holiday season? We’ve put together a few of our favorite seasonal treats for you to try. Check them out in our Healthy Holidays Flipbook!

Holiday Eggspectations

December 6th, 2016 by Allison Stowell in Healthy Holidays, Our Dietitan

With the unveiling of the 2015 Dietary Guidelines earlier this year, came new recommendations designed to encourage better food choices and eating patterns to improve health. For those of us who work closely with the Guiding Stars algorithm, the guidance related to dietary cholesterol was of particular interest… and frankly kind of exciting. In case you missed it, the new dietary guidelines don’t offer a specific guideline on cholesterol, but rather recommend that we seek to limit our intake of it and focus on a healthful, balanced diet. At Guiding Stars, we knew all along that there was nutritional benefit to some foods that contain cholesterol like eggs and shrimp, and having the Dietary Guidelines back us up meant we could incorporate these foods into our rating and therefore our recommendations, recipes and suggested foods. What better time to do this than during the holiday season? Cheers!

Holiday Brunch Ideas

December 9th, 2015 by Allison Stowell in Healthy Holidays, Our Dietitan, Recipe Roundup

During our webinar, Here’s to Your Health: Balancing Entertaining and Nutrition, Kit and I talk about putting together a healthier holiday brunch. Here’s a quick list of recipes to get you started!

How to Practice Hygge for Meaningful Holidays

December 8th, 2015 by Kitty Broihier in Healthy Holidays, Nutrition Science

Gulping sandwiches while standing at the sink so that you can rush out to mail those last holiday packages. Ordering pizza (again) because you’re just too exhausted and time-pressed to think about—let alone concoct—a healthy meal from scratch. If either of these scenarios sounds familiar to you, you’re not alone. This time of year is crazy-busy for most people, for various reasons. I wrote about mindful eating last year. This blog post is different because it’s not about nutrition as much as its about enjoying special meals at this special time of year. It’s unfortunate that all of our holiday-related activities seem to take our minds and hearts away from the spirit of the holidays. With all the rushing around, wrapping, mailing, card-writing, party-going, cookie-baking (and oh yes, going to work in between all of that), it’s no wonder that many of us feel on the brink of losing what we are seeking during this season: peace, reflection, family and friends, generosity and joy.

Not So Sweet

November 24th, 2015 by Kitty Broihier in Healthy Holidays, Nutrition Science

Whether you’re one of those folks who is still working your way through leftover Halloween candy you bought (or pilfered from your kid’s stash) or have already begun laying in a supply of seasonal candies selected from the massive display of treats at your local retailer, chances are this time of year brings more than the usual amount of sugar into your life. How much sugar is too much? It depends on whom you ask.

11 Healthy DIY Holiday Gifts

November 17th, 2015 by Allison Stowell in Healthy Holidays, Our Dietitan

There is one thing I consistently avoid during the holiday season. I refuse to give candy, chocolate or gourmet desserts as a gift. Okay, maybe it is the “dietitian side” of me that just can’t go there (and let’s be honest, most people would be surprised if I did), but honestly during a season of indulging and decadent foods, do we really need gifts that encourage more of the same?

Posts Categorized: Healthy Holidays