Please help me welcome Daisy aka Dr. Mommy to Losing It and Loving It.  We are the 1st stop on her Healthy for the Holiday’s blog tour and are so excited for Daisy to share her wisdom with us. She is here for two days on the tour with lots of great info and goodies too.  Daisy has a giveaway here on my blog PLUS a grand prize giveaway too .  Be sure to read all the way through so you don’t miss a thing.  And with that we welcome Dr. Mommy!

Healthy Choices on the Go for the Holidays and Beyond

We all know that processed and fast foods are not the healthiest choices.  We must make healthy eating a priority. The importance of healthy eating choices is now at the emergency level here in America.  But in this rush-rush society are there choices we can make while on the go?  Are there meals that are healthy, yet easy to make for those nights you are too tired to think straight?  The answer is ‘Yes’.  You can definitely eat a balanced and healthy meal even when you’re on the go, but only if you are willing to make your health a priority.

Making healthy choices is a compromise between our busy lifestyles and our health.  It is possible to do as long as we are willing to make some changes to the foods we choose.  The changes we make will make a difference in our health with very little change to the cost and time involved.  Although it may not be difficult, it will take some dedication and retraining of your taste buds. What does that mean?

Here’s an example that will clarify the confusion.  When choosing bread, many tend to choose white bread.  That is the unhealthiest choice, because of the way it is processed and because all the nutrients have been removed in order to make it white in the first place.  The best choice is whole-wheat bread where all the vitamins and nutrients are included and without any chemical changes.  Your body will love you for this choice.  Another example is simply choose fruits or nuts instead of processed snacks.

With this being the holiday season, I think it is important to share a few tips to help you stay healthy during this time of family gathers, office parties, and celebrations that are sure to provide unhealthy food choices. It seems as if we go just as much during the holiday season as we do any other time of the year so we must take precaution to avoid unhealthy disadvantages during this season.

• Offer to bring a couple of dishes. You can make a fat free or low fat version of just about any holiday meal.
• If there are no healthy choices, opt for what is the lesser of two evils and eat only a small portion.
• Skip the salty chips and dips at the appetizer table. Opt for the nuts or cut up veggies.
• Don’t eat take the biggest piece of pie. Cut it in half and share it with a friend.
• Avoid eating ice-cream and ask the host if they have sorbet or frozen yogurt. As a matter of fact you can call ahead and request it. Most hosts are very gracious and understand the eating limitation of their guest.
• Avoid high-fructose corn syrup which is normally found in soft-drinks, juice drinks and many other processed foods. Drink herbal teas or water with a twist of lemon instead. Or opt for the sparkling mineral water with a splash or grenadine.

So what do you do once the holiday season is over?  Here are some tips to help you make healthy choices when you’re in a hurry:

• While in the supermarket check for a salad bar.  If you are running in for a frozen pizza, add a salad to make the meal more nutritious.  If the salad bar is too expensive or non-existent, choose a bag of pre-washed spinach for a simple, yet healthy salad.
• If you have a sweet tooth and must have ice-cream, try frozen yogurt or sorbet instead.  The frozen yogurt or the sorbet will have less calories and less sugar too.
• If you must go to a drive-thru, stay away from the value meals.  Instead of the fries, you can add carrot sticks or fresh fruit.  Choose water instead of the soft-drink; it won’t only save your calories but it will save you money too.

Eating healthy during the holidays is not always easy.  Healthy options are not always e available and some may be too costly on the budget and the hips.  What’s important to remember is that every little bit helps.  If you can’t avoid Aunt Martha’s cobbler or your mom’s green bean casserole, make it a point not to take home leftovers. I am sure mom will understand. It is all about making healthy holiday food choices.

After the holidays when faced with choices like convenient foods, make healthier choices in the food you eat such as baked instead of fried.  It is those gradual changes to your diet that will change your taste buds and give you results your body will thank you for.

Let me end this post by saying that I am so elated to have Angie’s blog as the first blog on the Dr Mommy’s Healthy For the Holidays blog tour. I truly hope that the readers enjoy what I share.

I want to give away one of my many E-books. I think for this blog, a perfect choice is 101 Everyday Tips To Lose Weight. To win you must comment on my posts either today or tomorrow. If you comment on both, I’ll give you an additional entry; and if you tweet this blog post on Twitter with the hashtag #drmommytalkshealth, I will give you another entry. Pretty cool I think.

I will also be having a Grand Prize giveaway as well. My latest program Raising a Healthy Kid is a membership option for parents. I am giving away a 3 month subscription to all who comment on my posts. If you tweet the blog tour with the hashtag #drmommytalkshealth you will get an additional entry into the program. If you are a parent with a picky eater be sure to check this membership option out.

Thanks for letting me be the blogger who talks health for a couple of days!!

About The Author

Dr. Daisy Sutherland, is the Founder and CEO of Dr. Mommy, LLC.  She is a doctor by profession, devoted wife and mom to 5 beautiful children.  She is a speaker, writer, and motivational coach/mentor and Health/Wellness advocate. Her passion is to help others to live happier and healthier lives. Dr. Mommy’s dedication to help families is evident from her work online and offline but more importantly it is evident from the energy she exudes when talking about her true passion.  Dr. Mommy’s mission is to help families in health, wealth and sanity.  You can learn more about Dr. Mommy by visiting her at Dr Mommy Helps Moms or Dr. Mommy Health Tips