Holiday Eats & Treats Written by Laurel T. Hamilton, CGIF, GFSP, CLC Twenty- twenty has been a year of unprecedented change. Christmas may be a little different this year, and it can still be good with the right attitude and a little help. Only you know what mental and/or emotional adjustments you need to make to thrive in a post Covid world, but one adjustment I think we can all agree on is food that nourishes and feeds our bodies, minds and souls. As a certified life coach and fitness instructor, I have some suggestions on to permanently improve your eating habits, even during the holidays. Food is your friend and your fuel. For the most part, we have been conditioned to think of food as friend or foe. This polarizing view creates unnecessary conflict in our relationship with food, so I offer a different perspective… all food is good. There are simply more helpful or less helpful options. Those options are not the same for every body. Experiment - try different foods to see how they make you feel and find what works best for you. Food is your friend AND food is your fuel. The cost of less helpful choices. Let’s talk about cost. Cost includes money, but that’s not all. Less helpful foods is often cheaper at the register, but the real cost includes diabetes, obesity, skin eruptions, headaches, insomnia, the doctor visits and drugs you have to pay for to deal with those things. It is better to pay a little more on the front end to protect and enhance your health. You can almost always eat well. Eating well is a matter of a little thought, a little planning, a little research and a little support. Think about what it is you want to achieve. Plan your meals weekly so you know what to buy at the grocery store. Tell your friends and family what you are doing and ask them to respect your choices and ask them to help you stick to your T H E E VO LVI NG WO M A N
plan. Ultimately though, it is your choice to make a decision and stick to it, regardless of what others are doing. How to make it all work. You can succeed in making changes if you carefully choose a goal and work on one goal at a time. Don’t overwhelm yourself by trying to make thirty big changes at one time. No more than three at a time is the usual recommendation. Set yourself up for success by planning to control your environment. Learn about the changes you want to make. Get support. Don’t go it alone. People who have a support system are 70% more successful than those who go it alone. Here is a great recipe to enjoy this Thanksgiving or Christmas.
PUMPKIN PIE CHEESECAKE 15 oz cottage cheese 15 oz can pumpkin puree 2 eggs 1 cup sugar 1 tbsp Pumpkin pie spice (or to taste) Combine all ingredients in a blender until smooth. Bake in individual ramekins or in one 9-inch pie shell for 30 minutes. Let cool and serve at room temperature or chilled. For more tips on healthy living and lifestyle options, connect with me at www.laurelthamilton. simplesite.com or by email thirtydaystowin@ gmail.com. Let’s connect via social media: Facebook https://www.facebook.com/laurel. hamilton.12
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