The below post comes from our dear friend, Angela Minelli, from Wellness With Angela.  We just love having her guest blog for us and we are so thankful for her dedicating her time to work with us!  Thanks again Angela!

The holidays are upon us and for a lot of people it’s a time to take stock of healthy eating habits and attempt to navigate their way through the season without consuming mass quantities of food and ultimately packing on the pounds.

The holidays are supposed to be fun, right?  Who doesn’t want to indulge in the plethora of cakes, cookies, and candies that beguile us with their sugary delight?  We all know how overwhelming it gets, as well as the guilt factor that inevitably sets in right along with it.

The good news is it’s entirely possible to get through the holidays without supersizing your snacking and ring in the new year free of late-night fridge raids, marathon eating or dire distress.  Following these 3 simple must-do’s is guaranteed to help you forgo the fruitcake, ward off the winter blues and clear the chaos:

1.)     Eat a solid breakfast.  Breakfast isn’t the same for everyone so it’s important to eat an appropriate breakfast for you.  Experiment by trying a different breakfast every morning for 7 days.  Start with eggs the first day, then scrambled tofu or chicken the next, then hot breakfast cereal another day and keep going until you’ve tried 7 different breakfasts in a row.  You can even have straight fruit 1 morning and boxed cereal with milk another.  Doing this will help you get in tune with your body and help you understand how you react to different foods.  When you’ve hit on the right breakfast, you’ll know it because you’ll find that it gives you energy and makes you feel peppy all morning long.

2.)    The 2nd most important thing to do beyond breakfast is to eat greens.  Greens are the #1 most nutrient-dense food missing from the standard American diet and they’re loaded with fiber, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.  They’re incredibly detoxifying, plus they lift depression and balance mood swings are packed  with chlorophyll, which is the blood of the plant, and gives you tons of energy.  Greens are a powerful source of the sun’s energy too so all the qualities we associate with the sun like feeling happy and upbeat can be harvested by eating dark leafy greens as well.   By stocking up on greens over the holidays, you’ll balance your stress so you’re not left feeling drained or depleted.

3.)    Balance your meals.  The most expensive foods on the market are snack foods, and they’re completely unnecessary if you eat more healthy fats and protein at each meal.  Incorporate good quality fats like olive oil, coconut oil, grape seed oil and avocadoes, plus clean organic proteins like chicken or beef, fermented soy, eggs, and fish.  Not only will this help you lose weight, but it will also keep you satiated much longer in between meals therefore eliminating the need to snack and give your digestive system time to fully digest your food.  You can keep your belly satisfied without snacking if you eat enough healthy fats and lean proteins at mealtime!

The holidays don’t have to be a nightmare when it comes to eating right.  It really just requires balancing your body with the foods it needs to feel satisfied and complete.  Making these 3 tips a priority every day will pay off tenfold, not just at the holidays but all year long.