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Simple Tips for a Healthy High Energy Season


Too much to do in too little time

Reviewing the following strategies from time to time during the holidays will help you focus on what matters: enjoying the season, staying healthy and keeping your energy levels high.

Protein Keeps Your Energy Levels High

Now more than ever, it's important not just to eat enough protein, but to make sure you eat protein evenly spaced throughout the day. Did you know that your body can't store protein the way it stores other nutrients?  Eating one or two large protein portions a day means that you aren't getting the full high-energy value from your protein. You'll get much better results from smaller amount of protein more often.

  • Start your day with a high-protein breakfast, then carry high-protein snacks (cheese, nuts, turkey or ham roll-ups, hard-boiled eggs, yogurt or a convenient portable Atkins Advantage® nutrition bar or shake) to keep you going between meals. 
  • At a holiday party or buffet, always scope out your protein sources ahead of time; if you suspect that lots of sugary, non-nourishing fare will prevail, contribute a high-protein dish. If you don't feel like cooking, choose a selection of various flavors of hummus and one or more types of olives: Kalamata olives, a mix of green, black and purple olives, or olives stuffed with sun-dried tomatoes, peppers or blue cheese.
  • Always carry smart protein choices in your purse, pocket, briefcase or car glove compartment. Try a bag of seeds and nuts: sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, almonds, cashews, pine nuts, and walnuts and pecans, mixed with unsweetened dried cranberries.  Or, a high protein nutrition bar.

For maximum energy, plan to eat every three to four hours throughout the day, and each of these meals should include a good source of protein. Eat protein after a workout, as well. By keeping food with you at all times, your energy levels stay even and you can handle everything that comes your way.

Don't Forget About Fiber

By now, just about everyone has heard about all the many benefits of fiber. Fiber is your friend as you make food choices throughout the holidays, so seek it out whenever possible. Fiber actually slows the entry of glucose into the bloodstream. This, in turn, reduces the blood-sugar spikes that cause insulin production and encourage the body to produce and store body fat. And by slowing down food’s transit time in the digestive tract, fiber helps you feel full longer, resulting in fewer food cravings.

The Institute of Medicine guidelines suggest that women get 21 to 25 grams of fiber a day and men 30 to 38 grams a day.  Research shows that men and women in this country between the ages of 19 to 50 typically consume only 12 to 17 grams of fiber daily--an inadequate amount, especially for active people whose nutritional goals include steady, reliable energy levels throughout the day.

Vegetables and legumes are a great choice for the health-conscious person who wants to eat low-glycemic, fiber-rich foods. Keep an eye out for these choices on holiday menus and buffets, and add them to your shopping cart as well:

  • Broccoli
  • Asparagus
  • Squash
  • Cucumbers
  • Artichokes
  • Dried beans and peas: chick peas, soybeans, lentil beans, lima beans, white or black beans, pinto beans and kidney beans

Fruit is another fiber-rich standby. Get into the habit of leaving the skin on your fruits--otherwise, you lose a lot of good fiber content. The seeds and pulp are the other sources of fiber in a fruit. Here are some fiber-rich fruits (ranked by glycemic index, with berries having the lowest glycemic impact):

  • Berries (blackberries, blueberries, strawberries and raspberries)
  • Cherries
  • Green apples
  • Grapefruit
  • Peaches
  • Pears
  • Oranges

 

Follow these tips to keep your fiber levels high:

  • Keep an assortment of fresh fruits around at all times. Keep a bowl of it cut up in your refrigerator. Remember to keep the skins on.
  • Add fruits to your morning oatmeal or cereal
  • Add fresh or frozen to your Atkins Advantage® protein shakes. Just toss it all into a blender.
  • Keep high fiber whole-grain flour around for your baking needs. White flour has no nutritional value whatsoever. The same goes for rice; toss the refined white rice in favor of brown rice.
  • Flax seeds add fiber to almost anything you make: scrambled eggs, quiche, breads, muffins or pancakes. They mix in well and don't disturb the consistency or texture of your food.
  • Atkins Advantage® bars are portable, delicious and rich in fiber. The Atkins Advantage ®Chocolate Peanut Butter Bar, for example, has 19g of protein, 10g of fiber and only 1g of sugar with 19 vitamins and minerals and no trans fats.

 

It is possible to get through the holidays without letting them take a toll on your health. Here is how:

  • Practice good self-care. Even though you’re super-busy, stick with your usual exercise routine or at least a modification of it. Make time to have lunch with a friend, or get a massage to decompress from tension. The holidays are when a lot of people stop doing the self-care they normally do because they’re too busy but that’s the time when they need it the very most.
  • Reset  your expectations. Make a list of everything you expect yourself to do, and set priorities; then, let some things go. Maybe you don’t need to bring homemade cookies to your child’s school party (when store-bought ones will suffice) or to send personal letters with your holiday cards this year. Aim for ‘good enough’ instead of ‘magical’.  The same holds true when it comes to holiday get-togethers: Christmas dinner doesn’t have to be the most delicious one ever; the important thing is that everyone—including you—can enjoy themselves.
  • Seize the moment to relax. Stuck in holiday traffic? Practice progressive muscle relaxation, in which you systematically tense and relax various muscle groups from head to toe. Waiting on a slow-moving line at the mall? Practice deep belly-breathing, imagining that there’s a grapefruit-size ball located just behind your belly button. Try to inflate that ball by slowly inhaling enough air to pump it up inside you, then slowly exhale and let it deflate. The key is to use relaxation techniques when you need them the most.
  • Make smart lifestyle choices:  Counter act stress or lack of sleep  with exercise and eating enough protein and fiber.
  • Don't skip breakfast, no matter what: As you sleep, your body metabolism reaches its lowest point. This is your body's time for resting, repairing and regenerating itself. Getting a good breakfast is like filling your tank before a road trip. Without it, you'll be stranded. No meal plays a larger role in starting off your metabolism for the day than breakfast. Think of that first meal as setting the tone for your body's ability to turn calories into energy—

You can get more practical tips--everything from smart kitchen strategies to getting enough protein before and after your workouts--by exploring this month's offerings at the Atkins Learning Center. Our featured course this month is Eating for Energy Atkins Learning Center “Simple Tips for Healthy, High-Energy Holidays”. In this free, instructor-led course you will:

  • Understand how essential it is to consistently eat balanced, nutritious meals
  • Explore the vital role that protein plays in generating healthy muscle and maintaining energy
  • Focus on fiber as a foundation for overall well-being, as well as daily energy
  • Organize yourself to tackle the overall challenge of keeping your body well-fed for maximum energy
  • Develop a plan for fitting healthy, delicious food into your hectic lifestyle

 
This free, instructor-led course has a lively Message Board where you can ask questions and discuss your health and nutritional goals with others. And while you're there, check out our other great course offerings at Atkins Learning Center. No matter what your interests and concerns, you'll find free courses and discussion groups where you can stay informed and connected.

 

See you in class!