Article from Little Green Forks in the Monrovia Living October Issue
By Amanda Eisenagel
During this time of year, you may find yourself questioning how to maintain your healthy lifestyle with the abundance of unhealthy snacks, meals, and desserts that start around Halloween and continue through New Year’s. But here’s some good news: you don’t have to fall into the trap that the holidays bring! Little Green Forks has tips to help you eat healthfully during the holidays:
Tip 1: Eat before a holiday event. It might seem better to starve yourself before showing up to a dinner party or holiday event, but that could lead to filling up on unhealthy food when you arrive. To make better decisions with food when you attend a holiday event, make sure to eat a whole-food, plant-based meal before you go, so you’re less likely to overeat on junk foods and sweets when they’re available.
Tip 2: Bring your own meal. When you’re trying to be healthy, it may be daunting to be invited to go somewhere because of the possibility of junk food. The idea here is to prepare ahead of time. By providing your own meal to eat, you know you can load up on this dish and less on others that may be not as healthy. You can even let the host know ahead of time that you’ll be bringing a dish to share with everyone, and he or she will probably be happy to hear you’re providing an additional dish! Little Green Forks has perfect meal options for you to take to any holiday functions (see below).
Holiday Meals from Little Green Forks
· Entrees: Stuffed Pumpkin, Tamale Pie, Shepherd’s Pie, Butternut Squash with a Rosemary Reduction.
· Soups: Quinoa Black Bean Chili, Vegetable Corn Chowder, Black Bean Sweet Potato Soup, Spicy Zucchini Pepper Soup, Roasted Butternut Squash Soup.
· Sides/Sweets: Sweet Potato Fries, Sweet Potato Pumpkin Pudding, Apple Cinnamon Quinoa.
Tip 3: Remind yourself why you want to be healthy. Before the season begins, it’s a good time to remember why you wanted to start getting healthy in the first place. Some of us may have done it for ourselves to feel our best, and others started working on their health for their family and loved ones. Whatever your reason is, this is a great time to be reminded of it.
Tip 4: Drink water – just a friendly reminder to stay hydrated! Sometimes we may think we’re hungry, but we’re just dehydrated and in need of water. This is a great tip to remember all year long!
Holidays can make it difficult to keep a healthy, plant-based diet. There will be times you veer from the path, and that is okay, but if you follow some of these tips, you’ll have a better chance of maintaining your good health. To prepare for holiday season, visit us online at www.littlegreenforks.com or give us a call (626) 387-3675.
