Wellness tips for healthy holiday eating from CTCA

Disclosure: I received compensation for this post as part of a promotional program with CTCA and MomSelect. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

It’s hard to find someone whose life hasn’t been impacted by cancer in one way or another. It was a few years ago when doing my annual mole check that the doctor made a comment about how unfortunately it wasn’t a matter of IF my fair skin would develop skin cancer, but rather a matter of WHEN. I suppose that’s not really a shock considering my fair skin, my somewhat rare skin condition that has high malignancy rates, and my family history of cancer.

As scary as hearing that can be, I also feel empowered to keep myself healthy – and that means sun protection like hats and sunscreen, and not putting myself in situations when I would be at risk for overexposure. But, that’s not the only way I am more aware of my health.

I am not just doing it for myself. These precious kiddos need their mama to be as healthy as possible. As you know, I’ve been slowly shedding the baby weight {yay!}, and I’m hitting my goal of 10k steps as often as I can, and I’m determined to make 2016 my healthiest year yet, and why not start now?

Cancer Treatment Centers of America® Registered Dietitian Sarah Kiser knows that holidays are a time for celebrating with family and friends, but they also know there is usually an abundance of food. There is nothing wrong with enjoying these special treats, but it can often be difficult to stop yourself from overeating.

Cancer Treatment Centers of America® Registered Dietitian Sarah Kiser shares some common holiday nutritional pitfalls and how to avoid them:

Saving room for the big dinner. Depriving yourself of food can make you more likely to overeat when you do have a meal and less likely to choose wisely. You will be so ravenous that your judgment to make smart choices will be impaired. Instead, you should eat normal meals throughout the day: a well-rounded breakfast and lunch, and a light snack consisting of protein to keep those tummy growls at bay. By the time you get to the big meal, you won’t be as hungry, making it easier to pick and choose which foods you really want to eat.

Only socializing around food. Parties and get-togethers often revolve around snacks, meals, desserts and drinks, making it easy to overeat while spending time with your loved ones. Instead, you should try playing games or being active together. Spending time together in creative ways is a great way to celebrate the holidays without losing sight of your health goals.

Forgetting about liquid calories. Alcohol can be a significant source of added calories, and depending on what you mix it with, added sugar. These excess empty calories can raise blood sugar and be stored as fat. Drinking too much can also lead to dehydration and feeling sluggish the next day, making it very likely you won’t make it to that yoga class you vowed you would attend. Instead, you should pace yourself with the drinks. Sip slowly to enjoy the flavor. Drink water along with your adult beverage to stay hydrated. After one or two drinks, try switching to water. For a fun twist, try adding a splash of lime juice and frozen strawberries to seltzer water.

What makes Cancer Treatment Centers of America® {CTCA} different?
By using leading technology to aggressively treat cancer, as well as nutrition and other therapies, naturopathic medicine, and managing the side effects of cancer treatment, the team at CTCA are developing what they call a whole-body approach to treating cancer. With a number of different facilities available nationwide, and care teams that put you at the center of your treatment, you and your family can focus on healing.

They call it Patient Empowered Care® and it helps get you get care quickly and conveniently, while decreasing the stress of scheduling multiple appointments. It also ensures your doctors are communicating about your care and you get all of your questions and answers in one place.
They say that from the moment you contact them, they do all they can to ensure your treatment is as convenient and stress-free as possible. Their experienced team takes care of every detail of your visit, from gathering your medical records to scheduling your appointments to booking your travel and lodging, because that’s the last thing you should be stressing out about.

You always hope that you will never hear your doctor speak the word “cancer”, but if that should ever happen, it’s less stressful when you know where to start looking for care. Find out more and see if it's right for you or your loved ones at the CTCA website.