9 Healthy Holiday-Eating Strategies

9 Healthy Holiday-Eating Strategies

  • Healthy Holiday-Eating

While the holidays can be overwhelming, we’ve gathered some tips to help you navigate the most wonderful time of the year and make smart decisions! Here are 9 healthy holiday-eating strategies, from choosing the right foods to limiting your temptations.

 

    • Bring your own food
    • Don’t go hungry to the mall
    • Keep track of what you eat
    • Eat before you go to a party
    • Keep healthy snacks at the office
    • Manage portion size
    • Control your environment
    • Keep up the exercise
    • Choose your indulgences

 

https://www.realsimple.com/health/nutrition-diet/healthy-eating/eat-healthy-during-holidays#bring-your-own-food

Holiday Artichoke Dip

  • Holiday Artichoke Dip

Whether you’re staying in or going to a holiday party, this hot artichoke dip is the perfect healthy addition to any menu.

 

Holiday Hot Artichoke Dip

  • ½ cup olive oil
  • ½ cup finely chopped onion
  • ½ cup finely diced red bell pepper
  • 2 ounces green chiles
  • 2 minced garlic cloves
  • 1 can artichokes, drained and chopped
  • ½ cup raw cashews
  • ½ cup hot water
  • 2 tbsp. lemon juice
  • 1 tsp liquid aminos
  • 1 tbsp. nutritional yeast flakes
  • 1 tsp. fine sea salt

 

Instructions

  1. On medium high heat, sauté onions, red bell pepper, chiles and garlic in a tablespoon of oil. When onions have become transparent, add in the artichokes and sauté for a few more minutes.
  2. In a blender, combine cashews and water and process until smooth. Add in lemon juice, liquid aminos, nutritional yeast and salt, blending well. Slowly add remaining olive oil to blender, blending well until smooth.
  3. Add the blended mixture to the skillet, stirring to combine. Cook until artichoke mixture is heated through. Transfer to a baking dish and place under a broiler for a few minutes in a 350-degree preheated oven until lightly browned.
  4. Served with bread of your choice.

Bread crumb topping option:

Mix ¼ cup seasoned bread crumbs with tbsp. olive oil to produce a mixture that sticks together. Sprinkle over artichoke dip. Add paprika and bake as directed in recipe.

Mom Time is the Best Time

  • Mom Time

Tis the season to spend time with family! One study shows the more time you spend with your mom, the longer she’ll live. Loneliness is a significant factor in the decline of quality of life in older adults, including risk of depression, health problems and cognitive impairment. So, what are you waiting for? Spend some quality time with your family this season.

https://www.simplemost.com/study-shows-the-more-time-spend-mom-longer-shell-live/?utm_campaign=shrd&utm_medium=partner&utm_source=facebook&utm_partner=shrd

Control High Blood Pressure Without Medication

  • Control High Blood Pressure

If you’ve been diagnosed with high blood pressure, medication isn’t the only way to improve it. There are several ways you can lower your blood pressure and maintain it. With simple changes to your lifestyle, you can avoid, delay or reduce the need for medication.

Here are 10 ways to do this:

  1. Lose extra pounds and watch your waistline
  2. Exercise regularly
  3. Eat a healthy diet
  4. Reduce sodium in your diet
  5. Limit the amount of alcohol you drink
  6. Quit smoking
  7. Cut back on caffeine
  8. Reduce your stress
  9. Monitor your blood pressure at home and see your doctor regularly
  10. Get support

Curb Depression Risk with a Weekly Walk

  • Curb Depressing By Walking

Many people may think it’s necessary to exercise heavily daily to prevent depression, but this isn’t exactly true. Previous studies have found that even a small amount of regular exercise protects adults against future depression. It’s important to note that the type of physical activity has a broad range. The type of exercise can be as simple as walking, if the person is moving around more than they usually do. Although more testing still needs to be done, it may generally be easier and healthier for a person to start exercising, rather than take medicine, to decrease risk of depression. When will you start your weekly walk?

Overnight Pumpkin Oatmeal

  • Pumpkin Oatmeal

As we head deeper into the Fall season, it becomes difficult leaving our warm beds to prepare breakfast. This overnight pumpkin oatmeal recipe is the perfect solution to this issue, and will leave you more rested than ever with its instant readiness. Not only is this recipe gluten-free, but also dairy-free, making it exceptionally nutritious to your health. The recipe can easily be prepared the night before, and will be ready to eat as soon as you wake up and head to the fridge!

Ingredients:

  • 1/3 cup old-fashioned rolled oats, gluten-free
  • 1/3 cup organic pumpkin puree
  • 1/3 cup unsweetened almond milk
  • 1 teaspoon chia seeds
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1 teaspoon pure maple syrup
  • Optional topping: chopped pecans

Directions:

Place all ingredients except toppings in a jar or other container with a tightly fitting lid and give them a good stir. Cover and refrigerate overnight or at least 5 hours. In the morning, add additional liquid if you’d like. Once you achieve the desired consistency, add the toppings.

Pumpkin Hummus Recipe

  • Pumpkin Hummus recipe

Has the fall season officially started if pumpkin isn’t involved? This recipe is not only tasty, it’s healthy as well. It is not overly pumpkiny, but has just enough to give it a faint cinnamon sweet flavor with a little heat from the cayenne. Hummus is already naturally gluten-free, vegan and nutritious.  And topping it off with pumpkin will enhance the flavors!

 

Ingredients:

  • ½ cup pumpkin puree
  • 1 (15oz) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  • ½ lemon, juiced
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 2 tablespoons tahini
  • 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt, plus more to taste as desired
  • ½ teaspoon ground cumin, plus more to taste as desired
  • ½ teaspoon chili powder
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

 

Instructions:

  1. Combine all ingredients in the bowl of a food processor or high-speed blender. Process or blend until smooth, stopping occasionally to scrape down sides of bowl or pitcher.
  2. Drizzle 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil over the top and serve with raw veggies, chips and/or crackers. Also, wonderful as a topping for sweet potatoes, salads and wraps.

 

Happy Hummus Halloween!

Are Butter, Cheese and Steak Really Bad for You?

  • Are Butter, Cheese and Steak Really Bad for You?

For generations, dietary advice has been to avoid butter, cheese and steak because they have saturated fats which clog arteries. However, a new study has shown that there has never been clear evidence that these fats cause disease. Unfortunately, cutting way back on saturated fat has caused harmful consequences for women, such as increasing the risk of having a heart attack. Saturated fats are needed for certain critical bodily processes, and for many people, cutting back has resulted in replacement of those calories in the form of carbohydrate. This leads to a surge of higher blood-sugar-related consequences in our population.

 

In the end, it’s probably fine to eat butter, cheese and steak in moderation. And, it may even be dangerous to rid them from your diet altogether. The caveat to this is new discoveries in genetic and gastrointestinal medicine. Certain people may still have negative consequences from eating a lot of saturated fat or a lot of meat in their diets, depending on their genetic makeup and their microbiome (what types of bacteria are growing in the gut). It’s important to keep in mind, the safest thing to do is have the proper testing done in these areas with your doctor before embarking on a new type of diet. Just remember, moderation.

Acid Reflux? Try Going Vegetarian

  • Acid Reflux? Try Going Vegetarian

If you’ve fallen victim to acid reflux, you’re not alone. Although a majority of people “treat” this issue with over-the-counter drugs and prescriptions, studies have shown that these approaches are not as effective or as safe as thought. Here is how you can fix this:

  • Create a diet high in beans, vegetables and nuts, not pasta and bagels
  • You should aim to eat more plants and fewer processed foods
  • It’s important for people to make healthy changes for the long run
  • Any time you can avoid taking prescription drugs is a plus
  • Choose to have a healthier diet to see better results!

Enjoy those veggies!

How to Combat Wrinkles While You Sleep

  • Combat Wrinkles While You Sleep

Is your sleep aging you? The worst damage to your skin might be happening during non-waking hours. While getting enough sleep is imperative to stress-reduction, it’s key in minimizing the appearance of lines and wrinkles.

 

Here are some tips to make sure your sleep quality is working for you.

  1. Listen to your dentist, don’t grind your teeth.
  2. Sleep on your back to remove pressure on your face.
  3. Try a silk pillowcase to wake up creaseless and ease puffiness.
  4. Use a humidifier for glowing skin in the am.

Learn more here.

 

Get that beauty sleep!

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Medical Age Management is a premier anti-aging and aesthetic skin care services provider in Southern California.