7 Holiday Safety Tips For Your Family

While the winter holidays are such a delightful time of year, it can be a struggle to maintain our everyday lifestyle habits. Holiday meals usually lack lower calorie options and tend to feature indulgent cocktails and desserts. Thanksgiving feasts and Christmas gatherings are often more calorie-packed than your average, everyday meals. But this can make the perfect opportunity to prioritize the wellness of your family, be grateful for what you have, and appreciate the connections within your community. Explore these seven health and safety tips to help you and your family flourish all holiday season long.

7 Holiday health and safety tips

Make the superfood switch.

If you’re wondering how to have healthy holiday meals, start by replacing dishes and ingredients with healthier options. This can be as simple as incorporating superfoods into your holiday dishes. Superfoods are natural, nutrient-packed foods that are typically low in calories. Integrating them into your festive dishes adds delicious flavor as well as essential vitamins and minerals that are often lacking in holiday dishes. Some ways to infuse your holiday cooking with superfoods include:

Upgrade stuffing or casseroles by adding sweet potatoes as they have lots of vitamin A and C.
Replace the creamy green bean casserole with a leafy green salad, topped with chia seeds and chopped cashews to provide more protein.
Use probiotic-rich, unsweetened Greek yogurt instead of cream cheese, sour cream, or mayo in recipes.
Make yogurt parfaits with antioxidant-packed berries as a delicious, light breakfast or dessert after a holiday feast.

Stick to your regular sleep schedule.

During the holiday season, managing to get enough sleep can be a challenge. But if you stick to your regular sleep schedule, you will set yourself up for success to have a healthy holiday and a happy new year. Research shows that irregular sleep patterns can result in poor sleep, increased fatigue, unhealthy eating habits, and daytime sleepiness. There is a higher risk of developing serious health problems, such as atherosclerosis, high blood pressure, and heart disease from lack of quality sleep. During this holiday season, try to go to bed and wake up at the same time you usually do to ensure you stay healthy this holiday season.

Incorporate group fitness activities.

Regular exercise is vital for our health and well-being. The holidays may get busy, and exercise is a hard thing to incorporate into the hectic holiday season, but cutting something so vital out of your schedule can throw off your routine and mood. Regular exercise promotes better brain health, helps you maintain a healthy weight, and strengthens bones and muscles. It also reduces risks of chronic diseases, boosts mood, and self-esteem.

While managing an exercise routine during the holiday season can be challenging, involving your family can make it more doable and enjoyable. Participate in a Thanksgiving turkey trot, organize family walks, or do some group yoga in the backyard. These activities can help offset some of the extra calories consumed during the holidays, as well as inspire your whole family to commit to healthy habits.

Spread joy, not germs.

We have just started recovering from the global pandemic and everyone has been affected by this disease in some way or another. Illnesses that we haven’t been exposed to in a few years are starting to make reappearances, like Influenza. 3-11% of Americans contract the flu each year and so it’s vital to safeguard both yourself and your loved ones against any illness this holiday season. Increase your immune system’s strength to ensure the safety and well-being of your family this season by following these tips.

Wash your hands often with soap and warm water.
Eat lots of antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables
Using clean utensils and dishware when preparing food
If you experience symptoms, cover your mouth when coughing, and sneeze into your elbow or a tissue.
If you’re traveling this season, use disinfecting wipes to thoroughly clean the airplane, train, or bus seat armrests, tray tables, seat belt buckles, and air vents.

Related: 3 Mocktails for Better Health

Incorporate gratitude.

We often talk about being thankful at Thanksgiving, but is the thankfulness incorporated it into your holiday celebrations? Studies show that regularly expressing gratitude can have significant benefits for your mental health. Having an attitude of gratitude reduces your risk of depression, lowers stress and anxiety, and enhances your emotional health. Gratitude helps counter negative thinking patterns by keeping your focus in the present. This present-minded thinking creates physiological changes that activate the part of your nervous system that helps you “rest and digest.”

So, instead of immediately diving into your holiday meals this year, try going around the table and sharing something you’re each grateful for. This simple act can foster good cheer and boost your overall health. Advocate for your family by prioritizing both your and their health this holiday season.

References:

https://www.foodandnutritionjournal.org/volume6number3/superfoodsrecent-data-on-their-rolein-the-prevention-of-diseases/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8628624/

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https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8579104/

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2161831322002538#:~:text=Epidemiological%20studies%20associate%20regular%2C%20moderate,evidence%20from%20human%20clinical%20studies.

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