• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Plant-Based Cooking
  • Start Here
    • Introduction
    • What is a Plant-Based Diet?
    • Freebies
    • 12 Tips for Starting
    • Got Questions?
    • Meal Planning Myths
    • Nutrition Needs
    • Plant-Based Myths
    • Stock Your Pantry
    • Tools, Tips and Freebies
    • Uncommon Ingredients
    • What to Expect
    • Why Eat Plants?
  • Recipes
    • 12 Most Popular
    • Appetizers
    • Beverages
    • Breakfast
    • Desserts
    • Gluten-Free
    • Holiday Recipes
    • Main Dishes
    • Plantricious
    • Recipe Roundups
    • Salads & Dressings
    • Sandwiches
    • Sauces & Condiments
    • Side Dishes
    • Snacks
    • Soups & Stews
  • Articles
    • All Articles
    • Cooking Tips
    • Food Facts
    • Getting Started
    • Interviews
    • Meal Planning
    • Nutrition
    • Reader Questions
    • Staying Motivated
    • Success Stories
  • Freebies
    • Subscribe
    • Resource List
    • Freebie Articles
    • Freebie Login
  • Shop
    • Books
    • Cookbooks/Recipes
    • Kitchen Essentials
    • Pantry Essentials
  • About
    • About PB Cooking
    • About Diane
    • Diane’s Health Journey
    • Contact
  • Cookbook
Home » Candy Central: 5 Holiday Healthy Eating Tips

Candy Central: 5 Holiday Healthy Eating Tips

December 6, 2017 By Diane Smith 2 Comments

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
PinterestFacebook

It’s not easy eating clean – especially around the holidays. It seems that everywhere we look at holiday time there’s food temptations staring us in the face!

Rather it candy bowls filled to the brim in offices and lobbies, boxes of chocolates from our neighbors, sugary eggnog on tap at holiday parties, or of course, beautifully-decorated gingerbread cookies and brightly-colored candy canes dangling on Christmas trees around us.

And, we want healthy eating to be a priority!

Veggie Appetizer

Stay Strong for Healthy Eating

It is, indeed, the season of giving, and that generosity often takes the form of holiday treats loaded with sugar, dairy and fat as well as artificial preservatives, additives, and coloring's.

It’s only natural to want to feel part of the festivities. No one likes feeling left out or deprived, especially at this time of year.

So how do we do enjoy the holiday season in a way that meets our needs for participation and celebration while maintaining our hard-won healthy-eating habits, whether we’re long-time whole food vegan or new to this lifestyle?

5 Tips for Eating Healthy this Season

While everyone will ultimately have to find what works for them, here are 5 helpful tips for eating clean at holiday time to get you started:

1. Share the love.

Just because someone gives you a food gift, whether it’s freshly-baked Christmas cookies or that box of holiday chocolates, doesn’t mean you have to keep it. Politely say “thank you” and express your appreciation and then put the gift away.

There’s absolutely no need to open the present in front of the person who gave it to you. Pass the gift on to an individual or family who would appreciate it, or share it for everyone to enjoy in your workplace cafeteria or at a neighborhood gathering. Consider it “random kindness” to others and, most especially, to yourself.

Christmas-Candy-with-no-Symbol2. Contribute a healthier option.

Contribute a healthier plant-based vegan option to the holiday offerings around you.

For instance, bring in a bowl of roasted nuts or dried fruits to place next to the candy bowl at work, or bring an appetizer like this Basil Spinach Dip or Pumpkin Hummus to your family gathering.

This way you’re providing not just for yourself but you’re also sharing healthier vegan foods with family, friends, and colleagues – and who knows what might happen!

3. Choose the healthiest available option.

We’ve all heard about “just saying no,” but the truth remains that it can be hard to do just that. What’s typically easier for most of us is to replace an unhealthy choice with a healthier one. What you want to do here is minimize the damage to your existing routine.

Resist the temptation to just grab whatever food happens to be closest to you, or what the folks around you are eating. Instead, carefully scan all available options looking for healthier choices. Choose carrot sticks over crackers, and crackers over cookies and candy. Do the best you can under the circumstances.

4. Stay well-nourished and hydrated.

Have you ever heard the adage about not going grocery shopping when you’re hungry? When we’re run down, hungry and/or thirsty, we’re more likely to binge shop as well as binge eat.

Make sure to keep your blood sugar balanced during the holiday season and drink enough liquids. Especially before holiday events, like Tara in “Gone with the Wind,” consider arriving with a full stomach.

5. Improvement, not perfection.

If you eat something that you regret indulging in, that’s cause for reflection, not beating yourself up. Make it a learning experience by surveying the situation and seeing what you could do differently next time.

Realize that the temptations are great this time of year and no one has perfect willpower. Whatever you do, beware of using one episode as an excuse to throw your entire whole foods vegan diet out the window.

Remember, the holidays are just temporary. Do the best you can, and be sure to enjoy it all. And, be sure to check out these holiday recipes ideas for inspiration.


Want more of Plant-Based Cooking?
Connect with me on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or Instagram.

PinterestFacebook

Filed Under: All Articles, Articles, Health Tips

Other Health Tips you Might Enjoy

Sandhill Cranes

Obesity, It’s Not Your Fault

Sugar

Fight Sugar Cravings with Plant-Based Nutrition

Vitamin-C-with-Fruit

Plant-Based Nutrition: Getting It Right

variety of whole potatoes

Potatoes: To Eat or Not to Eat

Previous Post: « Help for Depression, Stress, and Anxiety: Mood-Boosting Plant Foods That Might Surprise You
Next Post: 6 Green Holiday Gifts Good for People and Planet »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. John fern

    December 13, 2018 at 1:52 pm

    Thanks so much, not only providing the plant based recipes, but also posting helpful articles like these. Hope your Holidays are great!

    John and Peggy Fern

    Reply
    • Diane Smith

      December 13, 2018 at 3:59 pm

      That warms my heart and thank you so much for your comment. All the best to you two the holiday season!

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

Get Social

            Plant Based Cooking on YouTube

Graduate Badge

Top 50 Vegan Blogs of 2025

Meet Diane

Meet Diane

I help you discover the steps, tools and actions you need to eat a plant-based diet for disease reversal, weight loss and renewed vitality with recipes, health tips and inspiration to make the journey easier.

Join me on Facebook

Plant-Based Cooking on Facebook Like Sign Up Plant-Based CoOoking on Facebook

Food over Medicine

Sign up intro

Join my list and get your free checklist, “8 Plant-Based Meal Planning Mistakes and How to Avoid Them” plus a helpful bonus meal planning worksheet.

Leadpages signup button

 

Popular Posts

Aquafaba

Aquafaba: The Hottest Ingredient

4 reasons why diets don't work

4 Reasons Why Diets Don’t Work

Vegan White Sauce

How to Make Plant-Based Vegan Cream Sauce

Footer

Instagram

Pinterest

            Plant Based Cooking on YouTube

Disclosure and Privacy Policy

Recent Articles

Positive Thought

How to Create Plant-Based Affirmations That Work

Dried Herbs

How to Store and Refresh Herbs

A Quick Guide to Making Veggie Bowls

Contact: diane@plantbasedcooking.com

Copyright © 2021 Plant Based Cooking

Candy Central 5 Holiday Healthy Eating Tips pin