Navigating the Holiday Season: Tips to Help You Stay on Track!

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The holiday season, although a time for celebration, traditions, and making memories with the ones we love is also a time surrounding food and drink. Many people struggle with temptation during this season of giving… and eating. Below are some tips to help you navigate the holiday season and make the best decisions for you!

Have a plan.

Make a decision on how you’re going to attack the day. Are you going to try to stick to 100% paleo? Gluten-free? Everything in moderation? Make your own choices regarding what you put into your body. Just because everyone else is eating something, doesn’t mean you need to. If you know your body doesn’t react well to certain foods, that’s your reason for avoiding them. Don’t feel the need to explain to anyone! On the other hand, maybe you want to indulge in some foods that you normally don’t eat. Perhaps you recognized that you will feel less than your best eating certain foods, but this is a special occasion and you’re okay with that. Regardless of what you do, make sure it’s your decision.

 

Set yourself up for success.

Parties and get-togethers increase during the holiday season, but in reality, they are still a small percentage of your overall food intake. Don’t give up on your food prep! You may have less time to focus on it, but 1) KISS: simplify what you are cooking and how (the crockpot and instant pot can be super helpful during the busy holiday season) and 2) That’s where KBK can help! When you have delicious, healthy meals already prepared, you’re more likely to eat them. It will help you maintain a solid foundation of good nutrition, even if you do indulge a bit here and there.

 

 

Focus on the meals you are in control of.

Guess what? That’s all of them. When your routine is thrown off and the excitement and overwhelm of the holiday season take hold, it’s easy to get distracted or lose motivation. And when you’re going from one holiday party to the next, it’s easy to give in and let food take control. But, you are always in control of what you put in your body. Sure, maybe your food choices are less than ideal when you’re not in control of what’s offered… but what’s offered doesn’t necessarily mean it’s what you need to eat. Which brings us to the next point…

 

Take matters into your own hands!

If you’re hosting, this is simple: you have control over at least most of the menu. If you’re not hosting, chances are your host won’t complain if you ask to bring something! (Or don’t ask, just show up!) Prepare an appetizer, cook a side, or bake a dessert with ingredients you prefer. Make a paleo vesion of one of your favorites! Some great sites for paleo holiday recipes are www.stupideasypaleo.com and www.paleomg.com. If you don’t want to cook, a veggie platter with guacamole is quick and easy. Or, KBK offers family size meals- perfect for parties! (Check out our menu here). A small bonus? You may be able to convince others that healthy food doesn’t need to be tasteless!

 

Start your day on the right foot.

What you eat in the morning dictates how you’ll eat (and feel) the rest of the day. Having a healthy, balanced breakfast, especially when you have holiday parties later in the day, ensures you set the foundation. If you skip breakfast, or have a meal high in sugar and refined carbs first thing in the morning, you are sending your body off on a blood-sugar roller coaster for the rest of the day. Start your day strong, by having a nutrient-dense breakfast of mostly protein and healthy fats, with a good helping of non-starchy vegetables to boost nutrients and a dose of fiber to get your digestive system rolling!

Be mindful.
Take some time to think before, and while you eat. When contemplating a food or drink you normally don’t consume, think about how eating/drinking it will make you feel. Will it cause you to feel bloated? Will it send you on a downward spiral and trigger you to want more less-than-healthy foods/drinks? Is that food or drink really worth it? Or maybe the opposite: Will this satisfy you so you don’t feel like you’re depriving yourself? Only you know how foods/drinks will make you feel, but taking time to think about it before consuming it will help you make the best decisions. And when you’re eating, take time to really taste and enjoy your food. Eat slowly and chew well, it will help support digestion and allow your hunger and satiety hormones to work a little better.

 

Choose your drinks wisely.

The alcoholic drinks flow during the holiday season. While alcohol is a toxin regardless of its form, some choices are much better than others. Avoid creamy, calorie dense beverages like eggnog, White Russians, and coquito, filled with dairy and sugar. Beers filled with gluten are likely not a great choice—they are high in carbs and cause digestive distress and inflammation for most people. Naturally-gluten-free hard cider, gluten-free beer (if you enjoy it), wines (especially red and on the dryer side), and liquors with seltzer and fresh fruit or on the rocks or neat (especially tequila and potato vodka) are likely your best choices, if you do decide to drink. Remember, stay hydrated and be conscious of the fact that alcohol lowers inhibitions, so even if you have the best intentions of eating well, indulging in a few drinks may make that more difficult to do!

If you choose not to drink alcohol, water is always a great choice, but seltzer and Kombucha tea are both delicious, bubbly drinks that can help you feel like you’re participating while staying booze-free.

Don’t beat yourself up.

If you end up indulging in foods/drinks you don’t normally do, don’t let it take over! Eating well isn’t all of nothing—it’s about flexibility and balance. We are human, meaning we’re not perfect. How you come back from veering off path is what really matters. Your food choices don’t dictate your self worth!

 

Stay moving.

Prioritize activity and training! Although your schedule may fill with obligations like parties and dinners, gift shopping, and cooking, maintaining a regular exercise schedule can help you manage stress and offset food indulgences. Don’t pressure yourself to get to the gym daily if you’re busy, but consistency is key. And remember, you don’t need a gym or fancy equipment to work out- pushups, air squats, burpees, planks and sit ups can be configured into an intense, do-anywhere workout!

Support digestion.

Digestion is always important, but even more so when you deter from your normal eating routine. Remember what your normal portions look like—it not only helps to control the quantity of calories you consume, but prevents overeating, which overloads digestion. Maintain proper hydration and focus on intake of non-starchy veggies to get plenty of fiber. Add more gut-nourishing foods like bone broth and collagen, and fermented, probiotic-rich foods like raw sauerkraut, kombucha tea, and kimchi. Supplements such as digestive enzymes and probiotics can be very helpful to keep the digestive system working optimally and help things continue moving along.

 

Enjoy yourself!

Yes, holidays are about food, so it’s important to truly enjoy what you eat. But think about the bigger picture: holidays are about spending time with people you love, and maybe that means people you only see a few times a year. So try not to stress over the food and drinks, take the above tips into account, and most of all, focus on the family and friends this holiday season is all about!

 

 

 

Meet Our Nutritionists: Kim

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Kim Jordan, MA, NTP

Educational background:

Master’s degree in Health Education & Promotion

Certified Nutritional Therapy Practitioner

Nutritional philosophy:

Nutrition matters, plain and simple. Food is a powerful tool we all have at our disposal to create health and make a substantial impact on how we feel, look, and perform. But if we want to use nutrition to our greatest advantage, we need to learn and be open-minded. It doesn’t mean everyone needs to study the science of nutrition, but learning the basics and doing some experimentation is crucial to building lifelong healthy habits.

There’s really no one way of eating that works for all people- we all have specific needs, goals, and preferences. But that’s the coolest part: everyone can figure out what works for them if they put some effort into it. It’s important to build a solid nutrition foundation. Start with the basics: eat real food, in a way that supports your goals and lifestyle, and enjoy it. Make food and nutrition, and therefore your health and happiness, a priority. Find which foods work for your body, and which don’t- try an elimination diet, get tested for allergies and intolerances, and experiment with different eating styles.

And lastly, embrace the social and emotional aspects of food. Learn how to use them to your advantage- it’s all part of the journey of learning how food affects you and vice versa. Enjoy good food with loved ones, just pick your battles and learn what shade of moderation is right for you. Food should never be controlling- we always have the power of choice. Good nutrition habits and a healthy overall lifestyle need to be sustainable and enjoyable, so some degree of flexibility is absolutely necessary for long-term success!

Reason for becoming nutritionist:

I was an overweight, unhealthy kid who found nutrition and fitness in my early teens. Dropping over 60 pounds by researching and learning, and overhauling my entire lifestyle sparked a lifelong interest in health and nutrition. That interest matured over the years, leading me through many jobs and potential career paths in the industry, but I always knew in the back of my mind I wanted to work with people to improve their lives with nutrition. School, self-learning, and a variety of different jobs and hobbies directed me to the paleo diet and the work of Dr. Weston Price, which then lead me to the Nutritional Therapy Association. As soon as I began my courses, I felt like I was right where I belonged.

How long I have been working for Kettlebell Kitchen:

Since February 2015.

Favorite KBK meal:

It really is tough to narrow it down to one, but the Plantain Beef Chili or Beef Brisket with Plantain Mash are two of my favorites!

Weirdest healthy food I love:

Roasted bone marrow or liver pate. If a restaurant has either item on the menu, I’m ordering it! Also anything fermented- raw sauerkraut and beet kvass are staples in my fridge.

Favorite type of fitness/workout:

I definitely identify as a CrossFitter, but I will admit I prefer a heavy barbell over metcons any day! I also enjoy doing anything outdoors, so I hike and bike whenever I get the chance.

Favorite non-food/fitness hobby:

I love travelling and exploring new places. Going on a road trip or short weekend away to just wander and find eclectic shops, fun restaurants, and gorgeous scenery is a pastime from my childhood that’s definitely become engrained in me. I also come from a huge family, so spending time with them is always a therapeutic and absolutely necessary part of my life.

Best part about working for KBK:

The food is a given, so I’ll say the people. I work alongside some really fun, passionate, and motivating individuals. Also, going into different gyms and talking about food and nutrition with people is a blast. I get the chance to visit some super cool gyms and meet some really interesting individuals from all walks of life, at varying stages in their health & fitness journeys.

 

The Truth About Maintaining Strong Bones

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Would you rather be getting a hip replacement or doing hip thrusters when you’re 80?

The secret to maintaining healthy, strong bones is not just taking a calcium supplement.

Here’s a little secret I’d like to let you in on, almost everyone actually gets enough calcium… they are just missing the cofactors (helpers) that allow the body to use it!

There are 103 known minerals and at least 18 that are essential to the body. We cannot produce them so we must get them for food. While they only compose 4% of our body they play many important roles!

Roles of minerals

  • Cofactor molecules for biological activities like enzyme reactions
  • Maintain the pH balance in the body
  • Help transport nutrients in and out of cells
  • Maintain proper nerve conduction
  • Contract and relax muscles
  • Control tissue growth
  • Provide structural support (bones!)

Our mineral supply is concentrated heavily in the skeletal system (99% calcium). Minerals are a primary factor in healthy bones, which are just hard, calcified connective tissue. Bones form at birth and continue to rebuild and repair after. Calcium is the most well known mineral and, come a certain age, the doctor will recommend people start to supplement with it, especially women. We think at a certain age we’ll just have to take them for the rest of our lives. But we don’t need to spend the money on calcium supplements, instead we need to focus on balancing the cofactors!

Calcium cofactors:

Systemic pH- Healthy bodies keep maintain themselves at a certain pH level (7.4). When blood is too acidic it pulls calcium from the tissues, when it’s too alkaline calcium separates and excess can be deposited in inappropriate tissues.

Proper hormonal functions- Certain hormones help regulate calcium like thyroid, adrenal, sex and parathyroid hormones.

Hydration- Being properly hydrated allows blood to be fluid enough to transport calcium throughout body.

Presence of other minerals- Calcium needs manganese, boron, copper and zinc for proper use.

Vitamins- Vitamin D helps increase level of calcium in blood and decreases loss in urine.

Fatty acids- Transport calcium across cell membrane into the cell and helps increase calcium levels in tissues.

Functioning digestion- Calcium is only absorbed in an acid environment, so it needs the stomach to produce enough hydrochloric acid at the right level for this task.

Tips for maintaining bone health:

Get in vitamins A,D & K2 - Eat liver, egg yolks, grassfed butter or ghee, fermented veggies and get sun exposure by going outside midday and working up to 15 mins without sunblock before getting into shade.

Vitamin C- Helps with collagen formation. Eat fresh fruits and veggies or supplement if needed.

Supplement with magnesium- This mineral is missing from the standard diet due to soil degradation and is very important in bone strength among other things. There are different types of magnesium supplements, most of which are fine, except magnesium oxide which doesn’t absorb as well.

Eat healthy fats to decrease inflammation.

Avoid foods you may be sensitive to. Whenever we eat foods that produce an immune response it means there will be system inflammation.

Have full fat, grass fed (raw if possible) diary, but only if tolerated!

Eat collagen- This means consuming bone broth and gelatin. You can add collagen powder to smoothies, coffees or water and experiment with making jello.

Exercise- Get in some walking every day. Weight bearing exercises, like weight lifting, has shown to increase bone density especially in postmenopausal women.

Get proper sleep- Try to go to sleep at the same time each night for a balanced circadian rhythm. Limit light exposure at night especially blue light. Try to get 8 hours of quality sleep in a dark room each night.

Manage stress- Cortisol blocks calcium absorption which decreases bone cell growth. Try yoga, meditation, being with friends or any other form of distressing you like.

 

Getting into these practices now will mean strong, healthy bones well into the future so you can keep doing what you love!

 

 

Your Coffee Habit: Helpful or Harmful? Part I: The Pros

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Ah your morning cup of joe—that reassuring mug of life-giving-liquid on those dark, chilly mornings when you’d rather shut off the alarm and pull the covers over your head. That necessary pre-workout jumpstart when you hit the mid-day slump and … Continue reading →

Exercise vs Movement

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Exercise vs. Movement: You may be exercising, but you’re not moving.

Humans and movement. We used to do a lot of it. Picture how much you would move if you didn’t have a car, escalators, grocery stores, TVs, telephones, strollers, water bottles, pre-made sheds from home depot, spices already ground up and bottled, washer and dryers or desk jobs.

Think of all that movement humans previously experienced on a daily basis that we now have outsourced to to other objects! While they are time saving and convenient, we’re now realizing how malnourished (of movement nutrients) our bodies have become.

The effect of sitting, or not moving the majority of our day, is now evident in how tight all the muscles going up the back of our body has become, in our gait, in our posture, in our neck with our head constantly jutting forward looking at a computer or looking down at a phone. We see people with knee pain, back pain, shoulder pain, which become bigger issues as we age like heart disease, digestive issues, pelvic floor disorder, osteoarthritis, and joint replacements. We are now seeing that our bodies are actually starving for movement!

But, I go to the gym!

Right, but think about the amount of time you spend at the gym? An hour a day equals 7 hours a week of movement and then the rest of the hours we are mostly in the same position, this is what I mean by actively sedentary. Think about what you are doing when you are not exercising? Are you sitting in a car? Sitting at a desk or standing at a counter? Sitting on the couch? Doing a repetitive motion of some sort? Our movement variety is low and we are essentially starving our cells. Just like how our cells need different food micronutrients they also need different movement micronutrients. We can’t just eat carrots all day and be healthy, we need a variety of food. It’s the same with movement.

If you go to a CrossFit class you are at least getting a constantly varied work out, but instead of considering that your movement for the day, consider exercise as just one of the types of movements. Movement isn’t just push presses, deadlifts and rowing but can also be blinking, fidgeting, walking, gazing into the distance, reaching up to change a lightbulb, squatting and even getting goosebumps.

Our hunter-gatherer ancestors moved 10x more than we do, humans evolved to move! We are starving our muscles, bones and cells…Lets begin to get a bigger variety of movements into our day and feed our cells!

Ok, so I know many of us probably need our cars.

But try looking for different ways to add movement in. Make it like a game and start to think about different ways you can add in more nutritious movement into your day!

  • Walk more. 10,000 steps, or about 5 miles, is the minimum recommendation. Try parking further away or doing laps around the store before you begin shopping. There are many ways to get more walking into your day!
  • Get audiobooks so the time you spend sitting and reading you can be walking and reading.
  • Sit on the floor more. When we sit on the floor we naturally move around in different positions. You can even get a Japanese style table and eat on the floor!
  • Think about food prep. Instead of using all those kitchen gadgets, use some muscle power. Squat down and peel your veggies instead of standing at the counter, or get a mortar and pestle and grind your own spices.
  • Carry things. Instead of using a cart, carry your bags (if you don’t have too many, or enlist the whole family!) or carry your kids instead of a stroller.
  • Fidget. Moving around, sitting in different positions and getting up from your desk all count as movement!
  • Squat more. While brushing your teeth or waiting for copies do some squats.
  • Climb and swing more. Use your arms for something other than typing!
  • Distance gaze. Every half hour or so take a break from your screen and look out the window or as far away as you can. Remember the eyes have muscles too!
  • Walk on more diverse terrain. We walk on flat surface all day! Roads, sidewalks, floors in houses and other buildings are all hard and flat but our feet and ankles are made for a variety of terrain.

Awareness is its own nutrient. Now that I’ve put these ideas in your head you will find yourself thinking about how to get up and move more!

For more information on all things movement check out the book Move Your DNA by Katy Bowman.