Healthy Snacks Can Help You Avoid the Holiday Gain
BY LOREN MASON-GERE
The holidays are coming. Are you ready?
No, I'm not asking if your shopping is done, or dinner plans made - we all know it's too early for that. But the holidays can derail the good habits of even the most devoted fitness fan among us. That's not entirely bad - everyone has limited stores of willpower, and it's OK to relax and enjoy yourself a bit. It's when our good habits are eroded or weight starts mounting that risks for our health begin to mount.
In fact, in life span studies of body weight and body composition, they've found that most weight accumulation takes place during this period. A typical adult may gain 3-10 pounds through the holiday season, and most never lose it. Thus, year after year, the holiday weight accumulates, leading to real problems down the line.
Keeping the weight off starts with drinking enough water. Dehydration can be misinterpreted by your body as hunger, leading to overconsumption of calories. Make sure when the temperature drops, you don't forget to drink water. If cold beverages aren't desirable, increase your consumption of warm (calorie-free) tea.
If your hunger pangs still exist after you're fully hydrated, your hunger is most likely legit. So eat, but make wise choices with your food selection. As always, we recommend nutrient-rich whole foods at all times. You should generally avoid packaged snacks; instead, choose fresh fruit, vegetables, whole grains, lean meats, and raw nuts or seeds. Knowing that keeping these fresh items on hand isn't always possible, we created Hammer Bars.
Hammer Bars are real food, based directly on the dietary recommendations we've made for over three decades. They are raw, to preserve the nutrients and enzymes their ingredients naturally offer, and also gluten-free, vegan, and delicious! They combine real fruit, whole grains, nuts and seeds, and include no added refined sugars. That list should sound familiar - even repetitive, if you read the paragraph before, and that's precisely the idea. Hammer Bars directly replicate and support the diet we suggest. We couldn't do it another way.
