With Thanksgiving coming up, the holiday season is officially in full motion! Although there are countless joys this season has to offer, it often comes with a few setbacks including higher levels of stress, busier schedules, later nights, excessive travel, and less-than-healthy eating habits—all of which can lead to fatigue, depletion, sickness, and weight gain. But we are intelligent human beings, right? If you know your habitual weaknesses for the holiday season NOW is the time to take a moment and set some goals on how to create balance in the chaos we call the holidays!
Ayurveda generally uses three modes to establish health*, specifically diet, lifestyle, and herbal medicine. Therefore, the recommendations that follow all fall into these three powerful healing modalities; and as you may notice, each suggestion will focus on at least one of the following—lowering stress, boosting immunity, and keeping the Agni (digestion/metabolism) robust. I have found that if these areas are all cared for properly throughout the holidays, it is quite possible to maintain health* into the New Year and beyond.
*Keep in mind that svastha or “perfect health” is not solely of the physical level but only is established if the body, mind, and spirit are all in balance.
If you are like many others, you may be thinking “I will focus on my health in the New Year”; but your health is nothing to procrastinate with! The older we get the harder these stressful times can be on our bodies and one year you may find that “bouncing back” is not as easy as it used to be. So do not put it off a day longer. You are worth it. You can do it. So let’s GO!!
Healthy Holiday Ayurvedic Recommendations
As usual, I am offering quite a few recommendations, some you may find helpful, and others not as much. Skim through and choose the goals that resonate with you the most. Write them down and do your best to make them your reality for the holiday season.
No one is perfect and you may have moments of weakness or decide to have a few cheat moments here and there. No worries! Have a little fun (thoughtfully) and come back to your goals the next day. Remember the idea is to reduce stress so if you end up stressing out about being perfect with these recommendations, then you are kind of defeating the purpose:)
Healthy Holiday Diet Tips
• Eat a healthy mini “meal” before eating out or going to a potluck—some ideas include a small bowl of steamed veggies, soup, or kitchari; this will help you make better food choices while also avoiding appetizers, pre-meal bread, and overeating.
• Bring a healthy dish(es) to your holiday potluck to make sure you have a couple of healthy choices. Find some healthy holiday recipes at the bottom of this article!
• Fill your plate with vegetables and healthy options when eating out, at a holiday dinner, or at a potluck.
• Use proper portion sizes—do not let your eyes become bigger than your stomach—the more you pack on your plate, the more food you will eat.
• Finish eating all food by 6 pm when possible. If you must eat later remember, “the later you eat, the lighter your meal should be!”
• Avoid dessert when possible; allow yourself a cheat day on occasion but cheat intelligently (e.g. use smaller portions, favor healthy sweets, use proper food combining, skip the ice cream with the pie, etc)!
• Keep healthy sweets around for sweet tooth attacks! You may feel it is inevitable to conquer your sweet tooth with so many holiday pastries, cookies, and candy all around; but have no fear! Keeping a stash of healthy treats can be a great way to address your sweet tooth without the extra carbs, calories, and of course, sugar! Fruit, steamed sweet potato, coconut dates, honey-sweetened chai, and healthy wholegrain & maple syrup-sweetened baked goods are all great options. Try my Butternut Squash Bread Recipe!
• Eat healthy, home-cooked meals on your “off” days (meaning when you are not at social gatherings); think warm, well-cooked, spiced, and easy-to-digest meals (soups, stews, kitchari, etc).
• Perform a weekly kitchari cleanse one day each week; although a full-on cleanse is not recommended, giving your digestion a rest one day each week could be very helpful in keeping your Agni (digestion) strong all season long (click here for full instructions).
HOLIDAY DIET DON’Ts
• Avoid overeating—this is one of the main causes of sluggish digestion, slow metabolism, weight gain, and toxins.
• Avoid eating out too much—this often leads to heavier food choices, larger portion sizes, excessive sodium, low-quality oils and ingredients, and unwanted hidden ingredients.
• Avoid snacking and grazing—this is one of the main causes of poor food choices, mindless eating, sluggish digestion, slow metabolism, weight gain, and toxins.
• Avoid late-night eating—eating late at night leads to hampered digestion, toxic accumulation, and weight gain; it is also a common time for sweet tooths spiking and unhealthy snacking.
• Avoid keeping unhealthy sweets available—keeping candy, cookies, pastries, and ice cream in easy access often leads to lowered willpower, unnecessary snacking, and hard-to-control sweet cravings. Keeping them out of reach (while having healthy sweets available) is a great way to set yourself up for healthy holiday success!
• Avoid improper food combining—whether at a potluck, eating out, or enjoying a holiday meal, try your best to avoid improper food combinations to help lessen the blow (so to speak); click here for our printable improper food combinations chart.
Healthy Holiday Lifestyle Tips
As you will see, maintaining balance throughout the holidays revolves around maintaining a healthy daily routine (dinacharya). This will help keep stress levels lower and sustain healthy energy, mood, and immunity.
• Keep to a healthy exercise routine—don’t wait for the new year, aim for 30 minutes of exercise 6 days a week! Some great options include walking, gentle cardio, Yoga, light weights, and body weight exercise.
• Make time for Self-care practices—aim for at least 2 to 3 Self-care practices daily to destress and keep the nervous system in balance; essential stress-reducing activities include abhyanga (oil massage), sauna, warm baths, nature time, restorative Yoga, meditation, mantra, journaling, peaceful music, and peaceful walks.
• Keep to a healthy sleep routine—the holiday season often leads to later nights and less sleep, but this is the time we need it the most! Aim to be in bed by 10 pm nightly and awake by 5 am to 7 am.
• Stay hydrated—with busier schedules and more running around, it can be easy to forget about drinking water; for extra health benefits start your morning with a cup of hot water and sip on warm-hot water between meals to flush toxins while keeping your body hydrated. Discover more hydration tips here.
• Travel Healthy—traveling for the holidays does not have to lead to weight gain, fatigue, or sickness. Take some time to plan ahead to keep up with healthy eating, daily exercise, and high-quality sleep throughout your travels. Discover some Healthy Travel Tips here!
• Don’t Worry Be Happy! The holiday season is about family, friends, giving, and gratitude. If you find yourself overspent (financially, physically, or emotionally), you have likely put too much on your plate. So when you find yourself in distress remember to slow down, keep it simple, be present, and breathe.
Healthy Holiday Herbal Tips
• Take a digestive stimulant before eating larger meals, eating out, or in any less-than-healthy eating situation. Agni Elixir and Digestive Tonic Tincture are my personal favorites—or try a DIY option such as our Ginger, Honey, and Lime Digestive Appetizer!
• Take Triphala Churna each night to maintain healthy digestion and elimination all season long; this formula is also great for supporting immunity and an essential companion for travel!
• Help manage holiday stress levels with herbal teas such as CALM Tea and OM Shanti Tea; herbal formulas such as Saraswati Churna or Majja Ghrita; or herbs such as Ashwagandha, Jatamansi, and Shankapushpi.
• Support healthy weight management by taking Trikatu Churna before each meal (1/2 tsp in 1/4 cup warm water); be consistent for best results!
• Support healthy immunity or ease illness by taking Mahasudarshana Churna and Immaculate Immunity Tincture; drinking herbal teas such as Tulsi, Turmeric, Ginger Tea (get recipe here) or Tulsi Synergy Spice Tea is very effective too!
• Support detoxification by taking Daily Detox Formula (1/2 tsp in warm water before meals) and/or drinking Detox Tea between meals; take Triphala Churna before bed for additional cleansing support!
Healthy Holiday Recipes
- Garlicky Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes
- Ayurvedic Roasted Root Veggies
- Sautéed Kale with Golden Tahini Sauce
- Christmas Kitchari
- Savory Pumpkin Soup
- Roasted Butternut Squash and Coconut Soup
- Tridoshic Cream of Quinoa Porridge
- Sweet Potato Millet Porridge
- Healthy Wholesome Butternut Squash Bread
- Cinnamon Spiced Sweet Potato Muffins
- Spiced Apple and Ghee Recipe
- Masala Chai Recipe
- Caffeine-Free Rooibos Chai Recipe
- Hot Toddy Winter Tonic
Discover more healing recipes with my 30-Minute Ayurvedic Cookbook!*
Discover over 100 herbal remedies in my Ayurvedic Herbal Medicine for Beginners book!*
*All Amazon links are affiliate-based but recommended with care. By ordering directly through these links, you are helping to support Svastha Ayurveda (Thank You!!).
