LiveWell Vermont

These tips can help you celebrate holidays the healthy way! Weight management  Focus on weight management rather than weight loss. Exercise Plan for it and write it in your calendar. Exercise helps relieve holiday stress and prevent weight gain. Meals Do not skip meals. Skipping breakfast or lunch before a big holiday dinner actually causes you to overeat - especially on carbs and sugar.  Healthy choices  If you know that you will not find any healthy choices, offer to bring something along, such as a salad, vegetable dish, chicken, or fish. Appetite control  Pace yourself and become more aware of what you are eating and drinking. Eat until you are satisfied, not stuffed. Try having a healthy snack before you head to your get together. Include a source of protein to prevent hunger. Portion control  Peruse your food choices first, then select small portions of those that you must have. This will allow you to enjoy all the different foods offer...

With the holidays upon us, it can be difficult to stay on track with all the delicious comfort foods being served. Check out some of these winter food swaps to help make the holidays a little healthier!   1.) Swap out Mashed Potatoes for Mashed Cauliflower or Turnips : Swap the typical mashed potatoes for mashed cauliflower or turnips. Cauliflower mashed potatoes are full of vitamins! 2.) Swap out Sweet Potato Casserole for Roasted Butternut Squash : Swap sweet potato casserole which is usually loaded with brown sugar, butter, and marshmallows for roasted butternut squash tossed with dried cranberries and a drizzle of olive oil and pure maple syrup. 3.) Swap out Green Bean Casserole for Sauteed Green Beans: Swap out green bean casserole for sauteed green beans with sliced almonds, caramelized onions, and a little olive oil. 4.) Swap out Chips and Crackers for Roasted Pumpkin Seeds and Baked Apple Chips : 5.) Swap out Apple Pie for Baked Apple : Core and bake an ...

Are you looking for a healthy side dish for Thanksgiving dinner? This salad pairs well with many fall and winter dishes or on it's own with added protein!   Kale, Butternut Squash, and Apple Salad with Maple Dressing Ingredients: Salad 8 cups chopped kale leaves 1 apple cut into matchsticks 1 cup cubed and roasted butternut squash, cooled 1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion 1/3 cup crumbled feta (optional) 1/4 cup chopped pecans, roasted Dressing 2 Tbsp Extra virgin olive oil 1 Tbsp Apple cider vinegar 2 tsp Pure maple syrup 1Tbsp Dijon mustard Salt and Pepper Directions In a large bowl, toss kale with half the dressing. Add remaining ingredients and toss with the rest of the dressing. Serve immediately.

Do you feel a little rushed during the work week? Is it difficult to prepare healthy meals after a long day of work? These kitchen hacks may make all the difference in helping you to have a week of healthy breakfasts, lunches, and dinners! 1) Cook up a big batch of quinoa or rice (or both) to use for meals throughout the week . You can add these to salads for a more filling lunch, scramble up with some eggs for a hearty breakfast, and use them for simple dinners throughout the week. If you want to make a larger batch, both quinoa and rice can be frozen for later use. 2) Prep some overnight oats.  Overnight oats make a great healthy quick meal in the morning. You can prep the containers ahead of time making a different variety for different days of the week! To make: put a serving of oats along with any toppings (chia seeds, dried cranberries, nuts, nut butters, etc) in a jar, add milk or non dairy milk of your choice and put in the fridge until you're ready to eat it. Top w...

Think you’ve heard it all when it comes to cholesterol? Well, even the most cholesterol-savvy may be in for a surprise. It turns out that perhaps the most important aspect has to do with making sure you have enough cholesterol – the good kind, that is. Cholesterol is composed of two types: the healthy “HDL” (high-density lipoprotein) cholesterol and the lousy “LDL” (low-density lipoprotein) variety. Most Americans focus on reducing LDL cholesterol as a key part of their treatment. A new study, however, found that having too little HDL cholesterol is at least as damaging when it comes to heart disease as having too much LDL, and it may even be more predictive of heart disease. In fact, the most common cholesterol problem among those with heart disease is too little HDL. That’s because HDL cholesterol works to remove LDL cholesterol from the arteries. Even if their total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol levels are normal, people with reduced levels of HDL have an increased ri...

If you like Pumpkin bread, but want a bit more flavor from it, than let's add some dark chocolate chips! Bread is not usually dessert, but try this bread at the end of a meal as a sweet ending to your meal with a cup of coffee or tea. Try it as the ending to your Thanksgiving meal for a healthy, yet satisfying, alternative! Ingredients 1 ½ cups of canned unsweetened pumpkin meat or fresh pumpkin cooked in your microwave until soft, mashed until it has the consistency of mash potatoes. 4 eggs  1 ½ cups of sugar  3 cups of all-purpose flour 1 cup of vegetable oil, such as Safflower Oil 2 teaspoons of baking powder 1 teaspoon of baking soda  1 teaspoon of ground ginger 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon  1 teaspoon of salt  ¼ teaspoon of ground nutmeg 2 cups of chopped walnuts or pecans  ½ cup of dried cranberries (optional) 2 cups of dark chocolate chips  Preparation  Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Whisk the eggs, sugar, pu...

  1.) Focus on Your Food Being busy often means eating quickly. By taking a moment to focus on what you're eating and that you're eating, you'll have a chance to catch your breath through the day. 2.) Engage All Your Senses Think about the smell, taste, and texture of your food. The more senses you can engage, the more satisfying your snack will be! 3.) Portion Your Food It's tough to figure out the right portions and different people with different lifestyles have different needs. The key is to start out smaller and if you're still hungry when you're finished eating, you can always serve yourself more. 4.) Eat More Slowly Eating slowly can help with digestion and help you be more aware of when you're full. If you're practicing focusing on your food and engaging your senses, eating slowly will come more naturally. 5.) Listen to Your Body When we're rushing around all day, it can be easy to ignore cues from your body, but pay attention ...