Making healthy choices during the holidays

My sweet tooth loves this time of year. Starting with Halloween candy and ending with Christmas cookies, there’s no shortage of confections to be eaten this season…which is why my waistline is usually less than thrilled during the holidays.

This year, however, I have an excuse to enjoy a few extra treats. I’m still breastfeeding Asa, and since milk production burns approximately 500 calories a day, I can add that many calories back into my typical diet. Pumpkin pie every night!

OK, so that only happened for one week last month. (Costco’s pumpkin pie is SO good!) I know I shouldn’t be indulging as often, especially because I’m in the habit of grazing throughout the day and eating dessert before bed.

So I’m partnering with NatureBox this holiday season to make healthier choices when I snack. The first step is to stock up on wholesome snack options so I’m not tempted by the Mallomars and potato chips in my parents’ pantry. At least there aren’t any fun-size Take 5 chocolates left over from Levi’s trick-or-treating loot…because I ate them all already.

(Side note: My friend and I have decided that Take 5 bars are the candy equivalent of Ben & Jerry’s Chubby Hubby ice cream. So. Good.)

When you join NatureBox, you’ll receive five different carefully sourced and nutritionist-approved snacks every month. There is literally no easier way to bring wholesome snacks into the house than by having them delivered to your door.

The hardest part is choosing from NatureBox’s Snack Catalog of more than 100 options, none of which contain high fructose corn syrup, artificial sweeteners, flavors or colors. (You can learn more about their Product Promise here.)

For my first NatureBox, I picked Cranberry Almond Bites, Pumpkin Spice Nom Noms, Honey Dijon Pretzels, Whole Wheat Apple Pie Figgy Bars, and Honey Mustard Dippin’ Stix. The Dippin’ Stix were our favorite and the Bites were a close second, but everything we got was really, really tasty.

However, making healthy choices during the holidays is not simply about what you eat. You also need to pay attention to how you eat. That’s why the second step is being more mindful about eating. For me, that means two things:

1. Portion control.
2. Not eating while distracted.

I know that snacking straight out of a container of cookies or bag of chips is bad. And snacking out of a container or bag while watching TV or catching up on social media is worse. Sadly, I’m guilty of both.

I’m not going to stop eating during The Mindy Project or Homeland (and you can’t make me!), but I can serve myself one portion of dessert on a cute little plate to enjoy on the sofa. That way I still know exactly how much I’ve consumed even if I’m slightly distracted by Carrie’s latest meltdown.

NatureBox would like to help A Girl Named PJ readers snack healthfully this season. Click here to start your free trial with NatureBox!*

*Fine Crumbs: Free trial is available for new and US subscribers only. Not valid on gift subscriptions and may not be combined with any other offers

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.