Many of us are still detoxing from the holidays. Not just because we ate a lot of not-so-healthy-foods or drank more booze, but also because we had much-needed time off with family/friends and now we’re reorienting to the grind. To make that adjustment easier, I typically plan something to look forward to post-holiday or vacation!
This year it was two weeks of revamping work goals with colleagues, diving into my passion project, and pressing re-set on my sleep, diet, and exercise patterns. I feel like a new person! Of all of those things, clean eating has helped me tremendously. Our food is the fuel that impacts everything.
Today, I share the TOP THREE clean eating tips that make the biggest difference for me post-vacations and I share the hummus recipe I’ve been most obsessed with lately because … it’s FRIYAY!
Happy healthy 2020, everyone!
Top Three Clean Eating Tips (for the “back-to-reality” recalibration):
Tip 1: Kick-up the veggie intake! First, establish your baseline. How many servings of vegetables are you getting each day? A serving is roughly the size of your fist. A 2017 study recommends 8 servings of vegetables per day3! If you’re well-below that, you’re not alone! Start with small incremental changes. How can you include 2-3 more vegetable servings in your day?
Tip 2: Consider reducing or eliminating caffeine for a little while! Research suggests that some people may need up to 9 days of caffeine elimination for withdrawal symptoms to completely subside5. For some people, it can take up to two weeks. I’m on day 7 and have 5 more to go! Listen, as an avid coffee drinker with a love for espresso, I understand how crazy that sounds. I do a caffeine elimination several times a year (for about 10-20 days) and so long as I taper first, exercise & hydrate, I experience incredible results.
Tip 3: Water! Water! Water! While there is no “one-size-fits-all” recommendation for how much water you should be drinking2 experts suggest following the “8×8” rule1 (8, 8oz cups of water) or drinking half your body weight1. And if you’re following Tip #2, you may want to drink even more!
Need something delicious to scoop with those veggies?! Try this Smoked Honey Hummus!
What you’ll need:
-
- 1 (15 oz) can of garbanzo beans (drained, rinsed)
- 2 to 4 tablespoons water
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 large cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika (& a sprinkle for garnish)
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- 1 tablespoon honey (for garnish)
- Optional garnish toppings: parsley, nuts, dried fruit, roasted garbanzo beans. If adding pinenuts, walnuts, or roasted garbanzo beans for garnish – I highly suggest tossing them on the stove in some honey and smoked paprika before topping! #yumtown
How to make the magic happen:
-
- Combine all ingredients (except toppings) in a blender or food processor until creamy!
- Add more water to achieve the desired consistency (some like it creamier, some like it thicker)
- Top with a swirl of honey, sprinkle of smoked paprika, and any other toppings!
- Store in the refrigerator and enjoy throughout the week!
- Hare, H. V. (2016, January 6). We Asked 10 Nutritionists How Much Water You Should Actually Drink. Retrieved from https://www.thedailymeal.com/healthy-eating/we-asked-10-nutritionists-how-much-water-you-should-actually-drink-0
- Harvard Health Publishing. (n.d.). How much water should you drink? Retrieved from https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/how-much-water-should-you-drink
- Norwegian University of Science and Technology. (2017, February 23). Eight servings of veggies a day is clearly best for the heart. ScienceDaily. Retrieved January 17, 2020 from sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/02/170223114807.htm
- Palsdottir, H. (2016, November 8). Drink 8 Glasses of Water a Day: Fact or Fiction? Retrieved from https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/8-glasses-of-water-per-day#section1
- Sajadi-Ernazarova KR, Hamilton RJ. Caffeine Withdrawal. [Updated 2019 Dec 9]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2019 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK430790/
