"What is the best way to prevent weight gain during the holidays?"

Most of us have a lot of social gatherings from Halloween to the New Year. However, not each of these events is worth a high-calorie count meal. Take a look at your calendar; which events are worth the splurge? Now, choose the exact foods and beverages you plan to splurge on during those events.

Not every event has foods you love or is worth the extra calorie consumption, but not having a plan ahead of time usually means you're going to overdo it. Planning ahead of time like this allows you to make wise choices, to be present in the moment with your splurge, and to really enjoy it!! Not to mention, going through this process is huge in helping you avoid the typical holiday weight gain.

Ask the Nutritionist is our weekly segment where we take your nutrition questions and also answer them. Feel free to ask away in the comments section on Instagram, @basically_it_ and look out for our answer!

1. Frozen yogurt: While this can be a slightly healthier alternative to ice cream, that is what makes it dangerous! We tend to eat more when we know its "healthy-er". Keep your portion small and limit your toppings to one favorite!

2. Popcorn: I too am a fan of all the delicious popcorn flavors you can find everywhere nowadays, and while popcorn is far better than chips or pretzels, it can still be overdone. While popcorn's nutritional stats are decent, it goes down easy and by the handful. Topped with some artificial butter or cheese powder, it can pack a punch of calories without you even realizing it.

3. Peanut butter: Yes, a wonderfully healthy source of fats, fiber and protein, it is also very calorically dense and the serving size can disappear alongside crackers or veggie sticks with two bites. Portion it out ahead of time to be sure you know how much you are eating.

Italian tip: get your veggies in interesting ways! On top of pizza, or in a sauce; it makes no difference!

Veggies can enhance the flavor of everything, not to mention the nutrition value. Get a rainbow of colors each day, this ensures your plant foods can work synergistically with one another!

I teach you exactly how to do this in No-Diet Diet Club which is launching in 2020!! Click here to get on the waitlist

Ask the nutritionist!

Each week, we are doing #askthenutritionist, where we will answer your question of the week, and also take your questions for future editions!

This week's question: “My iron levels are low, should I be taking an iron supplement?”

The answer is not necessarily. There are a few reasons why your iron might be low and you may be able to make tweaks that allow you to bypass iron supplementation. If you have a heavy menstrual flow, you may consider an iron supplement around your time of the month (but no more! Heavy iron supplementation can reduce your absorption of iron from food).

It is also possible you have an issue with absorption in your gut. You may try a few things for this: cutting out gluten (super easy if you use a gluten-free meal service), drinking aloe vera juice, and taking a probiotic. A few dietary tweaks you can make to up your dietary iron include: steamed dark leafy greens (broccoli, spinach, sprouts), red meat, organ meats, and...

REAL olive oil means it is pure, not watered with other oils, and it has some real health benefits!

1. Pure olive oil is loaded with antioxidants that not only protects you from aging but can reduce the risk of heart disease and other chronic diseases.

2. Although olive oil is a fat (the highest in calories of the macronutrients), it is not associated with weight gain. When you are using quality olive oil the nutrients nourish your body instead of helping it hold onto weight.

3. Real olive oil is incredible for your skin!! All the nutrients and antioxidants help to protect your skin from the aging process and keep you looking good.

If you aren’t keeping it clean at lunch, you are probably feeling pretty sleepy by 2 pm. Perhaps the only thing you are looking forward to is your next meal, it doesn’t have to be that way. Here are 4 ways to keep it clean at lunch and thus keep your energy up the rest of the day!

1. Pack it with you!! One of the easiest ways to ensure you don’t fall to temptation at lunchtime is to pack your lunch ahead of time. If you don’t have time or don’t know how let Basically It Meals do the work and delivery for you, or join No-Diet Diet Club here and learn how

2. Skip the beverages. Do not fall victim to lunchtime special drinks (soda, diet soda, sweet tea, fancy coffee drink or milkshake). All that sugar is going to leave you feeling blahhhhhh

3. Large portions will also leave you feeling BLAHH. When you overeat, your body has to do a lot of work to process it all and this often results in lethargy. Order the lunch-sized portion, OR go with Basically It Meals...

Ask The Nutritionist is the newest addition to this page! Outside of my weekly show Wine About It (Facebook live on Thursdays at 5:30pmCST @Basically It Meals), I love answering your questions! Post them in the comments here or on Instagam I will answer them in this weekly post!

The first question is from Sherry; “why is it important to add flax seeds to your diet?”

Flax seeds may seem like one of those foods that you don’t want to buy because you don’t know how you will ever include it in your diet. BUT as far as health benefits go, it is one of my favorite seeds and I try to include flax every day. Flax seeds contain #omega3 fatty acids which are great for brain health as well as skin and nails. Studies have also shown them to reduce the risk of stroke and cancer. I always used to have nails that broke and peeled, but when I started adding flax to my diet, they changed to the most sturdy nails that would literally be as long as my arm if I didn’t cut...

An episode of Wine About It, my weekly Facebook live show @Basically It Meals Thursdays at 5:30, had me on my soapbox!

When it comes to living your life, you are way better off listening to your body than counting points, calories or macros.

Listening can be a challenge when most of us have been tuned out to what is happening in there since we hit puberty. It all starts with slowing down.

We don’t even realize how important what we put in our bodies is….

I am rarely so black and white about nutrition. For a lot of foods and lifestyle habits, there is a gray area; a lot of subjectivity.

But I also love it when things are super simple when they are really clear.

Ann Wigmore makes it really clear here; food is either medicine or poison. That’s it. No ifs, ands or buts. There is medicine, and there is poison.

Now, it’s ok to eat “poison” now and again. This isn’t the cyanide type poison that is going to kill you instantly, as you well know if you’ve had a Cheeto or a bowl of ice cream.

You don’t have to actively think before taking a bite of cheeseburger “my God, I’m about to eat poison!”, that would stunt your life, but you should have awareness around the food you eat. Acknowledge that a daily fast food run isn’t your medicine.

The message here is to really focus on our diets consisting...

There is definitely a hierarchy when it comes to food. Yes, some have more nutrients than others and will help you achieve better health. 

What are the healthiest foods to eat?
Dark leafy greens
Richly colored berries
Nuts and seeds
Wild caught fish

These are all INCREDIBLY easy to get in your diet if you are cooking at home (or hire someone to cook for you).

If you don't know how, I can teach you! Join the No-Diet Diet Club. Click here to learn more!

-Hayley