We all feel somewhat overwhelmed this time of year, no matter how much we love the festivities of this holiday season. Some of the best ways for you to feel more in control and ready to tackle the long lists you need to accomplish are to look no further than your kitchen. Well, maybe the grocery store…

Here are 5 tips to keep you going strong throughout the holiday season and beyond:

1. Keep Your Blood Sugar Even – This means eating something with protein every 2.5 – 3 hours while you are running around doing all your errands. Good choices are to pack a small cooler with any of the following suggestions: hard boiled egg, a handful of nuts, a few celery sticks smeared with almond butter, a lettuce wrap with turkey/chicken/beef or a pre-made smoothie with protein powder.

2. Hydrate – Soda will not keep you hydrated, so plan to keep water with you and drink it. We can carry around fancy water bottles, but we need to remember to drink the water. Some people even set an alarm on their smart phone to remember to drink water every hour.

3. Get Your Good Fats – One way to keep from over-indulging on mall food is to make sure you get adequate fat in your meals. A simple way to do that is to have a salad with plenty of olive oil before hitting the stores. Another way is to make nuts or nut butter part of your healthy snacks. Do you eat dairy? Plain Greek yogurt with a little fruit can be helpful if you choose the lowfat instead of the nonfat variety. It will stick with you longer.

4. Vitamins and Minerals – If you already take a multivitamin supplement, that’s great. We need to boost our immune systems and fuel our antioxidant levels when we are out in crowds getting exposed to those germy gifts that keep on giving – whether we want them to or not! Your best choices are to get enough vitamin D, C, and A plus minerals such as iron, magnesium, potassium and iodine. Read the labels to make sure the percentages add up to 100%, whether it’s from taking 1 pill or 3 pills.

5. Properly Prepared Whole Food – It starts at the grocery store. If you don’t have time to cook, take time to ask questions before picking up pre-made meals. You want something that is low sodium, has fresh instead of canned vegetables, and that is low in starchy carbs. A “better than” choice is to cook a chicken or 2 at the beginning of the week and have it with a variety of fresh salad greens throughout the week. When you run out of chicken, cook some fish – enough for at least 2 main meals. You can use a slow cooker to make a delicious bean or lentil stew. For a meal, add a piece of fresh fruit (oranges and grapefruit are currently in season), some crunchy carrot sticks, and some broccoli (steamed or raw), and you are good to go with any of these suggestions.

With all the office parties and family gatherings that happen between now and the New Year, it’s not surprising that some people put on several extra pounds. Try to keep with simple, healthy meals and snacks most of the time and indulge moderately at parties to beat the year-end bulge.

You can also get to the mall a bit early and do a brisk walk before joining the other shoppers in the stores. Parking further away from the entrance to the mall will also add a few extra steps. When it comes to exercise, every little bit helps and it all adds up throughout your day.

Staying healthy and naturally energized gives you the mental oomph we often need to stay on task and organized during this busy and stressful time of year.

Sandi Thompson owns Solution Through Nutrition. She is a nutritional therapy practitioner and wellness coach. Her website features wellness tips, along with a website offering resources for healthy eating and living. For more helpful hints on how you can sparkle throughout this holiday season and beyond, check out her upcoming free webinar on December 8th. http://solutionthroughnutrition.com/sparkle