Top 10 November Nutrition Tips You Need to Try Today
November is a month that feels rushed. It’s the last pre-holiday time to get everything together, which means our wellness may take a back seat with everything else going on. These simple yet effective November nutrition tips make health easier.
Nutrition tips are all about working with the body, not against it. Use these tips to make sure physical and mental wellbeing are at their best. Make life a little easier with simple quick fixes that make you feel amazing.
November Nutrition Tips You Need to Try
Here are the top 10 November nutrition tips you need to try today to improve health and wellbeing effortlessly. Nutrition is about celebrating the body and fueling it in a way that makes you feel good. The food you eat becomes the building blocks your body uses to grow, repair itself, and thrive, so make sure you are making choices that serve you well.
1. Keep Hydrated
Even though the weather is getting colder and you feel like you’re sweating less, you still need to stay hydrated this season. Your body is using more energy to keep warm, which is a biological reaction in the body that uses water. Make sure you are still drinking enough to stay hydrated, as even slight dehydration has negative consequences.
2. Dine with Loved Ones
Make time this season to share a meal or two with loved ones, family, friends, roommates, etc. Maybe you cook dinner at your place, maybe you go out to the family restaurant, or maybe it’s just a quick drive-thru meal. No matter what it is, take some time to share with the people that matter to you.
3. Eat More Immunity Boosting Foods
It’s flu season! Make sure you are supporting your immune system with nutrient-dense food that fuels your body. Eat foods with vitamin C like strawberries, green peppers, and citrus (like limes, oranges, and clementines) to help fight off infections. Other immunity-boosting foods include ginger, spinach, almonds, and garlic, so make sure to season your food right!
4. Find More Vitamin D
Vitamin D acts as a nutrient, a vitamin, and a hormone in the body. Make sure you are getting enough vitamin D daily. Since the days are shorter and the sun is less intense, you may want to spend a bit more time outside or even look at foods that are high in vitamin D like salmon, tuna, and milk. Here is a full guide on its importance and how to take in vitamin D from the sun!
5. Check out Seasonal Produce
Seasonal fruit and vegetables are in this fall. It is a lovely time of year to boost your consumption of healthy, hearty foods like butternut squash, apples, cranberries, turnips, and persimmons. Fuel your inner foodie and try out some new recipes with fresh and local produce when you have the time!
6. Give into the Pumpkin Trend
Pumpkins, and their seeds, are full of nutritional benefits that boost wellbeing. Pumpkin contains major vitamins like A, C, and E, as well as iron and fiber. Altogether, the orange squash may lower your risk of chronic disease, boost immunity, protect your eyesight, and promote skin health. Here is a guide to the health benefits of pumpkin seeds and how to roast them!
7. Mindful Meals
Eating mindfully is a way to reduce stress, live in the moment, appreciate the little things, and improve digestion. Take the time this November to make one meal mindful. This means putting away the phone, turning off the TV, and simply focusing on the meal. Pay attention to the tastes, texture, scents, and appearance, and use all your senses to enjoy your food.
8. Time Your Meals
Your body runs on an internal clock that is pretty precise. Try to time your meals to be around the same time daily. This is because your body gets used to meal times, and starts to prepare the body to receive and digest food before you even take the first bite. If you eat at noon every day, your body is always releasing insulin at 11:30 a.m. to prepare itself. Take advantage of this biological hack and time your meals around the same time daily.
9. Fuel Up in the Morning
The same internal clock also prepares you for rest at night, the light-dependent circadian rhythm. This means that at night, the body is less equipped to digest heavy, carb-loaded meals since it is preparing for rest. To take advantage of this, make your morning breakfast and afternoon lunches your heavier meals, and eat a lighter meal for dinner.
10. Treat Yourself
There is no fitness without balance. While eating healthy and nutrient-dense food is important, it is also important to enjoy the treats you like without guilt or negative emotion. In fact, restricting food often leads to binging a lot of it when you get the chance, which can make you feel bad. Furthermore, you deserve that treat and you deserve to enjoy it without guilt. Food is about eating delicious desserts as much as it is about eating high-protein dishes.
The Takeaway
November nutrition is essential, though it may be our focus during this busy month. Use these tips to ensure you feel your best. Be mindful of taking vitamin D more from the sun and in foods you eat, consume immunity-boosting foods to fight off any flu or illness, and dine with loved ones more often if possible. Try to eat mindfully more often, enjoy food to the fullest, and buy into the pumpkin trend since it’s so good for you. Even pumpkin seeds are a superfood! There are also great ways to work with your internal clock and hack your biology to make nutrition more beneficial.
Health comes from within, so eat well, exercise daily, and take care of your mental health. Good habits form building blocks for emotional, mental, and physical health. Take care of your gut health too! Learn everything you need to know about gut microbiota today for free here.