Just a little, please

Yesterday was my husband's birthday and we celebrated with cake. I had plans to make some oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, but that didn't happen after my son's field trip lasted a little longer than I had planned. So I ran to Whole Foods with plans to get ice cream or frozen yogurt since Ron prefers ice cream if/when he eats something sweet. I couldn't decide on the right 44th birthday celebration ice cream, so I checked out the cakes. I finally decided on one piece of cake for the three of us, and it was delicious and more than we needed. Serving sizes are huge in stores and in restaurants, so my recommendation is to always choose something smaller than you think you want. Actually pick something smaller then put it back and choose something even smaller (or healthier) when it comes to sweets. All we really want is a taste, right? Do we really want to make ourselves sick? Or do we just eat so much because it's there, and it's hard to say no to another bite?

Birthdays are a time to celebrate, to spend the occasion with friends and family and make memories. They don't have to be a time to overeat. There are many ways we could have been healthier tonight, but every situation is different. We enjoyed a small birthday celebration, sang happy birthday, blew out candles, opened cards and gifts, ate cake and even left a little on the plate. Win, win in my book.

Many things we do during holidays or celebrations are because "that's what we've always done" such as ordering huge cakes, making too much food or sending home treat bags at kids' birthday parties. Re-think the situation every time you celebrate a holiday or special occasion and ask yourself what can be changed to make it not only healthier for you, but for everyone else too. Maybe that's a small change to homemade cupcakes (store-bought ones tend to have WAY TOO MUCH icing and artificial ingredients) or a birthday makeover that celebrates you and your healthy lifestyle!

Side note: My brother bought this cake at the grocery, took it home then looked at the ingredient list. He changed his mind and ate a banana instead. Great choice! Not sure what all those ingredients are, but who wants them in their body? Definitely not a food that fuels us!

Action Item: Next birthday or anniversary, choose healthier ways to celebrate. For every "unhealthy" food, serve an equal amount (or more) of healthier options. Better yet, take a class, try a new hike or sign up for a race to celebrate!

For further reading: I searched for "healthy birthday alternatives" and found these good ideas: The Fun Life.