Getting back on track after the holidays

During the holidays, you may have over-indulged between Thanksgiving and the new year. 

And whether you go for the sweet or the savory, or both, perhaps you feel like it’s time to get back on track with your diet and exercise. 

In this week’s Healthy Living, certified nutritionist Deborah Enos has some easy tips. 

"Detox can be really simple. I had a great conversation with my doctor and she said there’s really two things you want to do. You want to eat more fiber and you want to sweat more," Enos said. 

The American Heart Association recommends we get 25 grams of fiber per day. The average American gets less than 15 grams. 

Enos shared practical ways, and her favorite way, to increase fiber: beans and lentils. 

"My pro tip, I always have cans of beans in my pantry," she said. 

Black beans have 10 grams of fiber per half a cup. 

"I always have spinach in my pantry. Broccoli, apples and bananas. I love putting together bean salads," Enos said. 

Enos shared the black bean and edamame salad recipe below.

These are some simple foods we can incorporate into our diets, and aside from that, if we just get moving, we can really start to feel the difference too. 

"My second tip on how to detox your body is exercise. But it’s not just exercise, it’s actually sweating," said Enos. "According to my physician, she was saying the more you can sweat, the more you are going to help get your body to squeeze those cells where it's going to help detox. But it's also going to help move things through your system."

Exercising can be as simple as grabbing exercise bands, getting a yoga block and start doing more yoga, and you can walk your dog. 

Black Bean and Edamame Salad

• 1 (15 oz) can of black beans (my favorite is S & W Black Beans) drained and rinsed
• 1 cup shelled edamame (I do a quick cook by throwing them in boiling water for 1-2 minutes).
• 1 cup grape tomatoes, quartered
• 1 cup red, orange or yellow bell pepper, chopped (about 1 medium pepper)

You can even add some fermented veggies to bump up the flavor and add a nice dose of probiotics (gut bacteria). My favorite local brand is Firefly Kitchens!

Put all ingredients in a bowl and drizzle on your favorite vinaigrette.

Store in the fridge and as the ingredients meld it will get even yummier!