Wedding Wednesday: Week of Wedding Nutrition // Spotlight Jennifer Gottlieb
This one is for all you soon-to-be brides out there! Or the girls who aren’t yet engaged but may or may not already have a few Pinterest boards dedicated to wedding details. Ahem. Me? What? Anyway. Every Wednesday I’ll be here with a new feature dedicated to all things wedding-like. Dress details? Check. Tips for getting fit for your big day? Check. A glimpse into Stefanie’s wedding plans? Check!
I would imagine that the week before the wedding is typically the most important. All those little details are falling into place, there’s last minute dress alterations, place cards, seating chart, welcome bags, and how about some waterproof mascara. Because lets be honest, we all know you’re going to cry.
But what about you and what food you’re eating? Which foods will keep you healthy, which ones won’t cause breakouts, which should you absolutely avoid at all costs? We called on, Jennifer Gottlieb, personal trainer extraordinaire and long time friend of Stefanie’s to help us out with some week before the wedding musts and must nots. Jen loves a great work out but places a lot of emphasis on nutrition if you’re really going to see results from the inside out. Glowing skin, a natural high, and a positive attitude are just as important as a tight butt! Check out our Q&A below when Jen tells us that a little vino & dark chocolate may actually help!
1. Besides the obvious burgers, fries and cupcakes, are there any unexpected foods you should stay away from during the week leading up to the big day?
A week out from the big day, you should stay away from foods that will cause you to bloat or retain water. Canned foods are loaded with sodium which can cause water retention, so steer clear of canned tuna, canned veggies and soups. Alcohol is sure to make you puffy, so even though it’s hard to completely cut it out with all of the pre-wedding events, try your best to save the drinking for the big day! Other belly bloaters are carbonated drinks, artificial sweeteners, sugar and processed carbs.
2. Are there any indulgences you think are ok to eat because they are healthy for the psyche or is that just wishful thinking?
A glass of red wine or a piece of dark chocolate is a great little indulgence for stressed out brides. They both contain polyphenols called flavanols. Flavanols are naturally occurring super antioxidants that protect the body by fighting the effects of free radicals. They have been proven to reduce inflammation, lower blood pressure and improve your mood.
3. What is the whole thing about dehydrating your body to lose water weight? I thought hydration was very important in keeping a healthy diet & glowing skin.
I would not recommend dehydrating your body before your wedding. You should actually up your water intake! You want to feel great on your wedding day, dehydrating yourself will only make you feel awful, and give you a missive headache. We actually tend to retain more water when when we are dehydrated or low on water. Plus, Water naturally plumps skin, fills in fine lines and wrinkles, and boosts a lackluster complexion. Drink 8-10 glasses of water a day the week before the wedding to help shed extra water weight, and obtain gorgeous, glowing skin! If you are retaining water, Increase your intake of water-rich foods like fruits and vegetables. All fruits and veggies are high in water, but watermelons, celery and cucumbers are particularly helpful in reducing fluid retention. Asparagus is also a big time natural diuretic.
4. Are there any foods that are extra good for skin, nails, and hair? if so, how far in advance do you need to add them to your diet to see results for your wedding?
1 to 2 months out, start to Incorporate plenty of foods that are high in vitamin C such as oranges, limes, lemons, kiwis, broccoli and bell peppers to help boost collagen production. Niacin or vitamin B-3 is also great for healthy hair skin and nails. Good sources of niacin are beets, peanuts and salmon. You should also increase essential fatty acids from nuts, seeds (pumpkin, sunflower, sesame) cold pressed oils and oily fish to keep your skin hydrated and prevent it from drying and flaking. Most of all, drink plenty of H2O!!
5. For the week before your wedding, is it more important to focus on the correct calorie intake/body weight or working out or both?
A week before the wedding it is important to try to relax as much as possible. The weight that you wanted to lose should already be off by now. Nourish your body with clean healthy foods, and do forms of exercise that you enjoy. The more crazy we get trying to cut calories, the more stressed out we become. Stress causes an increase in cortisol, which can cause weight gain and water retention especially around the mid section.
5. What is a basic meal plan for the 7 days prior to the wedding?
Eat several clean mini meals a day. Eating clean means only eating foods that come from the earth. Nothing processed or packaged! Try to incorporate lots of fruits, veggies and healthy fats to keep the skin glowing. Try to stick to good carbs like whole grains and fibrous veggies. A day might look like this:
Breakfast
Oat meal with ground flaxseed, fresh berries and an egg white omelet
Lunch
Grilled salmon over a salad loaded with colorful veggies.
Snack
Small handful raw nuts and an apple or a kiwi
Dinner
Small piece lean meat or chicken with steamed asparagus and 1/2c brown rice
Before bedtime snack
Cup of non fat greek yogurt with berries
*herbal tea and water with lemon during the day
6. Are there any other last minute tips or tricks that are helpful for looking and feeling your best on your wedding day?
Get plenty of sleep!!! No diet or exercise plan can fix puffy, dark under-eye circles from little sleep. Wedding prep can be stressful, so try some form of mediation or take yoga classes to lower anxiety.
Well that wraps up another edition of Wedding Wednesdays. We hope you picked up some good nutritional facts whether you’re a bride to be or prepping for a little beach body vacation.
For more info on Jen, visit her Facebook page
here and learn all about getting yourself happy and healthy in your everyday life.
