"What is the best way to prevent weight gain during the holidays?"

Most of us have a lot of social gatherings from Halloween to the New Year. However, not each of these events is worth a high-calorie count meal. Take a look at your calendar; which events are worth the splurge? Now, choose the exact foods and beverages you plan to splurge on during those events.

Not every event has foods you love or is worth the extra calorie consumption, but not having a plan ahead of time usually means you're going to overdo it. Planning ahead of time like this allows you to make wise choices, to be present in the moment with your splurge, and to really enjoy it!! Not to mention, going through this process is huge in helping you avoid the typical holiday weight gain.

Ask the Nutritionist is our weekly segment where we take your nutrition questions and also answer them. Feel free to ask away in the comments section on Instagram, @basically_it_ and look out for our answer!

Ask the nutritionist!

Each week, we are doing #askthenutritionist, where we will answer your question of the week, and also take your questions for future editions!

This week's question: “My iron levels are low, should I be taking an iron supplement?”

The answer is not necessarily. There are a few reasons why your iron might be low and you may be able to make tweaks that allow you to bypass iron supplementation. If you have a heavy menstrual flow, you may consider an iron supplement around your time of the month (but no more! Heavy iron supplementation can reduce your absorption of iron from food).

It is also possible you have an issue with absorption in your gut. You may try a few things for this: cutting out gluten (super easy if you use a gluten-free meal service), drinking aloe vera juice, and taking a probiotic. A few dietary tweaks you can make to up your dietary iron include: steamed dark leafy greens (broccoli, spinach, sprouts), red meat, organ meats, and...