Holiday Cheer, Not Fear

This blog was inspired by the need for my patients to have a special holiday plan during the month of December so they stay on track with their nutritional recommendations and not fear the holiday season with all the extra sweets around. The holiday season is the hardest time of the year to stay on track with holiday parties, extra holiday treats at the office, and the holiday desserts we think we must have when we celebrate. We justify one cheat that throughout the month turns into a month of cheating and weight gain. With a little extra thoughtfulness both can be avoided.

1) Have snacks around

You never know when your coworkers are going to bring in something to the office that looks irresistible and you know you shouldn't have it. Worse yet, when you are starving and so will power takes a back seat. Or if your spouse brings home leftovers. It's best to have snacks around at the office or home that are part of your diet and you enjoy. This way you have a back up plan so when you are hungry you don't reach for whatever is around or when there is something hard to resist you have a better chance of resisting it with a replacement option.

2) Plan ahead

Besides planning snacks ahead of time it is a good idea when going to any holiday gathering where there is going to be food you bring your own dish. It always looks thoughtful for you to bring something and this way you know there is going to be at least one thing there that you can eat. This also brings the temptation down to cheat.  You can also eat before going to a party.  Being full creates less temptation at the party.

3) Be creative

We all have childhood memories around the holidays of having special treats. Whether it was a certain cookie, pie, or main dish the emotional connection makes it extra hard to resist so the best thing to do is if it has ingredients that you aren't supposed to have to again plan ahead and find a recipe that does work. There are so many alternative healthy recipes at the click of a button when you Google. Substitute apple sauce for eggs, coconut sugar for white refined sugar, and almond flour for regular flour. You don't have to figure it out yourself just Google a healthier recipe. And if you have any questions about a new recipe feel free to ask me! You can still have your favorite holiday treat, just a healthier version.

With these three steps the holidays can actually be more enjoyable because you aren't feeling the aftermath of eating poorly or the weight gain either. Enjoy the season, for health is wealth!