|
Eight Keys to Keeping Sane With Holiday Eating
For those who tend to overdo with food over the
holidays, especially carbs and sugar, this article is for
you. Essential for maintaining food sanity is starting the day out right.
How you start the day makes a huge difference in how your appetite acts
from then on.
Here are eight keys for keeping it sane with food during the
holidays and beyond.
(R) tells you a recipe is provided ~
just click the recipe link below the article.
KEY #1 ~ Start Your Day With Water
Before eating
anything in the morning, hydrate with 2-4 cups warm water (over the course of
30-60 minutes.) You can add fresh lemon juice if you like ~ I
use ˝ lemon per quart of water.
Lemon is cleansing and alkalizing for the body.
You can sweeten
with Stevia if desired. Stevia is
a natural sweet herb that does not contain glucose (sugar), therefore does not
stimulate sugar craving.
Hydrating in the
morning flushes metabolic waste from your body’s filters (liver, kidneys.) I feel much clearer and
energetic when I “flush” my system first thing in the morning. It’s a lot like getting your car tuned
up ~ the filters are changed, the sludge is cleaned out and your car has more
pep.
I make a quart
of lemon water before bed and put it next to the stove. That helps me not reach for caffeine to
get me started.
Caffeine causes
dehydration and stimulates the adrenals which can lead to fatigue later in the
day and the desire for more caffeine.
For those of us with a tendency to crave sweet or starchy foods,
caffeine can also cause low blood sugar which triggers carb loading.
Try starting the
day by hydrating and flushing your system. You may have so much authentic
energy from doing this, that you don't need the caffeine crutch.
* * *
KEY
#2 ~ Wait for the first sensation of hunger before eating.
When you wait
for the edge of hunger, you align with the body's true appetite. When I do this, I find my appetite is
more balanced, food tastes better and it is easier to stop when my physical
hunger is satisfied. Eating when
not hungry messes with the brain's appestat and can trigger disordered eating.
NOTE: Don't wait till you are ravenous before
you eat. When we are overly
hungry, there is a tendency to eat too fast and too much.
Breakfast is an
important meal, but when you have breakfast equally important. If you wait for the edge of
hunger, breakfast may be at 10 or 11 am. This is not always manageable in one's
schedule, but experiment on days off. Notice if there is a difference in
your eating patterns on days when you wait for the hunger signal.
* * *
KEY
#3 ~ Have a good quality protein/fat breakfast with 0 grams of sugar (ok to have some complex carb grams
but focus on protein)
This rule is
essential for anyone who overeats carbs and/or sweets. Eat protein first in the
day, not anything sweet. Avoid bakery items, pastry, fruit or any kind of sweet
condiment for breakfast. If you have a problem with bingeing on
sweets or carbs, this is essential. Healthy protein and fat choices will stabilize
blood sugar at the start of the day.
Also, vegetables for breakfast combined with protein provide fiber, help
to alkalize your system and are
high in antioxidants, vitamins and minerals.
Protein breakfast choices ~ for recipes click (R)
* Organic scrambled eggs with spinach, onions & garlic
* Rice or Millet wrap with chicken salad or turkey slices &
greens
* Millet with pumpkin seeds & olive oil & whole sea salt
* Chicken or turkey vegetable soup (you will be surprised how
satisfying protein & vegetable
based soups are for breakfast)
* * *
KEY #4 ~
Count Sugar Grams
Read food
labels. Keep your sugar grams to 25 or less per day, preferably none before 2
pm. The fewer sugar grams you consume, the less you will crave. But don't cut
out all carbs and sugar grams. We need some for energy. Extreme measures with
diet usually end up in bingeing as the body tries to make up for lost
nutrients.
* * *
KEY #5 ~ Plan
Your Treats
As best you can,
try to eat sugary desserts at a set time ~ after dinner or just with friends,
etc. Plan your portions.
When snacking, reach for something that stabilizes sugar cravings.
Snacks: Make sure that you have snacks that are filling but not too
high calorie, fat or sugar. You might want to copy and print the
suggestions below to use as a grocery list.
• Popcorn (make it
yourself or buy) Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with whole sea salt or
parmesan cheese. Serving @ 3
cups.
• Hardboiled eggs ~
cook enough for a few days, keep in bowl in fridge for quick fix. Serving
1 or two with 1 tsp olive oil or mayo.
• Chicken, turkey,
ham or egg salad ~ make with celery, parlsey and good quality mayo.
• Wraps with chicken, turkey, roast beef, ham slices. Roll
up with bit of cheese & mayo, (if you can, buy free range, organically fed
meats from Whole Foods or other health food store)
·
Raw
unsalted nuts & nut butters (keep to 2 tablespoons per day)
·
Cheese ~
keep to 2 tablespoons
HELPFUL FOODS
TO HAVE ON HAND
Keep foods handy
that help balance blood sugar (good quality protein and/or fats). Reach for one
of these foods instead of sweets. If you are eating out, plan ahead. Take
something with you from this list that will help stabilize your appetite.
Soup (R):
Make a non-dairy
vegetable soup (or you can buy from a deli or health food store.) Add
protein if desired but don't use pasta, cheese, cream, flour etc. I often make
2 gallons of soup, then puree and freeze half of it in quart size containers
for future use.
Roasted Veggies: Roast a mix of chopped roasted veggies like yams, broccoli, turnips,
garlic, onions.
Non-Gluten
breads
Try eating
non-gluten breads and see if you feel better. Wheat products often cause
bloating and cravings for carbs and/or sweets.
Sami's Bakery Products, usually found in the health food store freezer ~ very tasty
non-gluten choices (most of their breads are best toasted lightly, I think) My
favorites: Millet Flax Bread, Millet/Flax Wraps.
Also, Food For Life makes great brown rice tortillas. Rice has some
gluten, but much lower than wheat and usually not aggravating for
gluten-sensitive people.
Chew well
Chewing can
overcome a multitude of sins. Try to remember to chew each mouthful till liquid
or count 35 chews per bite. Practice (carefully) breathing while
you chew. Oxygen helps you to relax and aids digestion. Chewing slows you
down so that you feel full before you have done too much damage :) Make
artful CHEW! signs to place in strategic spots.
Give yourself
a recovery day
Most of us blow
it over the holidays. That's ok. Just follow a high carb/sugar day
or two with a cleansing recovery day. Keep it simple ~ one or two kinds
of food all day.
Suggestions for a cleansing recovery day:
- Non-dairy vegetable soups (R) or stews
- Non-gluten grains like millet or
rice with a little olive oil and salt (R)
- 2 quarts of lemon water as an
addition to above suggestions
- Low fat animal protein (turkey,
chicken, fish) if that is part of your regular diet.
You will feel
more energized and clear when you give your system a rest. Also, a one
day cleanse helps to put brakes on the sugar loading locomotive.
(R) Recipes
|