Photo by Kittisak
With the holidays upon us and Christmas parties a-plenty, what are you to do to still enjoy all the festivities, but not completely undo the hard work you have put into making a strong, happy, healthy you the other 11 months of the year? Arm yourself with some protective strategies that allow you to still indulge, but keep you from creating a major deficit to dig out of come January.
1) Eat before you go.
This is a given. Every holiday dietary advice article includes this, but why? Because it works. If you walk into that holiday party crazy-hungry and at the bottom of a sugar crash, you are headed straight for those double-chocolate brownies. And probably more than once. This has nothing to do with willpower and everything to do with your brain’s need for quick energy when you are too far along the hunger spectrum. Let’s face it, sugar is quick energy. It doesn’t provide much else, but it does provide quick energy.
So, before you head to the party, give yourself a quick, power-packed snack to help you navigate that party a little more effectively. Have a half an avocado with sea salt and lemon, some tuna, a hard-boiled egg or a handful of nuts. You know you are going to indulge when you get to that party, and that’s fine, but give yourself the opportunity to indulge more intentionally and enjoy that tasty treat for all that it is.
2) Coconut Oil
Inevitably, there are going to be those days where you just eat too much sugar. It’s the holidays! When your blood sugar levels are going bananas, what can you do to rein it back in? Coconut oil! Coconut oil is both a quick source of energy for those sugar dips and a great, easy-to-digest fat. If you feel yourself sliding into a sugar crash from a few too many cookies, grab a spoonful, make a cup of tea with it or make some coconut bark to snack on. This will help slow the blood sugar surge, provide some gentle support to the liver (who takes a hit when sugar levels get too high), and it even boosts your metabolism. Win-win-win!
3) Beet Kvass
Rich in probiotics, earthy, salty and cleansing. Beet kvass is a lovely liver tonic that is very welcome after a night of indulgences. With your liver being a major player in the sugar-handling game, anything you can do to support its extra innings is worth a home run. Beet kvass gives you a boost of probiotics to help combat those sugar-loving bad bugs, it helps to cleanse the liver from the night’s festivities, and the saltiness helps to squelch any further sugar cravings. Make yourself a jar this week to be ready for the weekend’s parties.
Come January, if you are ready to ditch the sugar and take your health to a new level, join me in one of my Get at the Roots classes. Until then, enjoy the holidays and all the wonderful excuses to get together with friends and family.