 Does this scene look familiar? Personally, I'd put a good dent in those rolled-up crispy wafer things. Especially if there's chocolate inside.
If you know me, you know I'm quite realistic in my approach to indulging. There's something to be gained from not worrying about, and actually savouring, the rolled-up crispy wafter thing. Especially amongst friends and laughter. The holidays are a time to enjoy, and there's no sense in indulging if you're not going to enjoy it. Here's some simple tips for how to help out your body through the inevitable. I have 3 simple rules: support digestion, stabilize blood sugar, and really, thoroughly enjoy. Digestion: 1. Drink lemon water in the morning. Squeeze half a lemon into a 1/2 litre of room temperature water about 20 minutes before you have breakfast. This gets all of your digestive organs primed for the day, especially your liver. 2. Drink tea. Green tea is full of antioxidants while ginger, chamomile, and fennel help with digestion, bloating, and gas. Add a squeeze of lemon for extra support. 3. Get a daily dose of detoxing foods. Beets, ginger, dark leafy greens such as kale and spinach, lemon, turmeric, and parsley are great for supporting the liver, kidneys, and colon as they try to keep up. Toss chopped beets, chopped kale and grated ginger together with some parsley. Drizzle with lemon and olive oil dressing. Yum! Blood sugar: 1. Eat a good breakfast. Unless you're eating breakfast potlucks, you likely have full control over your first and most important meal of the day. Get a good dose of protein (about 20-25 grams) with complex carbohydrates (nothing flour-based or refined) and some fruits or veggies. Protein will also help curb carb cravings later on in the day. 2. Snack on protein. If you're indulging in sweets, make sure to have some protein with it. This helps blunt extreme sugar spikes which can lead to weight gain and inflammatory processes. Nuts, greek yogurt, cheese, hardboiled eggs, edamame, or a protein smoothie are great and portable. Try: protein powder, almond milk, cocoa, honey, and peanut butter tastes like you're drinking a peanut butter cup. FYI. 3. Don't skip the fibre. Fibre helps keep blood sugar on an even keel as well as helping the colon to remove toxins from the body. If you can't find a good protein source in a pinch, get some fibre in. Try: veggies and hummus, rice and bean salad, or avocado or guacamole and brown rice crackers. Really, thoroughly enjoy what you're eating. Be mindful of each bite and savour it. Don't spend that time feeling guilty. This helps reinforce that you're satisfying a craving instead of blindly eating and going back for seconds because you weren't paying attention the first time. Enjoy company, food, laughter, and be nice to someone. There's no sense in indulging if you're not there to enjoy it.
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