Thriving Through the Holidays

As the days darken and the air takes on a crispness, the approach of HOLIDAY SEASON can bring high levels of stress around family gatherings, office parties and the general over-abundance of bad-habit foods. Take heart! There are ways to not only survive the holidays, but have an enjoyable and rewarding experience!

Focus

Remember you have all the tools you need to stay on track with your plan to improve your overall health.

Remember you have support in family and friends that have seen you through all your changes and challenges so far.

Remember that food is just that: food. The emotions and rituals and gatherings that include food can be enjoyed with or without all the caloric trimmings (take a lesson from the Whos down in Whoville...)

Tips

Encourage family and friends to gather around activities rather than food. Try suggesting a walk in the park if the weather is nice or going bowling if it isn’t. Visiting and making that emotional connection is not dependent on food being available at every sitting. 

Get creative! There are lots of ways to update old family recipes to make them healthier and there are literally thousands of healthy recipes available that can become new traditions. Have a “bring something you’ve never made before” pot-luck or challenge participants to make a dish representing a favorite healthy aspect of the season.

Opt for non-alcoholic beverages and water water water. 

Stick to serving sizes: 2-4 ounces of lean meats, 1 tsp butter or oil, 1/2 cup of cooked whole grains...

Enjoy lean meats, lots of veggies, have sweet potatoes instead of white ones, and have one favorite dessert per week (remember, it’s only the first two bites that really satisfy the taste you’re looking for). Spoil yourself by choosing the very best of everything! Don’t settle for imitation or low-quality foods.

Avoid unknown dips and spreads, mashed potatoes, fatty gravies and anything made with hydrogenated oils or high fructose corn syrup.

And please don’t forget to MOVE. It is vital that you keep up your exercise program throughout the year. Exercise helps you deal with stress, gives you a great excuse to take a break from family and festivities, and it helps you handle any extra calories that make it through. 

Post Halloween Sugar Crash

Hi All - sorry for the radio silence of late. Loads going on in my world and I'm happy to say "it's all good!" I just got interviewed here in Marin for an article on the post-Halloween sugar overload nightmare. I find it so interesting how as a culture we continually set ourselves up for disaster and then bemoan it's arrival. That pathology is the root of so many of our culturally based ills... and the subject of a dissertation at another time. Today I want to dive shallowly into sugar.

Myth: Sugar is bad.
Fact: Sugar is essential to life, just not anywhere near the quantities in which it is currently consumed. Overconsumption of sugar-laden foods and high-glycemic index carbohydrates is one of the root causes of many chronic diseases we see in the US.

Myth: Artificial sweeteners are a healthy substitute for sugar.
Fact: Long-term use of ANY artificial sweeteners leads to weight GAIN. The metabolic breakdown products of aspartame includes formaldehyde -- yes, the same stuff those pickled rats from high school biology lab were stored in, AKA embalming fluid. Sucralose is a chlorinated hydrocarbon in the same chemical family as agent orange. 'Nuff said.

Myth: Agave syrup is a healthy alternative to table sugar.
Fact: High-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is about 65% fructose/35% glucose. Agave syrup is about 95% fructose. Concentrated fructose ingestion is far more damaging than an equivalent amount of table sugar. Even moderately high doses of fructose lead to fatty streaks in the liver, increases the production of triglycerides, and an increased risk of heart disease to name only a few problems. Another thing those HFCS commercials aren't telling you is that the levels of mercury found in HFCS is dangerously high.

Industry Supported Myth: Sugar consumption has no effect on children's behavior.
Fact: Just ask any parent or school teacher... I beg to differ from the industry sponsored "studies" that show there is no change in children's activity levels pre/post sugar consumption! Empirical evidence overrides this "finding" repeatedly...

Fact: Evaporated Cane Juice is sugar. The least amount of processing you can find the better as the nutrients that accompany the sweetness are still largely intact. Try unrefined sugars that still have their natural molasses brown color. (Standard "brown sugar" is actually refined white sugar with some of the molasses added back in, or food colorings and flavorings...) The refining process uses chemicals like formic acid, phosphoric acid and sulfur dioxide.

Fact: Unrefined cane sugar is about 50% glucose/50% fructose. The fructose and glucose actually act synergistically to help the body use the sugars appropriately when found in that ratio. Surprise, the body actually knows what to do with it.

Fact: The 13 grams of fructose you would find in an apple is not dangerous. The 30 grams of fructose found in a 12oz soda is a problem.

I will post more on this topic very soon, so watch this space. If you have any specific questions you'd like to see addressed, please email me or comment here. Get educated about your food. Get REAL.