December 17th: Holiday Goodies- Set Yourself Up for Success

“Butter, sugar, vanilla, eggs, flour, a pinch of salt, and cinnamon…”

In my favorite Christmas play, “Twas the Night Before Christmas,” the family of mice are drawn into the house due to the smells wafting into their little home. With each sniff they list the ingredients common to a traditional sugar cookie.

If you are like my family, holiday goodies are commonplace. Between the traditional holiday treats, the desserts from family dinners, the gift platter from neighbors, and homemade treats, it can become a confectionary shop in a hurry.

And despite my love of chocolate and other desserts, there is such a thing a too much. There is a distinction between a treat and unhealthy behavior.

So, this holiday season set yourself up for success.

The Power of Food:

As we heal our lives, we learn many things about life and health. One of the healthy behaviors we can learn is to create a diet (the foods we habitually eat) filled with healthy foods. Foods like, fruits and vegetables, and limited sugars.

With the influence gluten, dairy, and sugar have on our system, it is a healthy choice to consider what we eat.

That being said, it is also important to not just choose healthy choices with regards to food but with regards to our emotional and mental well-being. To live a life of scarcity, to see lack, we limit the quantity and quality of happiness in our lives.

Food + Success:

This holiday season take a moment to think through your choices and actions.

What are healthy foods? What are some seasonal or favorite foods that you’re interested in eating?

What is a reasonable and achievable goal to have with regards to the holiday goodies available?

Suggestions:

Here are a few goals and ideas for success this holiday season.

• Only bring into your home what you wish to eat. If you want to limit how many sweets you eat, start by limiting how many you bring home. You can’t eat something that isn’t there.

• Be honest with yourself. If you choose to eat that cookie, don’t choose to also walk a path of pain. Leave self-loathing, shame, guilt, and any other negativity at the door. Instead choose acceptance, compassion, and love.

• Talk to your family, ask them for help. This could mean limiting what sweets they bring home, not eating all those brownies around you, or maybe even being a reminder of your goal. If you ask them to help remind you of your goal, also please remember to be kind to them when they help you out.

• Front load your meal. Most diabetics can tell you how important it is to first eat your vegetables before eating your carbs and sweets. The reason for this is that carbs and sweets get digested quickly in the body and when not balanced and proceeded by alkaline foods, your blood sugar can spike. So, if you do eat desert fill your stomach with greens first.

• Choose alternative recipes. Remove the damage of gluten and dairy behind by baking gluten and dairy-free goodies. They make wonderful plant-based butter, plant-based milks, and gluten free flours these days. It doesn’t take much to change a preexisting recipe. Or if you are brownie box kind of person, they come in gluten-free too.

Each time we sit down to eat we have a choice. What we eat and how much influences how we feel at the end of the meal. This holiday season, set yourself up for success by taking a moment to consider what is an attainable goal for you.