Ah, holiday gatherings. Special dinners. Lavish desserts. Too much alcohol. Potluck. Chocolate – lots of chocolate. Office parties. School parties. Grandma and Aunti Jane’s high-carb-high-fat dinners.
Eat. Eat. Eat.
Who wants to say no to any of this?
Typically, no one who is submerged in the happy holiday spirit of friends and family gatherings wants to say, “No thanks. I’ll just nibble on this piece of celery.”
The holiday season is the one time of the year that you typically break all of your rules.
How To Break Your Rules
Here are some ways that you can break your rules and enjoy yourself without feeling guilty:
Go On and Eat That Wonderful Dessert Grandma Made
- Enjoy having that dessert or sweet treat you would typically deny eating throughout the year, but eat smaller portions – about 1/2 your common serving; a smaller piece of cake or pie is better than no piece at all;
- Eat your holiday treats slowly so that a smaller piece of dessert stretches further and lasts longer;
- Don’t eat anything with artificial sweeteners; kindly say NO to sweets with aspartame, Ace-K, or sucralose, and go find a piece of Belgium chocolate instead.
Eat Raw
- Holiday cooking always has a variety of dishes on the buffet table, so make sure to select equal proportions of cooked to raw;
- Raw foods have less calories;
- Little to no chemical preservatives are in raw foods;
- Raw foods can keep your pH in check;
- You can eat more of the raw foods than the cooked foods (meats, pastas and breads), and still be full by the time you select your dessert.
Detox
When you break your dietary “rules” at a holiday party, simply detox that night before you go to bed or when you wake up first thing in the morning. This really helps if you indulge in too much sugar or alcohol.
Nothing detoxes alcohol from your bloodstream better than 50 to 100 mg of pure B3 niacin. It’ll lessen a hangover, too, but remember to never take pure niacin on an empty tummy – it’ll give you a stomach ache.
So, detox before, during and after your holiday cheat days.
Toxins in – toxins out.
Check out my 10-Step Detox Program during this holiday season – I keep a jar of the French Green Clay on my kitchen counter at all times because when I break my rules, I drink my clay.
Bye bye guilt. And you’ll feel better, too.
Exercise
It is important to always stay active at all times, but if you have been eating or drinking more than your norm, step up your exercise.
Walk at lunch or before bed, swim and exercise in the pool, ride a bike…. find something you enjoy and will do at least 20 minutes every other day. Choose an activity appropriate for your fitness level, and gradually increase the intensity and duration of your workout times.
No Guilt
Loosen up a bit to enjoy your friends and family during the holidays, and break some of your rules, if even just a little.
Don’t feel guilty if you eat and drink outside of your daily disciplined program. DO avoid highly processed foods, junk GMOs, and diet products, and select the best choices at the holiday table – eat, drink and be merry!
Happy is good for your health!
Contact me in January, and I’ll help you restart your new year back on track with good eating habits.
Happy Holidays from The Hullistic Network.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only, and is educational in nature. The FDA may not have evaluated some of the statements. This article is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Please discuss with your own, qualified health care provider before adding supplements or making any changes to your dietary program.
Before taking vitamins, consult your doctor; pre-existing medical conditions or medications you are taking can affect how your body responds to multivitamins.
