Healthy Holiday Feasting

The holiday season is upon us, which also means that feasting season has begun! Whether hosting family and friends at your home, contributing to a potluck or attending family gatherings or holiday parties, our eating habits can stray from the norm as we enjoy what the season has to offer. Comfort foods, sweets and indulgent treats seem to show up everywhere we turn.

But with the holiday season comes cold and flu season as well. Nature is telling us to slow down by shortening our days, encouraging us to settle in and rest. Our metabolism slows and the energy we get from the sun diminishes. Considering that the food we eat directly impacts our immune health and resilience, how can we find balance, enjoying the delights of the season without allowing our health to take a hit?

Here are some tips to keep in mind while savoring the season AND honoring self-care.

#1. Reduce sugar intake

Along with its effect on blood glucose and insulin levels, consumption of excess sugar has also been shown to reduce the function of immune cells and feed inflammation. The following are some considerations to help reduce your sugar intake:

Try baking instead of buying your favorite dessert. Store-bought baked goods, pies and desserts are not made with your health in mind. They are usually loaded with sugar, high-fructose corn syrup and other unhealthy ingredients such as inflammatory “vegetable” or seed oils for maintaining a long shelf-life.

Reduce the amount of sweeteners in your baking. Often times reducing a recipe’s sugar content by 1/4 to 1/3 of the amount will not make a noticeable difference in the taste. And if it does, consider using honey, maple syrup, date sugar or coconut sugar as a partial (or full) replacement. Coconut sugar is a great 1:1 replacement for white or brown sugar. These natural sweeteners are less inflammatory and have a lower glycemic index, which does not spike your insulin levels to the same degree.

If you need to buy a pre-made dessert, look for healthier ingredients including natural sweeteners (listed above) and healthier fats such as butter, ghee, coconut oil or avocado oil.

Ditch the drinks. Replace soda and juices with alternative beverages such as flavored sparkling water or seltzers or more health-conscious soda drinks. Beware of non-dairy milks as they can have a very high sugar content.

#2. Practice mindful eating

Psychologist Christopher Willard describes mindful eating as “the practice of being fully attentive to your food, your feelings, your hunger and your satiety cues.” Let’s be honest; the holidays can bring up more than just pure joy and warm and fuzzy feelings. Many come into the season stressed, overworked, lonely or struggling with anxiety or depression. It is from those places that we lose touch with our relationship to food, often eating to satiate more than our physical hunger. Here are some tips to nurture a more conscious relationship with what we eat, especially during the holidays.

Slow down. When we slow down, we tend to make more conscious choices in what we eat and are more likely to listen to our body’s cues, avoiding over-eating. Eating slowly also improves digestion.

Avoid “distracted” eating. Similarly, when we are distracted instead of mindful, we tend to ignore our body’s signals, eat to soothe our emotions and lose touch with the quality and amount of food we are eating.

Avoid shopping while hungry and surround yourself with healthier and more mindful options. You cannot eat the junk that is not there. Instead of grazing or snacking, set yourself up with a plate of food and be intentional about how and when you eat it.

#3. Pre-game with your kids

If you know that holiday meals will be a struggle for your kids, feed them some high-protein and fiber snacks before you leave the house. They will be less likely to over-indulge on the breads and sweets and you will be more satisfied to know that they’ve had some degree of nutrition that day.

#4. It is OK to do things differently

It can be difficult to be counter cultural. Being intentional about healthy food choices may inconvenience you and you may be misunderstood by those in your circles. Don’t let that discourage you from choosing self-care this holiday season. Your health is worth it and your body will be ever-grateful.