With the holiday season soon upon us, a time when kids are off school, when most people have a few days off over Christmas and New year and thoughts of party food are starting to tempt us, how can we stay healthy while also giving ourselves a treat? How can we enjoy time with family and friends, which is often accompanied by high calorie food and drink, without feeling like the odd one out, or feeling deprived? Here are some ideas to help:
Jessie Inschaupé AKA The Glucose Goddess has some great tips that I've been incorporating into my day for about six months now. Her mission is to help curb glucose spikes, which can cause fatigue, weight gain and poor sleep. She suggests four tips which are easy to do and tasty too!
Eat savoury breakfasts and never let your carbs go naked - so if you're having a piece of cake, then add some protein or fat to it, like a piece of cheese, or some cream (coconut or cows milk).
Drink a spoon of vinegar (I reccomend Apple Cyder but it can be any vinegar) with a glass of water before a meal.
Eat your greens first - so a salad or mixed green veg, then your protein, then your carbs. This means that digestion will be slower, making the glucose released from the carbs slower - curbing the glucose spike!
Do something active for ten minutes after eating, like house-work, going for a walk, putting out the laundry, gardening and so on. This uses up the immediate glucose available, curbing the spike.
Based on the above - if you go out for dinner, or have a home cooked dinner with family, think of how you can apply these tips (which have been scientifically proven to curb your glucose spikes). So you could drink your vinegar drink before leaving the house, you could even eat a salad or some green leafy vegetables before leaving the house too - or order them as a starter. I have found that there is always salad or Veg availble as a side, in most restaurants. Be careful of the amount of carbohydrates you consume, and eat them last, after your protein. You could even go for a walk around the block, after eating, but that might be a little weird in a restaurant. However you could always share these tips with family and friends and take everyone out for a walk!
Start a meal with greens! For long-term health, what we eat every day in our homes has more of an impact on our health than the occasional trip out. If you've been eating for health at home all week and then go out on a Friday with friends, or have a day of Festive celebrations with family - that one day isn't going to make much of a difference. It's what you eat and drink day in, day out that counts. You can try having a variety of savoury breakfasts (as Jessie Inschaupé suggests) and avoiding simple carohydrates. Regular breakfasts of porridge with berries and ground flax seeds, or eggs and spinach with wholemeal toast, or greek yoghurt with pears, walnuts and chia seeds can start a day really well - keeping you regular and helping your microbiome gut balance.
Think of adding some healhty sides to your Christmas or New Year's meal - such as brasied Greens with nutmeg and garlic, steamed asparagus, roasted carrots in a honey glaze, braised red cabbage and so many more wonderful vegetable choices. For more ideas go to the BBC Good Food website.
Pay attention to your body. A few chocolates can taste nice, but taking a few every time the box makes its rounds, or a handful every time you pass the open box can quickly mean you have overindulged and can feel nauseous or wired with the sugar content. Perhaps eat a few really tasty ones - also I reccomend buying good quality chocolate with a higher cacao content - and keep a few in your bag for the next day. Eating a few chocolates after a good meal won't have much of an impact. Eating them before a meal, can make you crave more and have less of an appetite for the nutrient rich foods contained in your main meal.
If you have some time off work, why not go for a walk 30 minutes to an hour (or more!) a day? Spending time away from screens is so important for the brain, for eye health and connection with the people and animals in your life. A neighbour of ours often went for night walks up the forestry, with just a lamp on his forehead! I like to either walk after breakfast or after lunch, and exploring your local area for new walks can be really fun and give you a greater sense of the beauty in the area you live in.
