Here are a 5 more tips that can help you stay on track over the Holiday season:
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AVOID CHEESE
Most of my clients tell me that they simply can’t give up cheese, and if you’ve been a cheese lover all your life, this is a tough one! The issue here is the protein in cheese can be very difficult to digest, causing constipating, and severe gut irritation. When combined with sugars (breads and crackers)cheese can also cause severe bloating. Luckily there are many alternative cheese substitutes coming from nut butters that are not only delicious but also easy to find. The last time I hosted a dinner party and served the cheese alternative on my charcuterie board, everyone thought they were eating cheese but it was a cashew butter spread!
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MAKE YOUR OWN DIPS
Most of the time store bought dips are loaded with sugars and artificial flavours and sodium. Making your own ensures that you are in control of all ingredients. Here’s a recipe that incorporates the cheesy flavour:
All Purpose Cheese Wiz1/4 cup of raw cashews
11/4 cup of diced peeled potatoes 1/3 cup of carrots diced
2-3 tbsp of nutritional yeast
2 tbsp of coconut oil
2 tbsp plus 11/2 tsps of water 11/2 tsp of lemon juice
1/2 tsp of sea salt
1 medium garlic clove
1/2 tsp of white wine vinegar
Hot sauce ( optional)Soak the cashews in a bowl overnight or for at least 1 hour.
Rinse and drain. Boil the potatoes and carrots over high heat, reduce heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes, until fork tender. Drain.
Transfer the cashews, potatoes, and carrots to a blender. Add nutritional yeast, coconut oil, water, lemon juice, 1/2 tsp of salt, garlic, vinegar and blend until smooth. If it is too thick you can add some water. Add Sriracha if you like a little spice. -
AVOID SUGAR
Choose raw honey, maple syrup, or agave for recipes as opposed to refined sugar. This can make a huge difference when you bake for your kids in an effort to reduce their sugar intake. Raw honey for example is extremely nutritious. To substitute 1 cup of sugar in a recipe, use 2/3 cup honey and decrease other liquids by 1/4 cup as there is water in honey as well.
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DRINK MINDFULLY
We all tend to have some alcohol in home over the Holidays. When purchasing wine, for example, check the amount of sugar and sulphites in the bottle. This can make a huge difference not only with weight gain, but also how you process the wine. Sulphites can be very disturbing, causing headaches and nausea… AKA “hangovers”! Choose bottles with low sugar content and drink moderately.
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MAKE SURE TO ENJOY
Last but not least, don’t stress about your choices when you’re eating out or are invited as a dinner guest. The worst thing you can do is get yourself into a frenzy and forget to enjoy the moment. If you accepted the invite, then it’s your time to indulge. What you do once in a while will not affect you as much as what you have in your kitchen on a daily basis. Stress raises insulin and this will cause digestive issues, weight gain and unnecessary stress.
Have a wonderful Holiday season!