Tips for a joyful and lower-carb Happy Holiday / Merry Christmas-time

Lifestyle and diet is always a personal choice, mine is LCHF, some readers may choose to eat vegetarian, or vegan, some choose a Mediterranean style diet, while others talk low carb or keto. With the Christmas and Holiday season upon us many find themselves over-eating and not making the best (or wisest) of choices! 

For me, the real joy of Christmas has always been enjoying the company of family and friends, playing games, going for walks, watching TV, relaxing, laughing and giving and receiving gifts – it doesn’t have to revolve around food! Yes, food is important, but you can enjoy some festive fare without having to overindulge or fall off the lower-carb wagon!

Here are some tips to help you get the best out of your lower-carb Christmas this year:

Planning your Christmas dinner:

Focus on what you can eat rather than what you can’t. There are plenty of Christmas inspired foods you can eat. Most of Christmas dinner can be lower-carb e.g. Turkey or other meats, Brussels sprouts, peas, a few carrots, pigs in blankets (sausages wrapped in bacon).

For vegetarians a lower-carb nut roast is great, and a wonderful piece of salmon would be ideal for pescatarians!

Add in your carb substitutes: 

Roast or mashed celeriac, or mashed cauliflower instead of potatoes, your family and friends may not even notice the difference!

Instead of Christmas pudding make something like this lower carb orange and gingerbread cheesecake from Diet Doctor - see here

Eating out/Christmas parties:

Plan ahead! You have less control over what you eat when you are eating away from home, so a bit of planning is needed. If you are unsure whether the party food on offer is going to be suitable then pack a few of your own snacks into a bag and subtly eat those.

Choose carefully from your host’s selection, there will probably be some things you can eat such as meat-based kebabs, cheese, salads or prawns.

Try and avoid party food that is covered in batter or breadcrumbs or contains pastry such as vol-u-vents.

Practice saying, “I don’t eat that” rather than “I can’t eat that”. The former sounds like a positive health decision and your host may admire your willpower, whereas the latter sounds like an externally imposed restriction which may lead your host to say, “oh go on, of course you can, its Christmas!”. Practice saying “No thank you” when offered food you don’t want to eat – you are not obliged to eat free food if you don’t want to.

Be careful around alcohol. A glass of wine or a gin and tonic is fine if it helps you feel part of the celebrations. Avoid the punch even if it’s non-alcoholic because it will be full of sweetened mixers such as fruit juice or lemonade. The best soft drinks are either tap water or carbonated water without any flavourings.

Hosting your own party:

There are lots of lower-carb finger food/snack options if you are hosting your own party, try some of the recipes from the Step Away From the Carbs - see here. Your guests may not even notice there are no carbs if the foods you provide are delicious, and no doubt more nutritious than the usual party fare!

If you feel obliged to provide some carb-based snacks for your guests, then arrange the table with the low-carb foods on one side and the high-carb foods on the other so you can easily find the foods you want to eat and you can stay away from the higher carb end of the table!

Try and stick with your usual eating times:

Try and stick with your low-carb eating pattern. If you eat 2 meals a day, try and stick to it. Likewise, try and keep to your time-restricted eating window as much as you can. The more of your usual routine you can follow the better. This means you won't have to try and 'get back to normal' after Christmas because you will never have left your new normal!

If you need to snack make sure its on nuts, cheese or olives, or other permissible lower carb food choices

If you get a sugar craving then eat something bitter to take it away such as a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar, lemon peel, black coffee, dandelion tea, green veggies or put a pinch of salt under your tongue. Bitter foods interact with receptors in your gut to increase the secretion of the appetite suppressing hormone Cholecystokinin (CCK)

Drink plenty of water so that you don’t confuse thirst for hunger.

If you feel overwhelmed with temptation at Christmas just keep reminding yourself of why you have chosen this (lower carb) lifestyle and what benefits you are gaining from it such as less bloating, less joint pain, lower blood pressure, more stable blood sugars, no energy slumps, a greater sense of control and improved mental well-being. Focus on the joy of being with family and friends, offer to organise some games or arrange a family walk to keep you distracted from food. You can still enjoy yourself at Christmas without sabotaging your longer-term goals.

Above all have a Happy Holiday / Merry Christmas time!

Most words above taken from article seen here

You will find a variety of articles and recipes within this blog, and not all may be suitable for you. If you may have any food allergies, or underlying health issues these must always be taken into account. If you are a diabetic and not sure how certain foods may affect your blood sugars, test is best, i.e., use your meter. If you have any concerns about your health, it is always advisable to consult your doctor or health care team.

All the best Jan