Do you feel you
are relegated to the same holiday options for meals, gifts, cards and so on?
Every year do you encounter the same issues of weight gain, holiday rush
stress, dealing with in-law expectations, and too many social engagements
crammed into the week and weekend? Some of us can disconnect and not succumb to
the holiday brainwashing, while others bemoan it but love it all the same, and
some of us embrace it with enthusiasm; rolling up the sleeves to dive right in
the day after Thanksgiving, if not before. For the love and hate group, there
are ways to address the holidays by recognizing the alternatives and then
embracing them.
Consider this list of alternatives for three areas that effect everyone:
- Encroaching social events: What to make? Will it taste good? How to not go frazzled? If bringing a dish, it’s less stressful to rely on a repertoire of menu items to choose from that includes appetizers, mains and desserts. This relieves the last minute stress of finding the perfect potluck dish to bring or even serve. Remember to have a variety to choose from and pick dishes that fit individuals with different tastes. My husband and I recently moved, which initiated a process of uploading all of my recipes to soft copy form. However, in the midst of this practice, I ended up losing some recipes and when the time came for a pre-Thanksgiving potluck with desserts I was at a loss. This was an unusual situation for me since desserts are my specialty and I am rarely at a loss. I learned that an easily accessible repertoire of desserts is best for preventing last minute crises, shopping and kitchen snafus. I have a cake, cookie, chocolate, easy, low cost, "wow", & healthy dessert on my list-- all of which I have tried and know will bring a smile to the guests’ faces. Without this alternative, I spend hours picking out the recipe and mulling over which to choose, then I spend the whole day beforehand trying to ensure I get the right ingredients to make it effortlessly and perfectly. Although potluck events culminate in the December time frame, the best way to prepare is to space out your calendar and prioritize. You can't attend them all without sacrificing your sanity.
- Holiday feasts – Want alternatives to those heavy laden holiday items? Want to conquer the holiday feast without damaging your waistline or energy? Try bringing healthy alternatives such as dips, spelt/corn or even quinoa based chips as a gluten free alternative. Bring marinated veggies, whole grain based sides and lean meat entrees. Check out recipe ideas here - I'll be adding holiday ones shortly. For desserts, focus on quality and not super sugary items. Clean food (whole, unprocessed) is digested more easily and provides more satisfaction. Everyone loves nuts! Bring a roasted, unsalted mix. When attending that big holiday feast or if you have two of them, don't skip your earlier meals, have a salad instead, eat moderately throughout the day and don’t go to the feast ravenous. Drink water mainly and if drinking alcohol alternate with water for every drink. I find sparkling water or club soda with two limes is quite crisp and helpful in quenching the need for a refreshing alternative beverage. Leave space on your plate between items as this ensures you don't over pile. If you have several options for a food type (e.g., potatoes) try a golf ball size of each dish or choose one and have a larger portion if it’s a favorite. Remember the holidays are about indulging, but as Andrea Beaman puts it.... it's a "day" not a holi-week and an excuse to go hog-wild.
- Dealing with in-laws –Who do I visit? Will I anger anyone? Choose the in-laws you will visit. Have that discussion sooner than later with the appropriate individuals. Increase your energy by prioritizing your time and bandwidth. It's not a personal affront to the family member to not spend time with them if the trade-off is to be less chaotic, more centered and less frazzled. Explain how spreading yourself too thin doesn't benefit anyone and leads to scattered conversations, rushing off to next gathering, resentment and a lack of focus on the individual at the time. Set aside time to spend with this family member on another holiday or day. The Thanksgiving holiday is short enough without having to deal with travel delays and traffic. You will have more energy if you build in the time for rest and repose.
- Chewing - Yes, I said chewing. Chewing has several benefits for digestion, even for regulating your intake of food. Aside from ensuring your food is in smaller pieces for easier digestion, chewing also slows down your eating process. Have you ever tried to chew a piece of food 20 times? Try it especially with meat and see what happens. Check out my guest writer's (DahliMama) realizations after chewing her food several times. For the holidays this is a good practice to slow the ingestion of delightful goodies. Chew slowly making sure you taste every bite. Savor the cookie. Don't chew and talk. Eat as though you will only get one time to try this savory goodie. This tactic also reinforces why I focus on quality food vs fat free, devoid of flavor, artificially enhanced food because the higher quality food creates a greater ability to savor the bites. One alternative to help offset holiday party binging is to chew your food, don't talk while eating (that’s rude) and really enjoy what you are eating. This also stops you from inhaling the inferior quality or items you just don't prefer to chew.
What all of these choices do is provide you the control and power to
engage in the holidays at your speed, putting your needs in the driver's seat. Most importantly, taking control of your
choices will provide you with a renewed sense of energy mentally and
physically. As we all know, energy is key for the marathon that is the
holidays, which leads me to the last step in maintaining wellness during the
holidays: sleep and self-care.
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