by Michael Biamonte, C.C.N
Step 1. Decide when and how you are going to cheat. Whether it is it a slice of Aunt Betties famous pie, a plate of latkes, a glass of egg nog, a tradition of baking cookies with your kids or champagne on New Years. Take a moment to evaluate what matters to do and commit to allowing yourself to cheat in this areawithout guilt. This is very important, as feeling of guilt can make you feel like you’ve blown it anyway and cause a cheating rampage
Step 2. Make the decisionon how you are going to cheat and stick with it,. Then figure out ways to avoid any other divergences. Examples of this are “ How about an extra serving of mashed potatoes” “ No thanks Dad, I’m saving room for Bettie’s pie!” or at the office Christmas party “ What no drink for you?” “ I think I may be coming down with a cold” or “Champagne/wine/cider gives me a headache” Whatever it is, you know the situations you will get into and if you have a plan on how to avoid them, the holidays will go much easier for your body.
Step 3. If you are attending a party or gathering, offer to bring foods that you can eat without incident, such as a veggie platter or gluten free stuffing. Also, try not to show up to a gathering starving, Your body will crave high carb/sugar foods and you are more likely to binge on whatever is available feel terrible later. It is also a good idea to bring snacks along for yourself if you are doing any traveling, mixed nuts or hard boiled eggs are great for a plane or car trip.
Step 4. Keep your next scheduled appointment, no matter how badly you may cheat or fall off the diet, its so easy to get into the vicious cycle of cheating, beating yourself up over it and pushing your appointment back. Throughout the years we have found that patients that keep a standard schedule, even when they may have gone astray, get back on track much faster. Keep in mind; you may not have done as much damage as you think as the stress of the holidays can make anyone feel rundown.
Other holiday tipsIf you overeat, take extra enzymes such as HCL acid to help your digestion.
If you get depressed, fatigued or light-headed from sugar and treats, take GTF Chromium (available at your local health food store), 200 mcg. per meal.
To avoid hangover, take 500 mg of Vitamin C, 100 mg of Vitamin B1, 200 mg of Cysteine (available at your local health food store) every hour while you are drinking. Also, drink lots of water; atleast one glass for every glass of alcohol.
Sugar and alcohol both deplete magnesium. A common symptom is waking up frequently during sleep. Supplement with magnesium if this occurs.
Avoid Nutrisweet. It can cause headaches, fatigue, and depression.
Increase your fiber intake if you’re eating sugary or starchy foods. This will slow down the absorption of calories from your meal.
Better Cheats:
We get a lot of questions about this, and honestly the best way to manage cheating is less about what you are eating than how much of it you eat. Just because you are going to have dessert doesn’t mean you have to go crazy at dinner, or just because you plan to cheat at dinner doesn’t mean to can’t have a sensible breakfast and lunch.
None the less, some things are worse than others, and some people react more strongly to certain things, if there is something that absolutely makes you feel terrible, do your best to avoid it.
Alchohol: Beer is one of the worst cheats, since it is high in carbs, contains gluten, and is fermented. Avoid it if you can.
Instead try Clear alcohols, like Vodka or gin with soda and a twist dash or squeeze of citrus, a bloody-mary, martini or a dry red wine.
Just desserts:
If you’ve been on a Candida diet for a while, you’d be surprised how satisfying chocolate covered strawberries or berries and fresh whipped cream or vanilla Crème anglaise can be.
Baked apples are also a great alternative and are quite festive. You can even make one or two of the batch with a sugar substitute for yourself See recipe on the side bar.
Try baking your favorite holiday pies with a nut crust, this can be particularly delicious with a pumpkin pie. Avoid recipes that call for corn syrup.
We hope that the information above helps you stay health and cheerful this holiday season,
From all of us here at the Biamonte center, Happy Holidays and we true look forward to helping you along the path to wellness in the New Year!
HOLIDAY OFFICE HOURS FOR DECEMBER 2011
– JANUARY 2012
Our office will be close from 4:00 PM EST on December 22nd and reopen on Tuesday December 27th at 9:30 EST. We will maintain regular office hours Tuesday, Wednedsay and Thursday, We will be closed Friday the 30th and will then reopen on January 3rd at 9:30 easten time