Americans gain about one pound during the holidays. Mostly, weight and disease risk they never lose, according to Dr. David A. Kessler who recognizes over 200 named disease conditions associated with excess weight. Not a reason for thanksgiving. Each person is unique in susceptibility and response, but we clearly need healthier holidays.
Here are a few suggestions:
Keep your holiday home a metabolic safe haven. Added sugar, refined carbs (aka—flour), and processed junkola are digested rapidly—quickly spiking blood glucose and requiring gobs of insulin—the hormone that stores the excess food energy as new fat. We’re talking dose-dependent chronic toxins, according to “Bright Line Eating: The Science of Living Happy, Thin, and Free.” Keep that bowl of whole fruit. Chuck the plates of Christmas cookies.
In their study of fiber intake for the American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine, Diane Quagliani and Patricia Felt-Gunderson say 90% of readers probably consume too little plant fiber. Meals high in “rainbows” contain terrific fiber, meaning fewer digestible calories. Filling and nutrient-dense, they don’t hack your hormones! Augment your main dishes with colorful plant-strong appetizers, salads, soups, and sides, or create alternative plant-based mains.
Your car can’t be repaired while underway. Neither can your body and brain. A good sleep routine on an empty stomach benefits nightly repair. After supper, floss and brush to signal, “All done. All through!” Late-night eating and non-stop digestion blocks boosts fat-making and disease risk. Nature’s rest-period extends, roughly, 12 hours from supper to “break-fast.”
Burl Sheldon