My good friend Caz is heading off for a week to spend time with her family and asked me what did I think she could add to her 'pack of staples' that she was taking with her. I thought it was a brilliant idea to have a pack of staples to tide you over Christmas. Another Mum friend in Perth told me how, from being a Paleo Die Hard she has "started to eat crackers, chocolate bars, ice cream, occasional bread, beer, peanuts and other crappy foods - the result has shocked me. I feel like a walking zombie, tired, constantly hungry and the bloating is disgusting." She added "you'd think I'd jump back into healthy eating but the addiction to crap eating is proving hard to break - so girlfriend if you've got any detox tips I'd love to hear them!"
My friend Jo said that already her eating has taken a slide and she has "been eating *gasp* bread" (her emphasis). That is what has inspired me to write this blog. It's not that I am saying don't enjoy Christmas I am just saying that there are ways to enjoy Christmas without the downsides of feeling crap. It's human nature to try to 'get away with as much as we can' and only you are the judge of what you can get away with as you know yourself best. Maybe eating 75 candy canes, drinking 3 red bulls, eating Maccas and drinking six beers doesn't affect you? But if you are like Caz, or my Mummy pal in Perth or Jo or myself - you are looking for balance - here are a few tips. I would love your feedback in the comments below if you have any other suggestions to keep the tribe fighting fit over the holiday period.
Food
Lets start with the basics. You are the boss of what goes into your mouth, don't be pressured into eating anything that you know won't serve you well, just to please your Aunt Gladys. If you know that eating something is going to disagree with you but you decided to eat it anyway then do it and enjoy it and ditch the guilt. Like my friend Caren who is planning a diversion from her mostly GF diet with a gluten filled treat in Tasmania "Will definitely be eating gluten in Tassie but only for the curried scallop pies :)" Sometimes it is interesting to switch on and be aware of how an old favourite feels now. You may notice less of a reaction which could mean your gut lining has healed and is less inflamed, or you may notice a swift return to those horrible GI symptoms and that may be enough to keep you off the gluten for the rest of 2015. Overall, own your food choices and take responsibility.
I think that having the basics on hand in the form of primal bread, milk, snacks and treats will be the glue that forms your day. Make some Paleo Bread or treat yourself to some time off cooking and buy some of the more high quality gluten free breads on the market like Serafines. Make up some almond milk and whip up some of the many paleo treats available on the net from places like Wholefood Simply. Platters can be primal friendly if you include some organic cheeses (if tolerated), beetroot hummus, olives, veggie sticks, guacamole, veggie chips, macadamia nuts, homemade pates with organ meats and so on. Avoid the rice crackers and use veggies instead or make some seeds crackers.
The traditional Christmas meal is pretty primal friendly with it being meat and veg or salad. Be aware of gluten in the gravy and stuffing. How about taking some of your arrowroot flour to Aunt Glady's house and ask if she can substitute that in the gravy instead of the wheaten flour? You could tell your family you are eating gluten free now, that's pretty normal these days and you never know you may be able to inspire other family members to become primal too once they notice your healthy glow, happy disposition and possible weight loss! If and only when you get asked "so what's your secret" do you start to tell them all about this amazing new way of life!!! Trust me I have chewed many an uninterested ear off, it's not worth it. Some folk are resistant.
Both Sarah Wilson and Pete Evans in Family Food have a whole section on low sugar paleo Christmas recipes including ham, turkey, prawns, Christmas kraut, mince pies (yes really), trifle, raw Christmas puddings and eggnog. Pete's Family Food is the book I recommend the most for family's on the paleo way. Good Christmas present maybe?
Barbeques and pot luck meals are common over summer and easy to keep primal by choosing veggies, meat and good fats - pass on the pasta salad!
Rest assured that the antioxidants consumed in a primal diet will go along way to balancing out any over doing it you may do over Christmas.
Drink
In moderation, or not at all. It's not weird to not drink and frankly no one really cares what you are doing so you could even accept a glass and take all night to drink it. Or if you enjoy a wine, enjoy a couple but space them out, try not to drink on an empty stomach and drink water too. Red wine and white spirits seem to be the most primal friendly but watch out for mixers which may be full of sugar.
Sugar
Note that anything more than a teaspoon of sugar consumed will elicit an insulin cascade on the body. We are hard wired to desire sugar and to never be satisfied by it so don't blame yourself, its in your evolutionary genes. It depends on you, if you can stop after one chocolate then have one, if you know you'll eat all the box then don't buy them. Go for more high quality chocolates as more % cocoa means less % sugar. If you do enjoy the sugary Christmas pud with rum white sauce followed by half a box of Celebrations then counter it out by going for a walk to help use up the excess glucose in the blood and keep the next meal or the food the next day low carb.
Excitement
Too much excitement puts the sympathetic nervous system into a state of 'fight or flight' in much the same way as being stressed out does. So be mindful to balance your excitement with some activities and actions to activate your para sympathic nervous system which stimulates the body to 'rest and digest'.
Some suggestions include: taking a nap, spending time outside in nature such as a walk on the beach or in the park, playing outside - cricket anyone? Have a good deep breath when you feel the tension building and take time to laugh and be present to enjoy those precious moments we are cultivating at Christmas time. Space the parties out with some jamas on early and lights out early nights, have an Epsom salt bath with candles, a swim in the ocean or read a book under a tree, have some afternoon delight with the one you love (did I just write that? - well I guess THAT is primal) book a massage and so on. Do what you love to do and don't let the self nurturing slide as this is when you could do with it most. Bear in mind that our primal genes do expect some solo time and being crowded and surrounded with family all the time isn't ideal. So maybe taking ten minutes to lie on a bed in a dark room with a mediation app such as Smiling Mind, or Mediation oasis could be just the ticket.
Don't stress
Do what you can with what you have at that moment in time during the holidays. Enjoy and Merry Christmas.
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