8 Ways to Eat Healthy During the Holidays

The following is an article written by Karly Randolph Pitman that I am sure you will enjoy...

Holidays and sugar are intertwined in our culture. How do you enjoy the love, intimacy, and celebration of the holidays without the sweet stuff?

We use sugar to express love, both to others and ourselves. It's a glue that connects us with our families, particularly when the sugar involves celebration: birthdays, holidays, graduations, and anniversaries. Abstaining from sugar can feel like a lack of love, can make you feel deprived, and can make you feel like an outsider.

We all want to belong. This need to feel loved can persuade us to go along with the crowd, to do things that hurt ourselves. On a simple, practical level, this can mean eating foods that make us feel (and look) like crap. But sugar is not love. Here are 8 ways to have the intimate, joyful holidays that you desire without the guilt, frustration, and extra pounds that come from eating junk.

For further reading, you may want to read this article on how to avoid holiday weight gain and stress: two seemingly dissimilar things that share the same cause.

8 Ways to Eat Healthy During the Holidays:

1. Question your thinking. You are not your mind, your thoughts. Detach from what it says: you do not have to obey, listen, or feel trapped by its ramblings. When my mind's critical, telling me I'm pathetic because I can't eat sugar, or offers sly suggestions: You're feeling so good, it won't hurt to have one bite of pie, I label it as such. Not helpful, I tell myself, sometimes even out loud. This mantra silences that voice and enables me to see those crazy thoughts for what they are: crazy. Observe; pause, then react. Give yourself time and space to question your thinking.
2. Give what you want to receive. Love has a rebound effect. As you give love, you feel beloved yourself. We can be so focused on our own wants and needs, that we miss out on the very thing that we desire from others. Instead of focusing on what you do or don\'t get from your family, friends, spouse, or children this holiday season, give the love you seek. A few years ago, when money was tight, I gave handwritten letters to friends and family for Christmas. I shared how grateful I was to have them in my life; I shared what I loved about them. I felt more love and holiday spirit that year than every other Christmas combined. Funny, I didn\'t crave or eat any sugar that Christmas, either.
3. Be proactive. If you're trying to abstain from your Aunt Flo's famous pumpkin pie, figure out your plan before you're sitting down to Thanksgiving dinner. Will you bring a healthy snack that you can eat instead, such as a baked apple with cinnamon? Will you talk to Aunt Flo beforehand so that she understands your not eating her pie is not a personal attack? Other ideas: seek out an ally. Ask your spouse, mom, or sibling for support. Say to them, "I'm trying to stay away from sugar this holiday. Can you help me if I'm feeling tempted?" Other ways to help yourself: rehearse what you'll say to well-meaning relatives who try and persuade you to have "Just one bite." Bring a dish that you can eat, so even if there aren't many healthy options at the table, you won't be too hungry. Or eat a light meal beforehand so you don't show up starving: a slippery road to temptation.
4. Find the essence of what you want. What's driving your need for ice cream, cake, and candy? How does eating sugar with loved ones make you feel? The answers to these questions hold the key to easing your desire for sugar. After all, if we don't want it in the first place, it's much easier to say, "No." I felt lonely during much of my childhood. But when I was with my large, loving extended family, I felt as if belonged. It's no wonder that I craved the sweets that I had during these times together: they were my favorite childhood memories, times when I felt secure and loved. It's taken me a long time to figure out how to create those feelings of belonging without indulging in the sugar: the essence of what I want, the need underneath the crazy sugar binging. Here are creative ways that I create belonging without sugar: I go to mass on Christmas Eve with my favorite aunt. I do arts and crafts with my children and nieces and nephews instead of cookie baking. I go Christmas shopping with my mom and sister-in-law. I host a potluck with friends, with carols, games and plenty of non-sugary healthy foods. These examples create a lush, celebratory holiday feel, and intimate connection: what I wanted in the cookies in the first place.
5. Seek accountability. Be kind to yourself: find support. We spend so much time toughing it out on our own, trying to do it all ourselves. But we aren't meant to live this way. Find a partner, a friend, your walking buddy, or even a counselor who can provide support. Share your intention with loved ones so that they can help keep you on track. Otherwise, it's too easy to bargain with yourself, to falter because "one piece of pie won't hurt." I have a coach that I speak with every week. She keeps me accountable to my goals and breaks through my stinking thinking when I'm trying to justify eating crappy food. My children know about my sugar abstinence, and will remind me if I try and tiptoe into the granola. For online support, try the forums at radiantrecovery.com, 3fatchicksonadiet.com or check out this list of resources.
6. Be prepared. I guarantee that if you don't keep your home stocked with healthy eating options, you will eat sugar. Plan ahead so that you don't eat junk just because you're famished and you don't have anything healthy to eat. Here's how I do it: I cook a bunch of food on Sundays, and then eat them throughout the week. I make a huge tossed salad with a variety of raw veggies. I bake a bunch of sweet potatoes and winter squash in the oven. I cook up a pot of black beans that I can add to salads all week long. I grill some fish, bison and chicken to have for easy protein options. I keep my fruit bowl stashed with bananas and apples to eat with almonds for a quick snack. My freezer always has bags of frozen veggies that I can use to make a quick stir fry in a pinch. I roast whatever veggies are in season (right now I'm doing a mix of eggplant, zucchini, yellow squash, onions and potatoes) in a big batch, and then add them to my meals. While it may sound like a lot of work, these steps take very little time. My planning is the difference between eating processed junk or healthy, whole foods when life is hectic.
7. Take food with you. If you spend a lot of time in your car or away from home, take food with you. This is another example of how preparation can keep you on track. If I'm going to be gone for an hour or so, I always take a piece of fruit, some almonds and a bottle of water. For longer trips, I pack an insulated lunch box with fruit, nuts, cooked veggies, some protein, and several bottles of water. These steps can keep you from grabbing a Coke and fries at the food court, because when you're hungry, you'll have healthy food to eat.
8. Rest. "Fatigue makes cowards of us all." Physiologically, a lack of sleep can make us crave sugar, because we're looking for a way to boost our energy. This is why solid sleep is so important. But fatigue also erodes our willpower. Structure goes out the window: we skip meals because we don't feel like cooking; we avoid the gym because we're too tired to work out. We grab junk on the go instead of sitting down to real food. Pencil in rest. Schedule downtime, transitions, and margin for yourself: a space between activities. Give yourself a cushion --- is it realistic to accomplish 10 errands today or 3? --- so that you're not pushing yourself too hard. This gives you room for the entropy that accompanies daily life (missing keys, a broken printer; a sick child) without grabbing a candy bar for stress relief.

About the author: Karly Randolph Pitman struggled with depression, sugar addiction, low self-esteem, a negative body image, and mom overwhelment for several years. But this mother of four learned to mother herself, transforming her health, family life, relationship with food, and her relationship with her body. Learn more about this evangelist for self-care at FirstOurselves.com

Recipe: Citrus-Stuffed Herbed Turkey

Here's a recipe I thought you might like, direct from the pages of "The Healthiest Meals on Earth" (which, by the way, has a lot of other ideas for holiday eating). See what you think!




Prep Time: Overnight to brine, overnight again for optional drying, and 30 minutes to prepare for cooking.

Cook Time: 3 hours and 45 minutes to 4 hours and 15 minutes, plus 20 minutes to rest before carving

Ingredients

Brining Solution
You will need 2 to 3 gallons (8 to 12 L) of brining solution for an 18- to 20-pound (8- to 9-kg) turkey.

Per gallon (4 L) of water:

• 1 cup (300 g) sea salt or kosher (not table salt)
  
• 1/2 cup (170 g) raw honey
  
• 2 teaspoons (4 g) finely grated lemon peel, optional
  
• 2 teaspoons (4 g) orange peel, optional
  
• 1/2 tablespoon cardamom pods, optional
  
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme, optional

Turkey

• 1 18- to 20-pound (8- to 9-kg) free-range, not self-basting, turkey
  
• 8 sprigs each of fresh rosemary (young and tender, not woody), sage, and thyme (or other herbs of your choice), rinsed and lightly dried (should total 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 cups or 55 to 90 g when coarsely chopped)
  
• 2 shallots, peeled and halved
  
• 1 whole head garlic, peeled and crushed
  
• 1 lemon
  
• 1 orange
  
• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick, or 55 g) butter, softened
  
• 2 tablespoons (28 ml) extra virgin olive oil
  
• Salt
  
• Ground black pepper
  
• 1/2 cup (120 ml) sherry

Starting with 2 gallons (8 L) of water, mix the brining solution in your roasting pan by combining all ingredients in correct proportions and stirring until the salt and honey are dissolved.

Rinse the turkey in plain water and pat it dry. Place the turkey in a lobster pot or large stockpot. (You can also use a plastic bucket if you line it with 2 or 3 clean garbage bags.) Pour in the brining solution to cover the turkey. If you need more brine to completely immerse the turkey, mix up another gallon. Place the turkey in the refrigerator for 12 to 24 hours. Remove the turkey from the brine, rinse very well under running water to remove all the brine, and dry thoroughly, including the cavity.

Preheat the oven to 400ºF (200ºC, gas mark 6).

Stem and coarsely chop the herbs, setting aside about three-quarters of them (1/2 to 1 cup or 40 to 60 g of herbs). Mince the remaining one-quarter (about
1/2 cup or 30 g) and put into a medium bowl. Add the shallots and garlic.

Quarter but do not peel the lemon and orange and squeeze them gently to make a little juice, tossing the fruit and juice together with the herb mixture.

In a small bowl, using your hands, mix the butter with the oil until creamy. Moving carefully so as not to puncture the skin, work your hand between the turkey skin and the breast as far as you can go to create a pocket over both breasts. Smear half of the butter-oil mixture over the breasts, covering as much meat as you can reach. Place half of the reserved, coarsely chopped herbs (or whole sprigs) in each pocket (on top of each breast). Do this carefully and when complete, gently reshape (from the outside) the herb "pouches" above each breast to look rounded and smooth. Salt and pepper the inside of both cavities and stuff them with the fruit and herb mixture. Tuck the wings behind the back, tuck the skin folds over the cavities to close, and truss the legs. Smear the entire bird with the remaining butter-olive oil mixture and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Slowly pour the sherry inside of the breast pockets, working it around to the leg joints.

Place a V rack inside of a roasting pan and cover it with foil. Poke about 15 holes into the foil. Place the turkey on the V rack, breast side down. Bake for 45 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 325ºF (170ºC, gas mark 3). Turn the turkey bird breast side up, baste (you can supplement the juices with a few tablespoons of sherry if you wish), cover with foil, and continue to cook for 2 1/2 to 3 hours more, depending on the size of the turkey.

Remove the foil to brown the breast and continue to cook for another 30 to 40 minutes, or until the thickest part of the breast and innermost parts of thighs and wings register 165ºF (74ºC) on a meat thermometer. (When the turkey is done, the legs should roll loosely on the joint, and the leg juices should run clear.)

Let the turkey rest on a cutting board for about 20 minutes before carving. Yield: For turkeys weighing more than 12 pounds, allow 1/2 to 3/4 pound (225 to 340 g) per person, so an 18-pound (8-kg) turkey can serve between 24 to 36 people.

Nine Tips for Cooking Healthy over the Holidays

Here are a few things that might come in handy as we move into the holiday season. I'll give you more as I think of them!

1. Make your own butter. For spreading on food (including cooked vegetables), try 2/3 butter mixed with 1/3 flaxseed oil; mash together and then put back in the fridge so it will solidify. It's a great blend of healthy fats. If you're using it for cooking or stir frying, mix 1/2 butter with 1/2 coconut oil, or even 1/2 and 1/2 with olive oil. (My personal recommendations: Barlean's Flax Oil and Barlean's Organic Virgin Coconut Oil are the best in their categories!)


2. Replace potatoes with mashed cauliflower- add a little butter (see above) and season with fresh herbs. And speaking of herbs, if you use fresh, fragrant herbs in your turkey, you'll be able to get away with a lot less stuffing- or even none!


3. Go organic to avoid hormones, pesticides and antibiotic residues in meat.


4. Replace mayonnaise with low-fat yogurt for tasty dressings without the extra calories and artificial stuff. (Note: There's absolutely nothing wrong with mayonnaise, especially when you make it yourself from whole eggs, but you'll save some calories this way. During holidays, every little bit helps.)


5. If you're going to have desserts, consider building them around nutrient dense foods like sweet potatoes, pecans and pumpkin. Even without a boatload of sugar these make great basics for a terrific desert, and they're way more loaded with nutrients than the usual cream pies. You might even feel a little better about overindulging if your choices are healthier.


6. Check the ingredients label on canned foods! High-fructose corn syrup is lurking everywhere and is certain to be in a lot of canned cranberries. Avoid sugar as much as possible. For small amounts of sweetening consider Xylitol or cold pressed raw honey.


7. When choosing honey try to find the raw, unfiltered, cold-pressed kind. It's still sugar, but at least it's actually a food and has some good stuff in it like enzymes and nutrients.


8. Don't go overboard on the number of courses. Studies show that the more options we have at the table, the more we eat. Stick with a few basics. You'll create a satisfying meal that doesn't overstuff your guests.


9. Consider serving a salad as the last course. You can make a really good (and small) dessert salad out of some crumbled blue cheese, candied walnuts or pecans, dried cranberries and a whole bunch of greens. Add a little raspberry or pomegranate dressing and you're in business!


Adapted from my book, "The Healthiest Meals on Earth"