Christmas & Holiday Party Season: Tips to stay healthy, avoid weight gain!

Healthy Stress free Holiday Party Season

Wall Street Journal Best Seller Dr. M's Seven-X Plan for Digestive Health

Holiday season starting on Thanksgiving represents joyful and fun times. At the same time, they are full of stress unless of course you are a child whose only stress is what things to include in Christmas wish list.

Above notwithstanding, it is not difficult to make it a mostly fun season with proper planning.

Challenges:

Healthy people need to make sure they don’t get carried away, that they do not add on extra pounds that can be difficult to take off by the bikini summer season.
Overweight and obese folks need to be able to continue their weight control journey.
Diabetics need to make sure that the blood sugar stays under control.
People with hypertension and heart failure need to make sure they minimize stress for wide blood pressure fluctuations that can sometimes have disastrous consequences.

And so on.

Is It Leaky Gut or Leaky Gut Syndrome?

Before going to a party:

Try taking a short nap before the party.
Eat a small salad with healthy dressing eg vinegar.
If you are going to a pot-luck dinner, take something t hat meets with your own dietary requirements so you will have something to eat consistent with your needs. A good example is skewered roasted vegetables. Trust me, there will be more than enough cakes and pies---it is not a competition.

Make the party predominantly about you. Unless dress code is specified, err on the side of under, rather than over-dressing. Over dressing consumes extra time and carries more stress with it.

At the party:

Sit at a table farthest from the serving tables. An added advantage is that you will be have a panoramic view if you like people-watching---who is meeting who, what are they wearing and what are the hot topics of conversation, without being part of the conversation.

Use only the small plates when you get food from the buffet table. Likewise, use only small forks and spoons.
Eat slow! There is a communication delay between your full stomach sensation and the brain. Eating fast is linked to weight gain.
Focus on water and low calorie beverages for fluid intake.
If you must drink, refrain from mixed drinks that are loaded with calories, e.g Screw-driver, white Russian, sex on the beach, daiquiris etc.

Is It Leaky Gut or Leaky Gut Syndrome?

If you are hosting a party:

Lack of regulation is likely to result in too many desserts and few healthy foods.

Specify certain foods in sign-up list rather than keeping it open ended.
There should be a significant component of vegetables and fruit, cooked and otherwise.
Likewise, specify whole wheat rolls, rather than just any bread rolls. Otherwise it will be white bread rolls only at the party!
Limit the fried foods as must as possible. They re loaded with calories and promote inflammation.

Don’t over-do in your own food contributions. It is okay to run out of a dish---it means it was a great dish! Leftover in large trays look ugly after you eat and represent a storage problem.

Between the party days:

Don’t slack on your exercise routine. In fact, spend extra 10 minutes in the gym to counter negative effects of party food and holiday stress. My favorite is yoga for exercise and stress reduction.

Try a 10-minute walk after lunch and dinner as much as possible.

Practice punctuated fasting.

Intermittent fasting is great for health throughout the year, and especially so during the holiday season when your food and stress related inflammation in your system is high and needs to be countered.
4-5 fasting days between Thanksgiving and New Year’s would go a long way in keeping you healthy.
Don’t forget to drink your fluids during fasting.
If “full” fasting is not up your alley, try grain-free, meat-free, dairy-free weekends.

Tips for healthy strategies for fasting/detox are described in more detail in Dr. M's Seven-X Plan for Digestive Health

Caution about fasting:

Diabetics must discuss this strategy with the physician to see if it is appropriate from them before undertaking.

Pregnant women should not practice fasting.

No matter what your situation, always discuss with your health provider before altering any diet and lifestyle to see if it is right for you. Never trust advice from internet without checking with your doctor.

Above all:

Don’t forget the overall message of the Christmas and Holiday season---it is about joy with family and friends. At the same time, while it is just a few weeks, missteps during this period can have lasting effects for the rest of your life. Practice the tips above and you will be happier and thankful during the upcoming year!

For my tips on healthy safe travel when visiting family and friends, click here.

Wall Street Journal Best Seller Dr. M's Seven-X Plan for Digestive Health

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