Hello again.

Welcome to my fifth blog.

Goodness, gracious!!    Can you believe it’s here again!!  The fabulous, fun and very festive season!

Tonight, we are hosting our 26th Annual Christmas Carols and Mince Pie Evening. This is a wonderful evening when friends and family gather at our home for a really fantastic year-end get-together and catch up. We supply the cocktails, mince pies, carols, and good cheer!. Each family brings a plate of nibbles and the variety is endless. The buffet heaves and it is a feast for the eyes. We all sing Christmas carols, we eat mince pies, we taste and delight in all the tantalizing food and beverages and it’s a wonderful evening.

Somehow this seems to herald the start of The Festive Season!

That is, until the next day feeling when, feeling bloated and yuk, we realise that its just the start of the festive season and we have the whole festive month ahead. Already, we have overindulged in so many ways and we feel desperately guilty, terribly irritated and rather sad!

Oh dear!!   What to do!!  It’s a disaster!! We will never be able to get through it without ballooning and feeling permanently out of sorts.

But friends, it’s not that bad!! I have been thinking about this a lot, have done some research and feel that I may have some really hot tips for you.

So, let’s begin.

Firstly, life is too short not too indulge sometimes. Its what you eat daily that counts, not what you have every now and again.

Before you go out or have a scrumptious meal at home, try to take some time out to mentally prepare yourself for the event ahead. Think about what might trigger you to eat badly. if you have control of what you are eating try to plan how you would like to go about it. Try to establish a time table in your mind about how you would like the event to go with respect to your eating and drinking,

I find that if I have a healthy and filling snack before I go to a party or supper or event, that is really helpful. A fruit, a few nuts or perhaps some hummus on an oatcake.  It takes the edge off your hunger and you don’t feel the need to dash to the buffet or eating area or indulge in the chips and nuts that just always seem to be right where you are standing. Instead, you can concentrate on mingling and socialising.

As you arrive, head for the most interesting person there. Immediately engage in stimulating and deep and meaningful conversations. Just kidding, Start with some idle chit chat,  you don’t want to scare the said person away, now do you? Whilst enjoying this encounter, sip your beverage  If it’s alcoholic, very slowly.  If not just a little slowly  Also try to ignore the enticing treats that the rather delightful young waiter keeps tempting you with – just keep chatting

Once you have tired of the chatter and possibly you are now feeling a little peckish move slowly in the direction of the heaving overladen buffet table. Quietly and with intent, examine its contents. Single out the platters that get your taste buds going and decide which ones you really want. Try to make your first choice a nutritious one. Savour every bite of your tasty choice and try to take breaks between helpings. Eat what you love and leave what you don’t. Then move away from the table, have a big glass of water and find the next best person with whom you want to engage.

Next tip. Drink more water. Jazz it up with lemon, mint, cucumber, ice, berries, orange. It honestly makes it taste better and it looks so good.   We should wake up and drink water and then just continue drinking it throughout the day. They say, 8 glasses a day are good, but for me, I just try to drink it consistently. Try to avoid sodas (including the “diet” ones) and natural fruit juices (very high sugar).

When you are eating at home over this time, try really hard to amp up the veggies and eat all the different colours. Eat whole real foods and avoid the ready-made stuff. Preparing one’s own food can be so satisfying and then you know exactly what you are eating! if you have a lunch out, try to eat a lighter supper.

Breakfast is really important to help stabilize your blood sugar and to maintain its stability throughout the day.  As I have mentioned previously, I like to eat a protein with a carb at breakfast. Have some fruit and try to have some nuts and seeds as this can help set the tone of your day of eating.

Change of routine, travel and shopping can wreak havoc with your life during this time,  so always make sure you pack some fruit, nuts or even some seed crackers into your handbag together with your trusty water bottle (glass is best!). This should help stop those hunger pangs and enable you to bypass the convenient and aromatic fast food kiosks which beckon with their enticing fragrances and sneaky marketing. Try not to go shopping when you are hungry.

If you are the one responsible for preparing the festive family meal, be creative with recipes and use less of those ingredients that may be laden with saturated fats (butter, cream, lard, vegetable shortening). Source salad recipes that are beautiful to look at and equally tasty. Serve appetizers of crudités and homemade hummus or tzatziki or oatcakes and seed crackers and some berries or cherries. Desserts can be fruity and light and tantalizingly tasty. Make your food a feast for the eyes and nourishing for the tummy.  By the time the family sits down to your scrumptious meal, they will either be a little merry or all be arguing with one another so they probably won’t notice the more nourishing choices or will be absolutely impressed!

Those horribly tempting after dinner chocs at any time of the year are just the worst!! Nowadays, I actually just try to avoid them as I find it hard to stop eating them once  I have started. If there is a cheese platter I try to stick to the fruit. I often struggle eating wisely during this lingering part of a meal out at friends. Again, try and miss the saturated fats and drink lots of water.

if you are at the beach or in the bush or the mountains, try to think about the snacks you would like beforehand. Planning is key. Some cut up fruit, nuts, homemade granola bars, dried fruit, lean biltong. Again together with your trusted water bottle.

A number of nutritionists recommend the use of detoxifying supplements over the holiday season. This is a controversial subject, but I feel that no harm can come from increasing your intake of B vitamins, Vitamin C, magnesium, and zinc. you may also want to take probiotics to make sure that you maintain the correct essential beneficial bacteria in your gut and possibly glutamine as a defence from toxins.

Although food is an important part of the holidays, try to make your focus family and friends, laughter and cheer. Walk on the beach or around your neighbourhood, and catch up with family and friends while you are doing this exercise. Swim in the pool or the sea, go to the gym, ride your bicycle, climb that mountain or hill, explore that forest, taking your loved ones with you. Nature gets it right. Learn from this. Such a great way to use up those calories and to make you feel good.

Try to make these holidays nourishing for you and those who are dear to you.

Tip number 4

It’s been a really tough year for many people. The unbearable loss of loved ones,  huge financial difficulties, ongoing heartbreaking environmental issues, and terrible problems worldwide. As a result of this, for some of you, at the moment, the following exercise may be too difficult to do. That’s okay. Maybe at a later stage. I am hoping that those of you who are able to, may find this really useful.

Sit quietly and comfortably in a place that you will not be disturbed. Close your eyes and take some deep, long breaths. As you start to relax, visualize your happy place and in your mind go there. Slowly start to think of the things that you can be grateful for. Try to list three. Ponder on them for a minute or two while you continue your deep breathing and being in your happy place. Then open your eyes and continue with your day.

I really hope this helps you as much as it does me.

Wishing you all a wonderful week ahead.