Surviving This Sugary Sweet Holiday
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Tis the season where fancy chocolates, cookies and sweets adorn stores everywhere. The holiday season is nearly here and most of us pull out the stops when it comes to delicious Christmas goodies. The unspoken rule of celebrating this holiday is that you cannot refuse any food offered by your family or friends. You can’t say no to Gran’s apple pie. You certainly can’t have just one serving of cousin Judy’s homemade eggnog. And when your colleague offers you a tray of festive Christmas cookies, is there a way you can refuse? Certainly not!
This is how we end up giving in the whole season, starting Thanksgiving, and go on until new year’s, when we finally realize this has gone too far.
This same trend goes for children too. Research shows children consume double the sugar (how long does sugar last?) intake during these 2 months of festivities. This is only talking about sweets. The complex sugars hidden in other foods such as fruits, vegetables and dairy are another category all together.
Over consumption of sugar is spreading like a deadly epidemic among the young and old alike.
I won’t get into too much horrid details about what eating sugar in excess can do to you, but let’s just list them out to remind ourselves what is at stake here.
Sugar increases risk of heart disease by 38%.
Sugar spikes your insulin levels erratically, this leads to insulin resistance over time, and hence diabetes.
Excess sugar hampers your brain activity, leading to memory impairment and decreased brain function
Sugar accelerates ageing
Sugar causes tooth decay.
Should I go on? Now that we are reminded of the ill effects, let us be armed and prepared for the coming onslaught of sugar this Christmas. You will have to take it step by step; I know how tough it can be to avoid sweets altogether during the holidays. Make sure you keep the following tips in mind to make this battle easier.
Plan, Plan, Plan
The more detailed plan you chalk out, the more success you will have with it. Don’t skip meals to save up for the big dinner. Have your regular meals at the same times as you usually do. Do not eat food just to finish it. Save it for the next day to whip up some yum leftovers!
Hydrate to Keep You Full
In reality, water is what we need the most during the party season. With alcohol consumption, the water requirement of our bodies increases. It is also a great way to be hydrated and feel full.
Also, it will prevent you from overeating too many starchy or fried foods (What wine goes well with fried foods?) which will directly impact sugar reaching your liver and kidneys.
Don’t Go Overboard Shopping for Food
This year do your Christmas grocery shopping on a full stomach. It will help your brain work better in deciding how many boxes of cookies you need or how many tins of sugared almonds (how long do almonds last?) you may have to serve. Make a list of the things you need before you head out and stick to it unless absolutely necessary.
Get Your Steps In
Holiday time is probably the time we get the least activity in comparison to the calories eaten. Being active is the secret weapon against fighting sugar effects on your body. Running and cycling are two extremely good quick activities you can add to your day during busy Christmas time.
Exercise stabilizes blood sugar and helps you burn through glycogen stores in your body. Psychologically, you will feel great and back on track after a good run.
Remember, You are Only Human!
At the end of the day, don’t beat yourself up for the extra helping you had of Gran’s apple pie. Trying to maintain your consumption of sugar shouldn’t be stressful. Don’t tie your fun and celebration to eating and drinking though. Organize games, laugh a lot, take pictures and have a memorable holiday!
