Pavlova, trifles, fudge, mud cakes, Christmas mince
tarts, Christmas fruit cakes, wine, and all the other indulgences of the
season. This is a great time of the year to have a well deserved rest and spend
quality time with family and friends. However, there are also lots of
temptations, especially at parties. My take on these foods is to keep a low
consumption of them and if you make them yourselves, choose stevia as a
sweetener. Sugar is inflammatory and creates many gastrointestinal problems,
blood sugar imbalances and loads your liver. But a slice of Christmas cake and
a mince tart once a year would not hurt.
Ham, turkey, salmon, seafood, lamb leg roast and the
colourful look and smell of beautiful fresh salads also mark this season. Many
of these foods, apart from cured meats and their preservatives meet all the
requirements of eating for nourishment.
Plants are great sources of minerals, plant based
phytonutrients and soluble and insoluble fibre. Balancing the protein rich
meats that you consume in this season with lots of plant based foods, is
important to keep you in balance. Protein rich meats are acidic, but provide
the amino acids for our bodies, and they do taste good! Plant based foods are
alkaline with good sources of minerals absorbed from the soil, chlorophyll (a
superb cleanser and oxygenator) and antioxidants (which helps to reverse
ageing). So those multicoloured, beautiful salads and fruit platter will quench
your free radicals that cause ageing of cells.
After the parties, make yourself a green smoothie with
kale, parsley, granny smith apple and a scoop of Shape Up (yes, you need good pH
balanced protein to help with detoxing).
When you view food as nourishment, you make better
choices than when you view food as love. But just know that you do not have to
be perfect. How much your body likes your choices depends on the effect after –
are you bloated, have reflux and/or flatulence, did you gain a few centimetres
on the waist, did you scales have a big jump (large jumps may also be due to
water retention, from inappropriate eating), are you unusually hot or experience
more pain? If you do, you body is speaking to you and you should
listen.
Spending time with family does not need to centre around
unhealthy food, you can make healthier choices – foods that are whole and less
processed, high in good oils – olive oil, coconut oil, nuts and seeds, good
protein and unrefined carbohydrates. Spend time outdoors, enjoy nature and soak
up the sun in the mornings!
