Eating Guilt Free for the Holidays

Our Registered Holistic Nutritionist has been asked: How does one experience the Holiday parties and delicious food without feeling guilty?
The holidays shouldn’t make you feel guilty. It’s a time for giving and a time for sharing, it’s also a time for endless dinner parties with all the trimmings. Food is such an important part of celebration, and no one wants to be focusing on a restricted diet this time of the year. We want to enjoy the same Christmas cookies that we had as a children. In fact, new research shows that while we know the power of a plant-based diet and the benefits of restricting certain “toxic” foods, what can be more toxic is the stress caused when people deny themselves those foods they once loved. That emotional stress can cause more harm to your health than just enjoying those foods (occasionally ).

With that being said here are some holiday eating tips so that you can remain healthy without depriving yourself of all the treats the holidays have to offer.

• Do not go to a party hungry: we often eat faster and more when we are hungry - therefore eat a wholesome breakfast and lunch and a snack before to avoid over eating at the party

• If you are attending a pot luck party, bring a your favourite healthy dish for all to enjoy

• Indulge moderately: no need to skip on your favourite holiday treats, just take small portions and eat slowly; chewing your food well releases satiety hormones to signal a feeling of being full, so savour your food and satisfy your craving without over indulging

• Walk around the buffet table and let your eyes feast first: before eating, see what is being served, start with healthy choices like salads to take the edge off your appetite

• Eat far away from the buffet table, and enjoy conversations without feeling the urge to refill your plate as often. Out of sight, out of mind

• Make a conscious choice to limit foods that are high in fat: anything fried, cream based sauces and soups, cheese-filled casseroles, pies, processed meats, some pastries and baked goods

• Make your own eggnog and bring it to the party to share: traditional eggnog is usually made with egg yolk and thick cream, an 8oz serving of non-alcoholic eggnog has about 362 calories. There are plenty of low fat eggnog recipes on the Internet. Or you can even find soy nog in the health food stores as an alternative

• Try other versions of alcohol: instead of beer, cider, Bailey’s and Kahlua, try dry wine, Bloody Marys or spirits with fresh fruit juices. They tend to have fewer calories. ( FYI: a 5 oz glass of white wine is 100 calories, 12oz beer is 150 calories, a 3oz martini has about 195 calories and a 1.5 ounce of Scotch has 100 calories. As for mixers, juice and pop contain anywhere from 110-150 calories per cup) Calories from alcohol tend to be stored in the abdominal area, and we often watch what we eat and not so much what we drink. When the majority of calories are consumed from drinks, the weight is gained easily

• Drink plenty of water: alcohol, coffee and teas all dehydrate the body and with the extra indulgence during the holidays we need to remain hydrated, adding a little lemon to your water will help support the liver in detoxification, a dash of cayenne pepper and ground ginger will help to alkalinize the blood from all the acidic foods and drinks that are consumed especially this time of the year

• Exercise: Holiday shopping takes up a lot of our time but shouldn’t be an excuse not to exercise while we shop. Brisk walking in the malls will not only get the shopping done faster but also burn tons of calories (an hour of shopping and brisk walking can burn up to 400 calories)

So enjoy the holidays without the guilt, and with the New Year you can get back to eating wholesome nutrient rich foods and incorporate a regular fitness plan once the hectic holiday schedule ends.

Article courtesy of

By Kalayaan Garcia de Vera

and the Philippine Reporter

1 week

Alright, so 1 week in, the only time that I referred to a list was when I did grocery shopping. Otherwise, I lived list free for 1 week/ 7 days/ 168 hours/ 10080 minutes!

My household was not as ORGANIZED as I am accustomed to; it was a little messier, laundry sometimes didn't get done, but I learned not to care AS MUCH! I still cared, still rolled my eyes, still cringed, but I moved on...brothers and sisters I MOVED ON.

The burning question, "Was I less stressed?" and the answer,(drum roll please) "Yes" most definitely. At first I was mores stressed, but I quickly realized that the sooner I let go, the sooner the stress fell away.

Day 3 of no expectations

So this was probably the hardest day so far. Thursdays are when Nicole and I meet as business partners. Essentially a day chock FULL of lists, plans and expectations. The only thing I can say about my work day is that I wasn't torn up about not completing all my planned jobs for the day...shoulder shrug approach. And Nicole and I made loose plans to defer the work over the next few days.

The most difficult thing that I faced today was not being disappointed with my son when he didn't live up to my lofty expectations during his Christmas concert. After bragging about volunteering to play piano for his class' skit, he not only did NOT play the piano, but he also proceeded to sit on the stage with his head in his hands PRETENDING to sing! It was all I could do to keep myself from expressing my feelings...what can I say? I am only human.

48 hours of no Expectations

Grocery list and work schedule. The two things that I refered back to yesterday. The first one I had to since my memory is like a sieve and I honestly cannot remember what my pantry is lacking on a minute by minute basis. The latter, goes without saying, I'd have a bunch of angry people on my hands if I threw that out the window.

Besides that, I played the whole day by ear, took the day as it came, rolled with the punches, made lemon-aid out of lemons, stopped and smelled the roses, didn't sweat the small stuff....are there any more that I missed?

It meant that one load of laundry took a whole day to do and I didn't put new sheets on my bed (which I stripped off early in the morning)until just before I needed to use the bed at 10:30 a night. But, you know what I cared less about it than I would have had you asked me 3 days ago. I still cared, don't get me wrong. I walked by my bed several times and felt a pang of guilt when I made that split second decision that the sheets could wait a bit. And when I was waiting in line at Canadian Tire to use the reference book that would tell me what length of replacement windshield wipers to buy, I thought "If I hadn't put this off I wouldn't be stuck in this ridiculous line". But both times, after that moment of negativity, I shrugged my shoulders, took a deep breath and moved on.

So far so good...I think. It's definitely getting easier. In fact, I think I might be able to make it a full week...YIKES! Did I just say a week?

24 hours of no expectations

With the goals of the day casually tossed aside, or in the very least dealt with individually without stressing over the next, I conducted the rest of my day yesterday in a way most foreign to the very fiber of my being.

I did manage to accomplish quite a few of the tasks that needed to be completed; I prepped for sugaring, I updated our fan page, uploaded a wack of pictures, I created a new video for our senior's yoga, I started writing our AHA! presentation and I booked, prepped, dressed for and attended a family portrait (the first in 5 years!). Each time I finished a task, I gave himself a pat on the back and moved on.

I also managed to not make my bed, not cook dinner (electing instead to take advantage of Swiss Chalet's Festive Special after the family portrait), not go to the grocery store, not apply for Kenny's grade 5 ski pass (until after returning home after dinner at Swiss Chalet).

Really the last 24 hours were not so much about what I did and did not do; what I managed to accomplish and what I did not. I am coming to the realization that it's more about how I feel and how I react to doing and NOT doing. I have to admit that it was very stressful in the beginning when I didn't know what task to tackle first and how my day was going to unfold. I was so accustomed to having a list to tell me what my day would look like. But once I resolved to tuck that list away, and deal with each task just as I remembered them. I found myself being more involved in each task and the feeling of happiness with its completion without a second thought about what would come next. Until, of course, it was time to deal with the next task.
I greeted each non-accomplishment with an "oh well..maybe tomorrow".

So tomorrow has arrived and I think I might approach today in the same way. It might be a bit more difficult as I do have to work. Teaching classes on a schedule does tend to hamper a "no expectations" mentality...I'll let you all know how it goes.

Setting a deadline...to NOT set a deadline

Are you a list maker, a list checker, an "i" dotter, a "t" crosser? Then you are probably a "deadline" creator. If you are, then you probably have a whole heap of friends who are nay-sayers and detractors, who make fun of your anal-retentiveness. I am with you brothers and sisters. I know the call, the compulsion, the urge to be tidy, orderly and thorough. I have been thinking about my lists, my goals and deadlines. I have been considering if they truly make my life stress free or if the expectations of the lists, goals and deadlines, make my life even MORE stressful.

So here is what I propose, comrades in control, for one day, ONE DAY, let's not. NOT make our lists, NOT check and cross off our lists, NOT dot our "i's", NOT cross our "t's", not make any deadlines....however small.

Let's take our one day, one moment at a time. Savoring the accomplishments of every second without expectations. Don't allow ourselves to be disappointed by our own petty AND monumental idealism. I'll let you know some time in the future how I fare in this tenant of Buddhism (see I'm learning-just a moment ago I would have said "I'll let you know *tomorrow*")

I wanna do that....

When we tell people that we teach yoga and pilates, the first thing that we hear is "Oh I can't do yoga or pilates, I'm not flexible and my abs are non-existent" to which we always respond "They aren't just for the flexible and the strong" This is not just something nice we say to make people feel better, it's the absolute truth. If we only taught to the flexible, it would be like preaching to the proverbial choir.

For most of us the last time that we stretched was when we were kids...so our subconscious expectation is that will be as flexible now as we were then. When we are hit with the reality of our older bodies, we are shocked, a little embarrassed, and even a little bit disappointed. From that moment in most yogis' journeys, we are plagued with expectations. When we master the basics, we have expectations of doing a perfect low plank and then moving from low plank to up-dog or binding or of doing a roll-up or roll-over. When we conquer these challenging poses and moves, we barely have a chance to revel in our accomplishments before we begin to set the bar even higher; " I wanna do a handstand, I wanna do a headstand, I wanna do teaser, I wanna do a pike..."

Every person has limitations and knowing our limitations is an important part of our journey in any endeavor. Our limitations show us where we can safely set our our expectations, but more importantly we let them, our limitations teach us patience and perseverance. And these are lessons that are useful on and OFF the mat.

Having expectations in or yoga and pilates practice is helpful AND healthy. Every defeat that we suffer and every failure that we experience can be taken, not as a set back, but as a learning opportunity. All things worth attaining are hard...try and try again. We have to remember too that every accomplishment and every level mastered can show us the heights we can attain.