The holidays can be a time of magic and wonder. A time to celebrate and a time to give. A time to cook and bake delicious treats to share with family and friends. And they can also be a time of complete stress and utter chaos.
When that stress gets out of control, it’s easy to overindulge in all things sweet. After all, sweet foods typically make us feel good. They bring us comfort and help get us in the holiday mood. Believe it or not, there is a way to indulge in the sweetness of the season guilt free, without going overboard.
To help you deal with some of the stress and pressure that comes with the holiday season, I have rounded up 8 tips to help you feel your best this time of year when it comes to sugar and cravings.
Take these tips with you on the go! Download the Holiday Cravings Checklist for a balanced, healthy holiday season.
1. Assess the primary cause of your craving
As mentioned above, it’s easy to overindulge in cookies, cakes, and candies this time of year. While there is nothing wring with enjoying the occasional treat, when we start to make it a habit, our cravings can get out of control and start to run our life. To help deal with the cravings, first assess where the craving is coming from.
There is a difference between enjoying a delicious dessert with family and friends and grabbing a cookie for breakfast on the way out the door as you’re late to work. Be honest about the intention behind your choices; are they made out of love or out of stress? Is there something else going on in your life that you're trying to control through food? Assessing the source of the craving will help you make a more conscious decision on how to best fulfill your needs in the moment.
2. Choose homemade sweets over store bought
Prioritize making your own sweets over store bought cookies, candies, and baking mixes. Store bought goodies contain refined sugar, artificial sweeteners, and harmful preservatives that not only increase cravings more, but are no good for your health. Food manufacturers have perfected what they call “the bliss point” of sweetness in their products, meaning they know exactly how much sugar to add to get you hooked (hint: it’s usually a lot).
When you make sweets from home using real ingredients, you decide how much sugar to add, the quality of the ingredients, and avoid all that chemical junk in the process.
3. Upgrade your baking supplies
Upgrade your holiday baking kit to include natural sweeteners and organic gluten free flours. Using high quality products in your Christmas cookies will have a less harmful effect on your health. Try substituting refined sugar for brown rice syrup, stevia, coconut sugar, honey, or maple syrup. While these products should still be consumed in moderation, they are more gentle than refined sugar or artificial sweeteners.
Switching to a gluten free flour can also help improve the quality of your baked goods. According to Dr. William Davis, author of Wheat Belly, 2 slices of wheat bread can raise blood sugar higher than 6 tsp of refined sugar. Gluten free flours such as almond flour, oat flour, coconut flour, cassava flour, and tapioca flour do not inflame the gut or raise blood sugar quite as high, leading to less cravings later on.
4. Choose naturally sweet foods to crowd out cravings
When you get that 3 pm craving for something sweet weeks or days leading up to the holidays, try choosing a naturally sweet food instead of running to the office vending machine. Naturally sweet foods include fruit and starchy veggies such as sweet potato, squash, pumpkin, carrots, and beets. Incorporating more of these foods into your diet and baking regimen will help satisfy your cravings for sweet things naturally, while also providing valuable fiber, vitamins, & minerals in the process.
5. Make time for self-care
During the holidays, the last person we are concerned with pleasing is often ourselves! While the season is a time of giving and thinking about ways to help others, it’s important that you still take care of you. Do not let the pressure of creating “the perfect Christmas” allow you to make decisions that aren’t right for you or your health. This includes spending money you don’t have leading to financial stress, or over engaging with family members that you do not mesh with leading to relationship stress, or filling your schedule so full with shopping, cooking, planning, or party going that you are too busy to even enjoy time for yourself or with your loved ones.
Set aside time everyday to celebrate your most important relationship of all: the one with yourself! Practice self-care by eating a balanced diet, practicing mindfulness and stress relieving techniques, and engaging in activities that you enjoy every day.
6. Indulge guilt free
This step is plain and simple: enjoy the sweets of the season guilt free! If you want to eat a cookie, eat a cookie. Do not listen to the narrative in your head telling you all the reasons you suck because you wanted to enjoy a cookie. At the end of the day, when you are able to make intentional choices around your food cravings, there is no room for guilt, shame, or regret.
7. Satisfy the need for something sweet by spending time with loved ones
Ultimately, the holidays are about celebrating the people in your life that you love. If you let the stress and overwhelm of the season bring you down, you can’t truly enjoy the reason for the season. Satisfy your sweet cravings by spending sweet time with family and friends.
Put your phone away for a night and give your full attention to the people around you. Let your to-do list fall to the back of your mind, and practice presence in your relationships. Show people how much you care by giving them your full attention and having fun! Try enjoying time with loved ones unplugged. Engage in wireless activities such as card games, board games, and puzzles. Having a successful holiday isn’t about what it looks like on the outside, it’s about how you feel on the inside.
Take these tips with you on the go! Download the Holiday Cravings Checklist for a balanced, healthy holiday season.