Photo courtesy of Kerri Morisson
As we all know, Christmas is a very stressful time of year, especially if you are following a ‘special’ diet. Whether you are following SIBO, GAPS, Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Sugar Free, Paleo (just to name a few diets that we use here in our clinic) or are now Vegetarian or Vegan it can be stressful not just for yourself but also your hosts.It is important to stay calm and let whoever is hosting the Christmas festivities such as lunch or dinner know (in advance) that you are on a ‘special’ diet and that you will bring a dish or two to contribute to the meal. This allows your host as well as yourself to relax and look forward to catching up.
The danger areas for everyone over the Christmas period is usually found with the pre-lunch or dinner nibbles – dips, cheeses, crackers, chips, bowls of lollies and the fruit punches.There are many healthy options that you can contribute to the table and no-one will be able to tell the difference!
Alcoholic beverages are also a dangerous area due to not only being high in sugar but also causing intoxication before most people have eaten.
Photo courtesy of https://www.factretriever.com/junk-food-facts
Photo courtesy of https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/312918.php
Alcohol can cause depression, anxiety, intensify negative emotions and inhibit sleep and this can lead to most family arguments starting.
There are many options that you can incorporate into how you choose to spend your Christmas
It is okay to choose your events that you wish to attend or if you must attend something that you really do not want to go to then stay for an hour and then leave before any ‘prior history’ has a chance to flare up.
Go for a walk after meals or find a quiet spot to rest. Mingle with other people that you do not see regularly or if you are working Christmas Day that’s always a great escape for overindulging at Christmas lunches or dinners and avoiding any prior issues that usually get brought up after a few drinks.
On a more positive note – Christmas can be celebrated with a combination of ‘healthy’ foods (you can always find a way to add bone broth or gelatine into your meals) and foods that are traditionally eaten over the Christmas period – such as Baked/Roasted Meats (Free Range or Organic), Fresh Seafood (wild caught) and homemade Plum Puddings, Pavlovas, Fresh Fruit Salad, Fresh Fruit Punches, Mocktails or Eggnog as well as Homemade Lollies.
Recipes
Drinks
Here are some healthy and delicious recipes that you can make to take to your Christmas functions, these are quick and easy to make.
Chilled Coconut Milk Eggnog (Photo and recipe courtesy of #RoarFoodie)
Organic Tea and Mixed Berry Punch
Organic Herbal Tea of your choice (boil and brew for 5-10 minutes), Mixed Berries, add kombucha or filtered water or soda water/mineral water to the mix (you can add Ginger Kombucha to the mix as well.)
Pineapple Mocktail
Fresh Pineapple, coconut water, fresh mint and ice cubes– blend all ingredients together.
#kpnwellnesscentre has a beautiful range of products from Nutra Organics that are available to purchase. Next year we will be increasing our range of their beautiful products #foodismedicine
SIBO friendly Chunky Roast Pumpkin and Macadamia Dip (photo and recipe courtesy of Rebecca Combes #thehealthygut)
Main Meals and Side Dishes
SIBO friendly Coleslaw (photo and recipe courtesy of Rebecca Combes #thehealthygut)
Roast Turkey with sage butter and lemon (photo and recipe courtesy of Paleo Grubs)
Fresh seafood (wild caught) (photo courtesy of taste.com)
Roast Vegetables with Bone Broth (photo courtesy of theguardian.com)
Add chicken or beef bone broth to a cup of water and add to baking dish with the vegetables in, add herbs of your choice and lemon or lime to the mixture and bake until golden brown
Desserts
SIBO friendly – Sugar Free Strawberry and Chocolate Bites (photo and recipe courtesy of Rebecca Combes #thehealthygut)
Kids Mini Christmas puddings (photo and recipe courtesy of #Roarfoodie)
Avocado and Raw Cacao Mousse (photo and recipe courtesy of Nutritionally Yours, by Veronica Holec)
Fruit Kebabs (picture courtesy of www.tonyandmarks.com.au)
Recipe
Chop up fruit of your choice and slide it on to kebab sticks.
We hope you have enjoyed looking at or making some of the simple recipes for you to take to your Christmas function – please remember that food is medicine, so enjoy.
We wish all our clients and families a Merry Christmas and a healthy start to the New Year. Lookout for the new and bigger version of #kpnwellnesscentre that is happening early in 2018. Lots of exciting things happening for us next year!!!