Christmas can still be enjoyed without the pains that come from consuming foods that cause the body discomfort.

Diets can be associated to negative connotations, making you feel like you’re depriving yourself of “all the good foods”. On the other hand, healthy eating is empowering because it gives you choice to choose foods you know nourish and help build or heal your body. A healthy body can’t help but get results so why put yourself on a “diet” when you can at times have your cake and eat it too, literally! So we don’t give out “diets” but we do teach healthy eating and how to eat to reach your goals by testing our clients to see what foods they respond best too, what is ok in moderation and what should be avoided.

If you eat for health as your norm, special occasions like birthdays and Christmas for example, are never anything to be feared, in fact these are occasions to be celebrated in good company, indulging in some of your favourite foods! Those who know me well know I’m partial to cake, partial? No who am I kidding, I love cake! But I don’t eat it weekly, or monthly, I don’t really keep tabs on when I eat it but when I do, I always make sure it’s made of kinder ingredients I know my body digests better.

Those of you who have worked with us over the past couple of years or seen me for an applied muscle testing session will know what foods they need to avoid for health benefits that will result in weight loss and toning up. I vividly remember the moment I found out I was sensitive to wheat, dairy, nuts and soy. I felt robbed thinking the only things I could eat for the rest of my life were plant foods, meats, fish and seeds.

I also know how hard it was to completely remove those foods I was sensitive too as I felt like I had limited choices and could no longer have all the yummy occasional foods I used to enjoy, but I got researching and testing alternatives and I can honestly say there isn’t anything at all that I miss now. I was hung up on no chocolate, no cake, no ice cream but I’ve found ways to not feel deprived, not ever.

Christmas is not a time to fear when you have your eating habits on track. Perhaps you are new on this journey of change; look at it this way, there are 365 days in the year. One day isn’t going to derail your progress but your every day habits will. When it comes to a healthy lifestyle, consistency is the key. It’s being active regularly each week, it’s staying organized with your meal prepping, eating enough plant food, proteins and fats daily, drinking enough water and minimising stress.

Keeping up with this week in week out can be hard work, this is where the help of a good coach comes in very handy. A coach who brings the best out of you, who looks out for your health and your goals, who pulls you into line when you need a wake up call, who supports and encourages you to keep moving forward in your journey and gives you practical tips on how you can do this. (If you need this, drop us a line). But back to Christmas! Let me share some of ideas to help you enjoy one day of indulgence out of 364 (the other is your birthday and Easter is no stress when you know how to make raw chocolate!). I am addressing these tips as if I would with someone who has come to me with food sensitivities because if you consume foods your body has trouble digesting, you will derail your results short term. So here goes;

• Seafood with freshly squeezed lemon, garlic, chill and olive oil, or your own dairy free/gluten free dressing.
• Organic free range grass fed or wild caught protein choices. My absolute favourite at the moment is wild caught NZ salmon! Omg! Absolutely divine!! I’ve sourced mine from Yarra Valley Poultry in Eltham.
• I have a chilli mango salad recipe I’ve shared a few times now, this one is an absolute hit but you can make any delicious salads for your special day.
• Roasted vegetables and lot of them.
• If you like Christmas pudding, there are plenty of recipes to make a gluten free one. I’m yet to find a nice gluten free, dairy free custard powder but you can’t beat making your own homemade custard using your preferred milk alternative, eggs, honey and cornflour if xmas pudding and custard is your thing?!
• If you like pav, well you’re in for one hell of a treat because this year I’ve finally found a way to have pav, completely dairy free and absolutely delicious!! Woolies are now selling a coconut yoghurt called Nakula. Grab yourself the passionfruit one and a punnet of berries and top your pav base with those.
• If you like gingerbread, there are many gluten free bakeries around now who sell gingerbread houses. I haven’t tasted them so can’t personally advise on how they taste otherwise if you enjoy baking, make your own, search for a recipe that complies with what your body digests best and if your unsure, play it safe and just look for a gluten free, dairy free recipe.

There’s still a lot of sugar in your sweets so what’s not finished on Xmas day does not have to carry over to the days that follow xmas. If you’re on a journey of transformation, what sweets are eaten on Xmas day, are strictly for xmas day. The best way around this is to have meals prepared in your fridge or freezer for the 26th and 27th and do another fresh cook up as soon as you can. One thing to be aware of though, consuming sugar is going to come at a price, the price of sugar cravings in the days to follow. The first 24 hours are the hardest but have roasted vegetables like sweet potato, pumpkin, carrots and onions paired with your protein and/or fat sources in as many meals as you need to get you through the day, eating only clean foods again and make sure you keep up your water intake too. And finally, if you like to enjoy a drink on Xmas day and you don’t digest wheat or dairy, remember it’s not limited to your foods, check your drinks aren’t derived from wheat or dairy either! We teach a whole lot about inflammatory foods in our online program Food Freedom.