Making Healthier Holiday Choices

PLUS: CCN All Things Sugar PDF

I keep seeing this Instagram meme being shared saying: “Is it cold and flu season or sugar overload and lack of vitamin D season”? It’s very accurate, and I don’t mean to scare you. So, instead of just teaching you all the dangers of sugar, I will (hopefully) remind you of all the best swaps and how some traditional recipes don’t need to be touched. You know me, it’s a balanced approach, combining living life with loving our bodies. Often, we don’t even realize sugar has affected us the way it has until we’ve been doing something like CCN.

As you watch a family member devour fudge this holiday season, knowing how awful it will make you feel, realize their body isn’t responding like yours, and that’s OK. Their body isn’t responding like yours because we have specific organs that adapt to our lifestyles, like our liver and kidneys. They support how we want to live, but unfortunately, they can’t hold up forever, which leads to many other health issues.

We may look at someone and say, “They can eat whatever they want.” But YOU know better by now that it will ALWAYS catch up to us. Have you heard the phrase, “Our body keeps the score, and it always wins?” It may not show up in weight gained, but I promise their liver and gallbladders are probably tired. I promise their brains can’t keep up with the urgent need for more and more.

Sugar addiction is just as scary as other addictions, but as a culture, we don’t treat it that way. It’s slower to cause damage than other addictive substances, but heart disease is still the number one killer, and sugar is a huge contributor to heart disease. Again, I’m not saying this to scare you but to remind you and make you completely aware of your holiday choices. For my kids, we do a treat a day at this time of year, and they are small treats or CCN hot chocolate. It’s not about deprivation; it’s about nurturing our whole selves. 

I'm stepping off my soapbox and moving on to the fun part. What can we do to lower our sugar intake and cravings? I know many people struggle with cutting out cravings, so here are some helpful tips to decrease those sugar cravings!

Decreasing Cravings

Remember that cravings are not one size fits all. They come and go for various reasons, but one of the most common I see is under-eating. Be sure you’re filling your tank with fuel this season. You wouldn’t let your cell phone run out of battery. You wouldn’t let your car run out of gas, but we let our precious bodies run out of fuel for some reason. Stick to the CCN guidelines you’ve hopefully become so aware of this last year. Eat a macro-balanced and colorful meal every few hours. Then, if you’re having cravings, they won’t be as severe, and you won’t be able to eat as much of the treat. Do you know those people who have only a bite? Likely, they’re already filled up on fibrous and colorful foods 🙂

The second most common type of craving is trying to serve the place of nutritional deficiency. When depleted of certain (minerals) nutrients, we tend to crave sweets to help us fill the energy void. This season, get in your trace minerals or fulvic acid and watch your cravings decrease. 

Finally, the third and fourth most common reasons are somewhat related: emotional and hormonal. Hormones bring out our emotions, whether we like it or not. Often, this drives us to some comfortable habits, or we need chocolate—and this is okay! Be sure you’re serving those cravings with more nutrient-dense options, which I’ll get to in just a minute. 

Remember to keep your journal close this holiday season and jot down those big emotions so you aren’t avoiding them. Remember, the body keeps score—which also includes the mind! The food-brain connection is significant, so be sure you’re protecting your mental health this season and not holding it in.

Sugar Swaps

Remember just how far you’ve come with your knowledge and competence in your own body. You know what’s best for you. I almost always have dark chocolate or a homemade treat in my house. I don’t have it daily, but I have it in case the cravings are intense, or I eat it just for fun. Remember to keep the food in your home that is serving you: mind, body and spirit. 

And because it’s the season of giving and you’ve read this far, here’s a quick and easy guide to All Things Sugar.

In the guide above, we will:

• Discuss sugar's impact on the body, healthier alternatives, and practical tips for balancing blood sugar.

• Highlight better options like maple syrup, raw honey, dates, and coconut sugar, which offer some nutritional value and are less harmful than artificial sweeteners such as aspartame or high fructose corn syrup.

• Provide baking tips, swap suggestions, and educational insights on identifying hidden sugars in processed foods to promote a balanced, informed approach to sugar consumption.

We hope this guide encourages your understanding of the connection between food and the body while promoting a sustainable, balanced approach to sugar without complete elimination.

You got this, friends! You know what is best for YOU!