If you don't know where you are going, you'll end up someplace else

                                                                                                             -Yogi Berra

Comfort Foods and Holiday Blues

     How are you coping with the stress of this holiday season? If you’re like many of us you might use comfort foods as your first knee-jerk response to a lot of life’s challenges. The problem with this strategy goes well beyond the obvious – extra carb calories – it also takes us down a whole road of chemical changes that cause us to crave the wrong foods and trick us into thinking we’re not yet full. The end result? You bet – we eat more.

     Comfort foods raise certain feel good chemicals released by our brain that tell us “everything’s going to be ok... From the first moment you even think about putting that piece of chocolate or that Italian pastry in your mouth, your levels of “opioids,” as they’re called, start to rise. Soon you feel better, especially once that delight passes from your mouth down into your stomach. Then, ahhh…mission accomplished.

     Like so many of life’s pleasures, though, the “food high” doesn’t last. Not ten minutes after that quick fix gets past your taste buds, your blood sugar starts to drop, those feel good brain boosters follow suit, and you’re left feeling just as bad, if not worse, than before. What happens next? That’s right – you go for more of what started the problem in the first place – the high carb, high fat foods where the process began. 

     And so the merry-go-round continues until, and/or unless, you decide to jump off. That’s right – it’s your choice. I’m suggesting you get on your best workout shoes and leap off that spinning ride to nowhere. The good news is, no matter how fast that carousel is moving, you’ll be able to land on two feet and walk away much happier and healthier than ever before.

     Now there’s no need to starve your self. There are plenty of healthy alternatives to the traditional snacking that plagues us every holiday season.

1.      First, don’t put it off. The most common disclaimer I hear is, “I’ll start my diet after the holidays.” You know what? Some other distraction will soon come along to once again steer you away from your goals.

2.      High protein foods like lean meats, eggs, and fish will fill you up and help you burn fat at the same time.

3.      Nuts and seeds are high in protein and healthy fats that keep your blood sugar steady for hours after you eat them. Result? No cravings and less food eaten.

4.      Drink water! It’ll help fill you up too and won’t pack on the sugar calories like soda pop.

5.      Sparkling cider is an excellent and tasty alternative to alcoholic holiday beverages and it won’t contribute to the belly bulge either.

6.      Move around! Want to feel good quick? Get up and walk off those blues! Recall in a previous Health Inspiration I showed you that exercise is the best cure for low spirits.

7.      Finally, remember, good habits create good feelings, and the opposite is true as well. So feel good about your choices, and feel good about yourself.

     Of course, the choice is always yours. But I want you to feel better now. Use the gift of knowledge, empowerment, and motivation.

Healthiest regards,