Christmas day triggers

Most of us eat with our eyes, if we see food we may well suddenly want it.  At home over Christmas it is helpful to have healthy food on show and the chocolates and treats in the cupboards.  Give it a try before Christmas day, it doesn’t mean you can’t have the chocolates, it means you have both =  Balance.

My fruit bowl has apples, pears, tomatoes and carrots ready to eat (celery is reserved for my morning smoothie).  I leave a bowl of pistachios or brazil nuts out too.   They always get eaten.

Managing the potential stress

If you are chef for the day, get ahead.  I will be preparing my red cabbage, stuffing and my gravy in advance and it will be frozen ready for the big day, I am also going to prepare all the vegetables the day before too.   Also great if you find yourself self isolating!

On the big day, start the day with a good breakfast, to help keep you going; as lunch is always later than we plan; I love to have a savoury breakfast like fried mushrooms, tomatoes, eggs  and veggie hash browns all in one pan, or smoked salmon and scrambled eggs with some cayenne pepper.  It keeps your mood more balanced and helps prevent you from getting hangry!  It totally helps keep your blood sugar and stress levels under control.  

Getting out for walks between courses to help get your metabolism and digestion moving, if you have been stressed it can really help get rid of the stress hormones too.

Finding balance. Happy festive eating!