Winter = Eat well

You know it goes hand in hand around the country, and much of the world, that in cold times, people eat more and typically more unhealthy.  I can understand why this might be in our genes.  It gets really cold and sure enough, hibernation sets in.  But on the other side of hibernation, is unhealthy.

So far this year we have been blessed with some crazy warm weather, just crazy.  Yeah, say it out loud, crazy.  But today really changed that.  It was perfect, the brisk feeling of winter.   We finally went out to cut down our tree, and I was so thankful for the cold weather to make it feel a bit more like Christmas.  So we were out all bundled up, cutting down trees, drinking hot chocolate (half cups only, that stuff is unhealthy), then once we were done, the desire came, so we went to Alpine Bakery, which is a great spot for an unhealthy meal.  My wife is still hard core on the Advanced plan (14-15 weeks right now), so she had them make a chicken dish with some slight modifications, but Brooke and I shared a pizza, and it felt good to eat that after being out in the cold (but I felt bad shortly after).

So perhaps for you eating a pizza isn’t so bad, maybe its ten cookies, or maybe just the opposite, it would be bad for you to eat a grapefruit.  Whatever the level of sugar, grain, legume, root vegetable control you are at right now, I think it is important that you figure out how to make wiser choices through the next six weeks or more.  Then by the end of January, you will be ready to jump into Total Food Makeover, to get yourself really focused on your diet.  Get clean, and get your body clean.

So these are some good substitutions on a daily basis, that will help to make you more resilient to whatever other poor choices you decide to make.

Cookies – I am not saying you cannot have any, but you can have less.  So a good alternative is to go ahead and make some alternative grain cookies right now.  There are some lemon flavored almond flour cookies in the advanced nutrition plan book that will leave you thinking you just had a regular Christmas cookie.  And if you are making cookies and want to frost them, substitute xylitol for sugar in making frosting… use palm oil as your thick fat, and you are actually eating healthy.

Potatoes – in many parts of the country/world, people eat more and more root vegetables in times of cold.  Canadians love their potato based perogies… sugar BOMB.  Every thing about this little package of food creates blood sugar rise.  In Buffalo, we ate a TON of pasta through the winter (lasts 8 months by the way), so you have one choice as you age, become overweight.  It isn’t a conscious choice, or a choice at all for that matter.  You simply expand because you are.  So instead of going potato/root vege… try satisfying that desire with some squash.  Butternut and Acorn squash provide some great taste, and some great sweetness, but with little blood sugar rise.  And these are cheap, as I was told that BJ’s had them for $0.25 each recently.

Vegetables – man, everyone loves to move more and more into “comfort food” in the winter, which usually means less and less healthy food.  But you can do a lot with vegetables.  Look at my nice spinach garden growing on the back deck.  Yes, you can own this cool tower garden and do the same.  So I sauté the spinach if i want it cooked, or I can make a great salad, and add some pecans, and Gorgonzola, and this salad satisfies any time of year.  But you want the potatoes, I know, you are missing out on veges for those root veges with no value. So how about soup?  My wife makes an incredible cauliflower soup.  Want the recipe?  steamed cauliflower, vitamix (blend it) for 4 minutes, add some salt and pepper, and be shocked by how good this vegetable is, and how thick and potato like it becomes.  Yep, health, not heart attack.

Dessert – fruit and whipped cream  This is your simple answer.  Berries, and whipped cream, it is perfect in the middle of winter, and if you want something cooked/baked, then take those berries, create an almond meal based crumble (do a search on our daily sprout page for the answer) and then add the whipped cream once you bake that.  No sugar necessary, just whip heavy whipping cream until it is as stiff as you like.

So, please, please, please make some changes.  These changes, applied several times a week will allow you to walk away from the holidays without adding any extra weight, or dysfunction.

And while I am on dysfunction, can I just remind you at this time, that dysfunction is what we are after with our care.  Don’t fall into the category of coming in to get cracked. the “I just want a good adjustment”, mentality does nothing to insure you are improving function.  We are correcting spines to create optimal nervous systems, ones that need less and less cracking once we have achieved the level of correction we are looking for.

Looking forward to the next two weeks of Joy and Love!  Be well!  – Dr. E