You know what really stresses me out?
Having approximately 8 pounds of Halloween “loot” in my house. Despite my exclamations that they are too old, my teenage boys went trick or treating anyway. Like most normal kids, they happen to love candy. So off they went.
Now, we have a candy “problem”.
And it’s not even the candy itself, it’s the sheer amount! I don’t ever remember bringing home this much candy as a kid! If there wasn’t so much candy, it really wouldn’t be such a big deal. Then there is the age old question…should they just binge and be done with it, or drag out the candy eating until Christmas, or possibly even next Halloween? (There is THAT much!)
Since they are teens, I have chosen (been forced to?) relinquish control over the candy eating and let them make their own decisions. Thankfully, they do know a thing or two about self-regulation at this point, so it is likely this candy will be around for a while. However, this means lingering anxiety for me. I will let this play out for a while, but trust me, despite the fact they are teenagers, I am likely to devise some kind of strategy to “encourage” them to ditch a good portion of this candy in the coming days. Last year, money may or may not have exchanged hands. Judge if you want, but it was worth it!
Remember when all anyone was worried about when they ate sugar was cavities? Now that we know better, it just changes things. I mean, does this stress anyone else out? Do I need counseling?? Or is this anxiety just a hazard of studying nutrition and coaching people regularly to simply stop eating sugar?
Anyway, as much as I’m sure you’d LOVE me to, I’m not going to go on a rant about sugar toxicity. That’s just not going to help right now. There is candy in my house and candy in yours and it’s going to get eaten by somebody. (Hopefully not you or me!)
Instead of a rant, and because I simply have no answers on how to handle Halloween, I will do what I can do. I will give you just a few tips on how to practically counter act any candy-binging activities that might be going on in your midst. This happens to work for over-indulgence of many kinds, so it works beyond Halloween too!
Tip 1– Limit processed foods as much as possible while the candy is around. (Well, ALWAYS, but especially when the candy is around!) Processed foods (including refined carbs like bagels, pasta, cereal, crackers, etc) = sugar. They are processed in your body exactly the same way. Don’t fuel an already raging fire. All of the excess insulin produced by the sugar can make you feel hungry and craving the very things your body doesn’t need, like more sugar and refined foods. Make it your goal to eat more foods that will break down slowly in your body, to help balance what going on with the sugar, such as protein, fiber and healthy fats. Limit the refined carbs, so your body is forced to burn the sugar fuel. So practically, instead of spaghetti for dinner, serve salmon and broccoli, or eggs and avocado for breakfast instead of cereal.
Tip 2– Ramp up your nutrition. Sugar is an anti-nutrient, which means it actually depletes your body of nutrition. Excess sugar robs your body of minerals, makes you acidic, fires up inflammation, stresses your adrenals, taxes your immune system and messes with normal hormone function. (Sorry, mini-rant.) When fueled by sugar, your body needs all the extra help it can get. Eat extra veggies, especially greens. Vegetables are key to alkalizing your body and bringing it back into balance. Get them any way you can, salads, stir-frys, blend them into soups and sauces, steam them, roast them, saute them, serve them as “fries” or my favorite, smoothies. Veggies are not only great sources of nutrients, but also fiber. Fiber is key to helping slow the absorption of the sugar and cleaning out the gut!
Tip 3- Eat more fermented foods or drinks, like yogurt, kefir, kombucha, kimchi, sauerkraut and miso. These foods will help restore healthy bacteria to a sugar-damaged gut.
Tip 4- Get moving to help your body use the sugar rather than storing it. This would be a great time to start training for a 5K or half-marathon or something.
Tip 5- Drink lots of water, to help flush everything out. Adding lemon is always a bonus and will help bring your acidic body back into balance while flushing everything out.
How do you deal with the Halloween aftermath in your house? Candy binge or candy till Christmas? I’d love to hear how you handle it! Let me know in the comments!
Live nourished,
Heather
Stressed about sugar? Join me for The Naturally Nourishing Fall Cleanse! We start TOMORROW, Nov 3! This is a group cleanse, focused on eating delicious whole foods to reset the body, gain more energy, and feel amazing heading into the holidays! Come join us! Sign up HERE
