As the Thanksgiving holiday season begins, let's remember a simple truth: We are what we eat!  Believe it or not, the holidays are a great time to think about healthy eating. Here at the AWMC, we focus on whole-person, holistic health care, and that means looking at your long-term goals for a healthy life. We know that a slice of pumpkin pie is not going to ruin your life! We also believe that e ating healthy good food is an important act of self-care, a gift that you can give to yourself every day.  Every bite of food you put into your body is either making you healthier -- or not. What you choose to eat is either helping your hormonal production, or contributing to hormonal imbalance. Hormones control our digestion, our moods, our energy, our libido, our metabolism, and more. When we do not eat food with the nutrients our bodies need, we cannot expect our bodies to effectively produce the hormones we need. Without the "building blocks" for healthy hormones, our bodies cannot maintain hormonal balance!

We always recommend you avoid, or at least minimize, "processed foods" in your diet. Why? Most processed foods, are literally "designed" in a food science lab to elicit overwhelming biochemical signals compelling us to eat more. These nutrient-poor foods made with synthetic chemicals are cheap to manufacture; they overstimulate our taste buds and alter our hormones in surprisingly widespread ways. Think about it: fruit-flavored candy is far sweeter than real fruit. Potato chips are saltier and more addictive than real potatoes! Why? These are products, not real food. Our brains and bodies are hardwired to respond to flavors of salt, sweet, and fat in foods. It is easy for our bodies to get "dazzled" by the "supernormal stimuli" in processed foods, and our brains get fooled into eating them again and again.

There are several important hormones that are affected by eating too many processed foods, especially those high in sugar, or simple carbohydrates. High levels of blood sugar hijack your brain chemistry and metabolism, causing a condition called "insulin resistance." Insulin is a hormone secreted in the pancreas in response to your body's ingestion of carbs and sugar, and affects nearly every cell in your body! Insulin is a hormone "courier" that moves glucose (blood sugar) from your bloodstream into your cells to be used for energy.

All that being said, there is no reason you cannot eat apple pie or drizzle on the gravy. Just keep in mind your long-term goals for healthy eating, and balance your choices.  This holiday season, make a few small but significant changes:

 

(1) Try "crowding out" the less-than-healthy options with larger portions of healthier foods. Do not deprive yourself. Have seconds on the veggies, and then enjoy a slice of pie!

(2) Enjoy everything you choose, eat slowly, eat mindfully. Eating slowly helps your body break down and thoroughly digest nutrients correctly, giving you all the bang for your buck. 

(3) Make conscious choices about what you choose to eat, no matter what it is. C onsider adding more vegetable side dishes to your holiday table, or preparing healthier versions of old favorites, like sweet potato casserole. You may find new recipes you love, and start delicious new traditions!

We wish you a Happy Healthy Holiday!