Holiday Food Binging, Top 8 Tips to Keep it in Check
We love the holidays. And by “we” I mean me.
The tinsel and lights festivities precedes the Television Critics’ Association winter press tour I attend in early January for two solid weeks. This non-stop food orgy that begins October 31st (Halloween candy) and “keeps on keeping on” until the third week of January can pack on an easy 20 pounds if I throw caution to the wind.
The holidays serve up a myriad of temptations, whether you are Jewish, Christian, whatever your stripe. The smells and tastes we look forward to are deeply rooted in our individual family traditions, fond childhood memories and the emotional triggers that spur the palate this time of year.
My holiday “Achilles heel” for food? Egg nog.
For me, nothing sums up the emotions and blast of nostalgia for this time of year like Christmas crack, aka egg nog. Memories of cold New England nights watching The Grinch or Burl Ives’ Christmas specials with a fire and no schedule but to sleep in and play in the snow come to mind. The nutmeg and vanilla scent is like an active memory trigger, its’ perfume intoxicates, and I actually start looking for it in the market around Halloween.
Despite the fact I am dairy intolerant, with horrible repercussions if I even look at milk, when no one is looking and if it’s handy… I could easily binge drink egg nog. Not with booze either, that ruins the overall flavor for me. The insidious thing about egg nog is that is does not slake the thirst, so you keep drinking it and yet you’re thirsty even after you drink it. Maddening!
It took years of behavior modification to learn how to live with this, make sane swaps (Soy or coconut egg nogs work) and divert my eyes in the supermarket from the gold standard, Alta Dena or Bob’s ultra creamy small batch versions with Holly leaves decorating the exteriors.
Some people fall to their knees over pies, Christmas Stollen, cinnamon-y Kugel or cheese and fruit filled Blintzes. Whatever “that” thing is, there are people who can help you sort these irrational food desires out this time of year.
Christmas and Thanksgiving are basically convenient excuses for overeaters to over eat! This holiday is the ultimate test for a food-aholic. But just because the rest of America is gorging doesn’t mean you have to as well. There is qualified help.
Dr. Adam Silberstein is the co-founder of The Source Health and Wellness Treatment Center in Los Angeles. The Source is a program developed expressly for food addicts. A father of four, Dr. Silberstein was morbidly obese and he lost over 100 pounds and has kept it off for over 15 years, to preserve his health and set a good example for his patients and his family.
His advice he offers Monsters and Critics is golden for all of us who love food, festivities and have trouble shoving off from the buffet.
Dr. Silberstein shared his top tips for sane food strategies for Thanksgiving:
• Feast on family and friends-not on food.
• Remember Thanksgiving is still just a Thursday.
• Don’t face the challenge alone. Bookend with a friend- tell someone you can be honest with before the meal what you will eat or won’t eat and call them after the meal to let them know about your success
• Remember your last food hangover- the fatigue, the guilt, the pain and bring that memory to the table
• Ask yourself what a “reasonable” person who you truly respect would say about your food choices- remember the key word is what is “reasonable.” I sometimes say to people if 100 of the best doctors saw your plate what would they say- reasonable or not reasonable
• Honor and respect your triggers. If you lost the battle with the pumpkin pie last year why would you go in the rink with it again this year
• Sometimes Disneyland is not the happiest place on earth and neither is the Thanksgiving table- filled with family who you may not be thrilled to break bread with. Have a plan for coping with your family- especially the difficult members.
• Take care of yourself- know you’re not being weird if you call your host to ask ahead of time what is being served.
