For those of you who will be tempted to fall off the wagon into the sugar plum fantasies of the holiday season, here are some suggestions which may help you minimize the “damage”.

Take supplements that increase your response to insulin.  This helps keep your blood sugar levels even.  If they drop a million (well, many) neurons will be screaming at you to eat the nearest sugary snack to elevate your blood sugar quickly.  Chromium is essential for this task, but you must take enough to do the job.  I suggest 500  mcg twice daily.  You will notice the sugar cravings disappear within usually 5 days.  Really!  If you are diabetic, of course, please consult with a doctor knowledgeable in nutritional therapy before trying this.  But for most of us, it is quite helpful.

Here are some other tips:  exercise during the holidays.  Challenge your family to a ping pong game go for a walk, take the dog out, how about some dancing?

Also helpful:  eat small high protein snacks throughout  the day. Here are some suggestions:

Shrimp and cocktail sauce

Deviled eggs or boiled eggs

Any sliced meat

Smoked salmon, sardines

Whole fresh nuts (if you are not allergic)

Nut butters on celery

If you are making the deserts, reduce the sugar in them by half.  It will still taste good, really!  Use some sugar substitutes such as stevia, or “just like sugar”, which is made from chicory root and fiber.  It tastes sweet but is not a sugar and contains zero calories.

Have a wonderful holiday!