The Nutrition Hacks to Live By This Holiday Season

Even Michelle Obama—who has worked for the past eight years to transform the American food landscape—indulges in cheat meals. Indeed, that term is sure to get lots of mileage this week. The edible holiday landscape is littered with delectable carbohydrates, but most of us don’t realize just how much sugar we’re consuming as we treat ourselves.

But diabetics, who measure blood sugar multiple times a day, have a much better sense of the science behind the way meals break down. Holistic nutritionist Kelly LeVeque, who works with Jessica Alba, says that one key to better health is an awareness of sugar’s role in digestion. She recommends learning some basic diabetic calculations, developing a pre-cheating strategy, and incorporating a few key blood sugar–lowering tricks into every meal and snack this holiday season, explained here.

The Science of Sweets
In general, our bodies seek homeostasis, but the balance gets thrown during sweets season, when so many meal stalwarts are carbohydrates. A vicious cycle forms as blood sugar is continually elevated, insulin levels also grow, and the hormone causes us to continually crave carbs to keep blood sugar up. LeVeque says you can stop the cycle by quickly calculating net carbs, a trick diabetics use to avoid unhealthy blood sugar levels. Look at the total carbohydrate number listed for a food and subtract the fiber. “That’s the cheapest, easiest way to figure out what’s turning into sugar from your meal,” says LeVeque. The equation doesn’t account for fructose, but it gives us a sense of the concentration of glucose in our blood, something diabetics measure with a glucometer. The trick is to stay between 75 and 100 net carbs a day (runners and triathletes may need 150 or even 200).

The Role of Fiber
The bottom line of all that math? Simply adding fiber to dishes can rebalance carb calculations. Even cranberry sauce can be saved. LeVeque calls it “pure sugar” and advises anyone who doesn’t really love the taste to skip it. But if you can’t keep the tried-and-true condiment off the Thanksgiving table, add chia seeds to create a gelatinous sauce without all the added sugar, and sweeten it with coconut sugar or stevia. Other fiber tricks: Cut mashed potatoes with cauliflower, bake pies with almond flour, and add flax seeds to baked goods. An added bonus: Fiber makes you feel full sooner, a natural counterbalance to overindulgence.

Fair Trades
“I’m a big fan of the turkey trot,” says LaVeque, explaining that a workout prior to a carb-heavy meal also helps even out sugar spikes. “Sugar in muscles is stored as glycogen, but, if you burn it, your body has a place to store more.” And there are other ways to have your cake and eat it, too, if you develop a pre-cheat meal game plan. Diabetics rely on sugar alcohols—often with fewer carbohydrates and calories—to flavor foods; LaVeque often uses them in place of sugar. She also swaps dried fruit (often laden with high fructose corn syrup) for fresh varieties to get more fiber and less sugar, adds plenty of green options with phytonutrients (green beans, Brussels sprouts) to the table, and packs her stuffing with veggies (fennel, celery, onion, parsnips) to cut carbs. Another obvious but nevertheless useful trick is to fill your plate with what LeVeque calls the fab four: protein, fat, fiber, and greens, and intentionally leave scant room for carbs. “Nourish the body first,” she says, “then celebrate.”

 

The post The Nutrition Hacks to Live By This Holiday Season appeared first on Vogue.