TAGS
1. Gluten
If you’re living gluten-free, this question is going to be very personal. For a celiac, not a speck. No cheating unless you want to feel sick for days and weeks afterward. For the many who are gluten-sensitive, it really depends. Dr. Tom O’Bryan said in a podcast I listened to long ago that the gluten protein stays in your body for 90 days, so even if you only “cheat” four times a year, you might be sabotaging your whole gut all the time. (Bummer.)
So, how are your villi? (You know, those little hair-like things in your intestines that, when damaged, sort of fall over and cause leaky gut and intestinal distress…) If gluten hasn’t damaged your gut, your cheat is going to impact you temporarily, however gluten might affect you – brain fog, heavy feeling in your middle, constipation, diarrhea.
What’s that cookie worth?
2. White Sugar/Corn Sugars
Don’t vilify me for saying “corn sugars” just yet – I know high fructose corn syrup isn’t just any sugar, but there are lots of corn sugars (all yuck), so I’m lumping them all together.
What impact does white sugar have on you, other than being empty calories (from which you probably could recover)?
One fact I did find in a few places, although I admit not always very academic sources, is that consuming sugar in certain amounts can depress your immune system for a number of hours afterward. (sources: , , ) A can of soda is enough to set the immune system back.
Your first judgment call, then, is whether that cannoli is worth catching a cold, or worse. (I’m thinking cannoli, no kisses!) I reference this issue whenever sugary snacks are served at school, a virtual zoo of germs.
In my previous research on , there are plenty of reasons to avoid it – but which ones are problems with a once-in-a-while indulgence vs. consistent over-eating?
That sugar acts like a drug and is addictive has been in the news quite a bit lately, and I’d offer that that is not going to be a huge deal for one party – unless you’re a recovering “sugar addict” and a taste might put you off your healthy eating plan for good.
In the short term, you will have a blood glucose spike after eating refined sugary treats – whether that is horrible for you really depends on your overall health, but for someone in good health, my common sense says that true disease would only come as a result of repeated abuse of the body and its blood sugar levels, same with the increased possible risk of cancer, obesity, and infertility that come with white sugar consumption.
So whether an occasional indulgence of white sugar will have a lasting impact is again, very personal.
3. Trans Fats
“The American Heart Association recommends that no more than 1 percent of your total daily calories be trans fat. If you consume 2,000 calories a day, that works out to 2 grams of trans fat or less, or about 20 calories.” ()
I think that’s a pretty generous allowance for trans fat, and plenty of people would say that hydrogenated oils have zero place in anyone’s daily diet.
Does the stamp of approval from the AHA mean that, at least, an occasional waver from your regular unprocessed foods diet won’t kill you?
With these fats so closely linked to heart disease, I don’t know. Certainly almost the entire American population has eaten trans fats at some point, most likely thousands of times, and we’re not all dead or sick (yet). How much can one body handle?
This one is up to you. For myself, I tend to try to avoid trans fats when there are other options around. If I know someone used margarine in their pie crust, I might opt for a cookie or pudding or something.
4. Dairy
Like gluten, dairy isn’t going to affect everyone, but if you are usually dairy-free and really want to join the fun at a gathering with, let’s say, um… cannolis (just pulling some random dairy dessert out of the air here), what are the ramifications?
The fact that there are pills for people who are lactose-intolerant that will allow them to eat dairy with no ill effects tells me we’re not the first asking this question.
Your body will tell you pretty quickly how much is too much, and I’d love to hear more in the comments from dairy-free readers about how much they can get away with and what is “worth it” when surveying the dessert table (or the lasagna).
5. Massive Calorie Binge
It’s not inevitable, but it’s probable that at some point this month or next, you’re going to eat so much you feel like a stuffed armchair.
Will eating twice your normal caloric intake cause you to gain weight, or is it pretty quickly reversible as long as you resume your normal real food diet the next day?
Answers vary as usual, but this one is really going to depend a lot on whether you are recovering from unhealthy eating habits, still trying to lose weight, or working hard to keep it off. I know for some of our Attune writers, zero cheating is acceptable because it’s a slippery slope, and one step away from “plan” makes getting back on track too hard.
For many, a huge calorie weekend can be alleviated by drinking lots of water, eating fiber and low-sugar foods, and eating their normal clean diet. If it’s an every weekend occurrence, long-term effects might set in, but a holiday party shouldn’t hospitalize you if you’re generally in good health already. (Right?)
The Bottom Line – It’s all up to You
No one can or should tell you how much you can “cheat” on healthy eating (unless you have a medical reason that you cannot eat something, of course!). Everything we put in our mouths is ultimately a judgment call, including things we know aren’t good for us.
If you do take a few steps away from healthy eating over the holidays, don’t let it damage your resolve to eat clean, eat whole foods, and take care of yourself. The wagon isn’t going to burst into eternal flames just because you fell off.
Get back on track by focusing on eating clean recipes, probiotic foods, and lots of veggies. Prepare for crazy weekends in the same way: get regular sources of probiotics to build healthy gut flora, drink plenty of water, and eat real food.
Who knows, maybe you’ll find that allowing yourself the occasional indulgence, especially when it is part of a fun social setting, will give you the strength to stick to the real food diet plan even better, like I wrote about in last November’s post, “” Apparently I always think about cheating this time of year, hmm…
What’s your philosophy on clean eating through the holidays? What occasional cheats do you embrace? What ill effects are you willing to risk (and what foods call your name)?
Be well!
Katie
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