Paleo Planning For Those Holiday Parties

Let's take a realistic approach here.

While you can serve an all out Paleo festival if YOU'RE the hostess or host, I recognize that we all live in the real world and the chances of most parties you'll attend during this festive time of year being Paleo are slim to none.

Does that mean you have to be a Scrooge and bah-humbug all the action?

Absolutely not!

What to do in order to avoid food and drink that might potentially tempt you way off track?

PLAN!

While in general terms, I'm not a big fan of the idea of being 'half paleo' or ' sometimes paleo', to each his own, and if you've found that certain non-Paleo foods don't wreak havoc on your body as much as others, and you're going to use the annual party at work as the time to deviate a bit, decide in advance what you're going to have in advance and work around it.

For example, if you know you're going to want to have more than one glass of your favourite Screaming Eagle Cab that your boss pours every year at his holiday shin dig, make sure that you:

-Balance out the rest of the meals that day with plenty of fresh veg, lean proteins and healthy fats

-Don't arrive hungry and start drinking on empty

-Make sure your wise nutrition choices carry you along through dinner so that you don't end up with a plate full of starch as you drink the vin, which would result in a pure carbo-surge

-Remind yourself to stick to the plan.  True, if you look at the big picture, having an evening of drink once in a while (still carrying on with the wine example, but you could easily replace it with a serving of your best friend's decadent mousse au chocoat or what have you!) needn't be cause for you to completely say 'the heck with it' and give yourself a free pass to simply shoving anything and everything into your mouth while telling yourself you'll 'be good tomorrow' or something like that.  That is far too close to the 'diet' mentality, which is neither sustainable nor fun.  Stop there.  Remember- if you've planned, you'll be able to get your head around it emotionally, removing the 'bad' tag and making it that much easier to get right on board with paleo once again.

Please don't misread this as 'Nell writing that it's a good idea to get hammered while following The Paleo Diet'!  Hopefully, you'll get the idea- and if not, send me an e-mail !