Christmas Temptation

I had Christmas Eve dinner with my parents. My dad was craving a non-traditional meal.  We had a Middle Eastern spread that included chicken and lamb kabobs, rice, falafel, pita bread and hummus. We also had an Indian dish called malai kofta, which is a potato based vegetarian dish. I made kale chips as a green vegetable option.  It was all delicious and gluten-free with the exception of the pita bread, which I did not eat.  For dessert, my parents had Georgetown cupcakes and ice cream while I had my homemade gluten-free, sugar in the raw brownies.

My Christmas meal involved a bit more temptation. I went to my cousin's house for dinner. She had a buffet style dinner consisting of meats, rice and beans, vegetables, casseroles, sweet potatoes, rolls, biscuits and macaroni and cheese. Of course the gluten filled mac 'n' cheese, rolls and biscuits were calling my name!  I managed to stay focused and chose turkey breast, green beans, collard greens, sweet potatoes, rice and beans and broccoli casserole. The broccoli casserole was a good decadent option that distracted me from the mac 'n' cheese and now that I look at the list of foods on my plate, I realize I had plenty of satisfying options. Whenever I consider eating a gluten filled food, I remind myself that the end result will not just be a stomach ache.  I remember digestive issues have caused me inflammation, lack of vitamin absorption and lowered immunity and it's all very serious. 

On to temptation number two, dessert, my ultimate weakness. There was a table full of pies, cakes and cheesecake.  I knew before-hand I would be tempted to indulge in dessert more than the food so I came prepared with a dessert option that I could eat. I brought a cherry pie from Whole Foods that was gluten-free and refined sugar free.  I have to say I was still challenged to avoid the chocolate fudge cake, homemade cheesecake and my all time favorite, yellow cake with chocolate icing, which looked homemade.  I did have my gluten and refined sugar free pie but I spent the rest of the evening pondering whether or not to have just one slice of cake. It felt like I had an angel on one shoulder and the devil on the other. What a long night! Sigh. I reminded myself that even if I were willing to deal with brain fog as a result of the refined sugar which I could avoid in upcoming days, the gluten would take a larger toll on my overall health and right now my body needs to heal. I also planned to make a cake that I could eat the next day, so I just needed to hold on. I made it through Christmas without doing damage and woke up the next day clear-headed and energetic making staying on-track worth it.