Decorating your Party Plate

To bling or not to bling that is the question…

Although many tasty treats will be tempting me at various parties, I usually follow a pretty basic plan of attack to avoid letting them get the best of me. Gluttonous overeating can ruin the joy of socializing by zapping your energy, and making you fill ill. First and foremost fill your plate mostly with fruits and veggies. Add a couple lean protein choice such as chicken, turkey, white cheese, hard boiled eggs, shrimp or salmon. The protein from these snacks combined with the fiber from the fruits and vegetables should reduce the glycemic load of the meal, thus stabilizing your blood sugar, and ultimately your energy levels.

Now that the protein “pants” of the plate have been picked out for the bottom half of the plate, and the top half of the plate’s outfit has been dressed up with the perfect layers of fruits and veggies, you are ready to add your “bling” to your plate. Survey all your favorite treats and pick out one or two small ones that you will savor, a compromise to feeling deprived. Dark chocolate truffles are always a good choice as they are satisfying while also rich in antioxidants. The key to not overeating typically is to simply not over restrict yourself. You can be perfect all you want in your free time, but finding the middle road and sticking to that is success in my opinion for most people in a party setting.

Survey all your favorite treats and pick out one or two that you will enjoy and will leave you not feeling deprived. These are your “bling”, I like to think of these treats as the “accessories” for your plate. According to Coco Chanel, less is more when accessorizing, and she always recommended to simply “take one thing off before walking out the door” in order to look fabulous. Decide how hungry you are, and how important it is to you to have that extra bit of “holiday bling”. Did you work out today? Then maybe you can have two “blings” and not just one. If you take two “blings” you always can reserve the right to take one off later. Just leave it on the plate if you decide you don’t need it.

Be sure to sit down and take the time to really enjoy your food, especially the “bling”. You have my green light to liberally snack on fruits and veggies throughout the party.

Aside from preparing a perfect plate, try not to drink your calories by sticking to water as your primary beverage and limiting your consumption of alcohol. Try having a protein smoothie or similar snack before showing up at a party in order to avoid eating in a hungry holiday rage. Boring parties are also a major cause of holiday overeating, so please do your best to avoid those whenever possible.

Remember the goal of the party is to socialize and have a fun time, and this is the recipe for success!

Dr. Nicole Sundene, NMD is a licensed Naturopathic Medical Doctor at Fountain Hills Naturopathic Medicine 16719 E Palisades Blvd, Suite 205, Fountain Hills, AZ 85268.

She believes we should utilize natural medicines to treat the root cause of disease rather than just treating symptoms, as symptoms are a message of imbalance sent from the body and will persist until they are properly addressed.

For appointments please visit http://FHnaturopathic.com for more information about Naturopathic Medicine services.
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