15 Ways to Enjoy a Low-Sugar Holiday

At this time of year, we’re bombarded with the sights and smells of holiday sugary foods and beverages. Candied yams. Gingerbread. Eggnog. Apple pie. Cookies and other home-baked goodies. Chocolates. Pumpkin pie. If we aren’t careful, one sugar-loaded indulgence can lead to another and another—then some of us give into sugar for the whole season and end up sicker and heavier before the new year even begins.

According to the CDC’s 2020 National Diabetes Statistics Report, about 10 percent of the American population has diabetes, and fully one-third of Americans have prediabetes. Insulin resistance, which is at the core of prediabetes, doesn’t just significantly increase risk of type 2 diabetes, but also risk of cardiovascular disease, some types of cancer, dementia, and depression. Keeping this information in mind, most of us should limit our sugar intake. Intellectually speaking, we may know this, but practically speaking, it’s not always easy to celebrate a low-sugar holiday.

How to Slash Sugar in Seasonal Beverages

The first strategy for a low-sugar holiday is to pay attention to the beverages you drink. That’s because physiologically speaking, sweetened beverages are even worse than sweetened foods. In fact, beverages that contain sugar or other sweeteners—including soft drinks, tonic water, fruit punch, sweetened coffee drinks, and sweetened teas (both iced and hot)—are the single largest source of calories and added sugar in the American diet. Consuming them wreaks havoc with weight control and blood sugar levels. People who drink sugary beverages don’t feel as full as if they had eaten the same number of calories from solid food, and new research suggests that an artificial sweetener used in “diet” sodas can actually increase hunger.

The following are low-sugar holiday tips for choosing better beverages:

1. Learn to drink unsweetened tea and coffee. Or add half-and-half or unsweetened non-dairy creamers, such as unsweetened coconut milk, unsweetened French Vanilla NutPods, or Califia Farms Unsweetened Almondmilk Creamer.
2. To get a taste of the holidays without any sugar, try flavorful unsweetened teas such as Good Earth Sweet and Spicy or Celestial Seasonings Candy Cane Lane.
3. Avoid alcohol, which contributes to imbalanced blood sugar levels. If you feel strongly about having a drink, opt for a glass of dry wine, and have it with a balanced protein- and vegetable-rich meal that contains good fats to reduce booze’s blood sugar-altering effects.
4. For a festive, sugar-free bubbly drink, try sparkling mineral water mixed with Teavana Sparkling Peach Nectarine Green Tea.
5. If you can’t say no to a cup of sugar-laden hot chocolate or eggnog for yuletide spirit, make it less sweet by thinning it out with water or unsweetened coconut milk, consider that drink your dessert, and choose the rest of the carbs you eat that day very carefully.

More Low-Sugar Holiday Guidelines

To stay committed, keep reminding yourself that avoiding sugars and other refined and blood-sugar-spiking carbohydrates is the single most important thing you can do for your health. Also know that the more you avoid sugar, the better your energy levels and mood will be—and the better your clothes will fit in January!

While keeping your intention on the health, mood, and weight control benefits you’ll receive, try these ten bottom-line, low-sugar holiday tips:

1. Consider your alternatives.

If you choose to stick to a low-sugar diet during the holidays, your indulgence might be something simple with no added sugar, such as buying fresh berries and topping them with unsweetened whipped cream and cinnamon. If you find yourself in a position where you need to say no to desserts at the table, be polite and complementary. Say “I avoid sugar for health reasons,” then focus on the connection and conversation you have with others.

2. Eat regular, balanced, sugar-free meals based on whole foods.

This means protein, non-starchy vegetables, and good fats such as nuts and seeds, olive oil, and coconut oil. Routinely consuming these types of meals leads to balanced blood-sugar levels, which in turn leads to better concentration, better mood, and greater energy and stamina—and less temptation to grab something sweet for quick energy!

3. If a holiday dessert is important to you, plan for it.

One good way to handle it is to make the dessert yourself. By doing that, you can control the type and amount of sweetener and flour you use, and include superfood ingredients to create a tastier, healthier indulgence. Depending on your diet, you may want to sweeten the treat with stevia, monk fruit, 100% maple syrup, yacon syrup, xylitol, or erythritol.

4. Don’t skip meals.

Adults who skip breakfast eat more snacks, miss out on key nutrients, and have a poorer overall diet.

5. Experiment with spices.

Common kitchen spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, and cardamom can make a dish taste sweeter, give you aromas and flavors of the holidays, and help satisfy your sweet tooth without added sugar.

6. Choose your carbs wisely.

A low-sugar holiday doesn’t mean just avoiding sugar. Whenever possible, also opt for non-starchy vegetables and low-glycemic-index foods, such as unsweetened nuts or beans—carbohydrates that have a lower impact on blood sugar levels—rather than grains, such as rice and bread, which spike blood sugar levels just like sugar does.

7. Indulge wisely.

If you know you’re having a less-than-healthy dessert, eat fewer or no carbs (potatoes, sweet potatoes, winter squash, rice, bread) beforehand. Offer to split dessert with a dining companion. And consider taking a 200 mcg chromium picolinate supplement when you eat the dessert to give your body extra nutritional support to metabolize. When you do allow yourself a treat, eat it slowly, and savor it. This can help you feel full before you overeat and consume too many calories.

8. Fiber it up.

Eating fiber, such as apples, nuts, or beans, helps make you feel fuller longer, which can keep you on track for a low-sugar holiday. Fiber also holds down the blood sugar response and promotes regular bowel movements to eliminate waste. Either include fiber-rich ingredients in desserts you make, or eat fiber-rich vegetables in a balanced meal before dessert.

9. Manage your stress, and get enough sleep and rest.

Numerous studies have shown that we eat more sugar, fat, or both when we’re under physical or emotional distress or when we haven’t gotten enough sleep. To successfully limit sugar intake, it’s important to regularly practice stress reduction techniques and to get enough zzz’s.

10. If you do suffer a food setback, don’t beat yourself up.

Just focus on getting back on track at your next meal. The key is to get yourself off the sugar rollercoaster: Eat high-quality protein, such as meat, an egg, or cheese, to stabilize blood sugar levels and quell cravings, and return to your sugar-free lifestyle as soon as possible.