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When the holidays arrive, many people forget all about their diets and healthy eating. Weight
gains of 7 - 10 pounds are common between Halloween and Christmas. To make the holidays easier, these tips will help you with healthy eating through the season and not gaining weight. Most traditional foods can be made low fat. Turkey is very lean without the skin, and gravy can be made without any fat. Potatoes that are served without butter can be very healthy. The beloved pumpkin pie is nutritious, although it can be made into a fatty dessert with the adding of whipped cream. Even though the holidays are in, don't forget about the exercise. Keeping weight off during the holiday season is burning off the extra calories. You should plan a walk after meals, park farther from stores when you shop, and take a few walks around the mall before you begin shopping.  So many times when you hear talk about Preppers or see shows on the subject, the conversation is about Doomsday and bunkers. There tends to be a social stigma with some people about prepping for a disaster. As we have seen in the last few weeks and from the history of my lifetime, this should be further from the truth.
I can remember where I was and what I was doing when the news reports came on regarding 9-11. I lived in Chicago at the time and reached out to love ones as they went about their daily activities. People where going everywhere. Traffic was congested. Phone lines where busy. It was very chaotic. Then, following years later, came the reports and news of Katrina, Sandy and Ike. Fast forward to the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey and possibly Irma on its way toward north America. Whether you or your family members live in coastal regions or not, life is full of uncertainty, which ironically, is our only certainty. I remember being in DeKalb, IL in June of 1987, standing in the living room of a friend's apartment and experienced an earthquake. It was quick and uneventful, but yet very real. So how ready are you for the uncertainty of life? We do so many things to prepare for the "what if" of life. We buy insurance for our health and property. We buy homes to house things and provide shelter and safety from people and the elements. We educate ourselves and our children in hopes of a prosperous future. Even with all we do, there is still a magnitude of uncertainty in life. Yet, being prepared can effect the "what if". Watching the news reports of Hurricane Harvey and seeing people get fed, I was concerned about all the people with food intolerance. Having Celiac Disease, I considered what I would do if my only option was to eat whatever food was placed before me. Seventy-two hours is the time estimated it takes relief organizations to mobilize and begin to provide services when a disaster hits. Lucky for me, I have a Prepper food kit in an air tight, water tight mobile container that is gluten sensitive and will feed 4 people for 72 hours with and expiration date, well over a decade. With food intolerance, I can't rely on anyone having food that would not make me sick. Some say...if that is all you have, you will eat it. For me, that is just not true. The pain and suffering would be too unbearable to do that to myself, especially under already stressful circumstances. I came across a web post entitled, "Are You Prepared to be Gluten Free in an Emergency" by Dr. Osborn on the Gluten Free Society website. Check out his 12 tip for prepping. Many of them are good regardless of the need for gluten free or not. Make a plan for yourself and your family for communication, to shelter in place or evacuation. We never really know when the "what if" will come. . |
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