November/December 2011 Alternative Health
Coconut Divine: Have a Healthy Holiday
by Durga Fuller
Can you feel the pull? Just as the earth is winding down into darkness and cold, there's an equal and seemingly opposite invitation to mingle and celebrate. There's a good reason for the festivities — we need support when nature deprives us of light and warmth. We have to generate our own. Community is a beautiful means to help us through the dark times.
Having food sensitivities or health challenges that require a strict avoidance of certain foods can be difficult during the holidays. Many celebrations are marked with the sharing of sustenance, the breaking of bread: Thanksgiving with its gluten-filled stuffing alongside the turkey, gluten and dairy-laden pies, and sugar-packed cookies, cookies, cookies. Holiday parties and potlucks where you have no control over the meal can feel more like a burden than a celebration.
A little planning and willingness to take responsibility for your health and happiness go a long way toward insuring that you enjoy your holidays and stay healthy.
Pre-eat. Don't go to parties hungry. Have a small meal before you leave home, and when you're at the party, only serve yourself small portions of what you know you can eat. If you can't eat anything, you won't starve, and you can have a snack after the party is over.
Coconut Divine
Gluten and dairy-free, and low carb (without honey). Appropriate for candida, diabetes, and for Gut and Psychology Syndrome (GAPS) diet protocols (without the stevia and cacao powder).
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup flaked, unsweetened coconut
- 1/4 cup sifted raw cacao powder or unsweetened cocoa powder (optional)
- 1/3 cup cocoa butter or coconut oil
- 40 drops alcohol-free stevia extract (or 2 tablespoons raw honey), or to taste
- 1 teaspoon alcohol-free vanilla extract
- Pinch of sea salt
Directions
Melt the cocoa butter or coconut oil in a double boiler, or in a pot over very low heat. Stir the coconut, cacao powder (optional), stevia or honey, vanilla and salt into the melted oil.
Scoop by the spoonful onto a parchment paper lined pan, or spread into ice cube trays, muffin cups or silicon molds. Place into the freezer until solid. Pop out and enjoy.
If made with cocoa butter, these should stay solid at room temperature, unless the weather is warm. If made with coconut oil, they will need to be refrigerated.
— Durga Fuller
Make a dish you can enjoy. For potlucks, plan to bring a dish that you and your family can eat, and make it a complete meal. For gluten and/or dairy free folks: lasagna made with gluten-free pasta and no cheese, or a rice and bean soup, stew or salad with plenty of vegetables. If you eat grain-free: green salad with chicken or fish, or pastured meat stew with vegetables. If you have a hard time resisting the sweets table, bring a dessert you can eat. Almond flour cookies, stevia sweetened chocolates or a raw food pie sweetened with dates. Seek out good recipes and you won't feel deprived.
Host the party. If you have the resources, consider hosting a holiday party and providing the staple foods, and ask others to bring a few side dishes. This can also be a good strategy for the family get-togethers on the actual holidays for dinner. If there's a strong tradition of "mom always hosts," this might be challenging, but could be worth a try.
Call ahead. It is completely reasonable to ask what's being served at a non-potluck gathering. Explain in a simple and matter of fact manner that you have allergies (you don't have to go into detail), and need to know if there will be food that you can eat so you can plan. Make it clear that you don't expect your host to cook a special meal for you, although if they offer to make accommodations for you, accept and thank them.
Occasionally this happens, and it's a blessing when it does. You work hard to maintain your health, it's okay to allow others to take care of you every now and then. Be specific about your needs in this case — don't assume that your host will know all the grains that contain gluten, or that "sugar-free" may include honey and maple syrup for you.
Take the focus off food. Remember, the holidays are not really about food. They are about connecting with your community and bolstering your spirits in the dark and chill season. Making and enjoying food is a way to bond in many cultures, but it is not the only way.
You have the power to work with your mind and shift your focus. If you find this very difficult, you may want to explore issues around acceptance, surrender and grief. What you are facing is very challenging, and takes time to come to peace with food sensitivities. Unless a sit down meal is the focus, plan to stay physically away from the food table at the events you attend.
Ask for help. If you feel close enough to someone at the party, let them know you're having a hard time. Sometimes just the fact that someone knows you feel challenged can help you get through a hard moment of feeling tempted or feeling isolated.
Remember the reason for the season. It's about community. Let yourself focus more on the people and the underpinnings of the holiday, whether you connect with the spiritual and religious aspect of the times, or the acknowledgment of the dark and cold. Remind yourself that food is just one way of celebrating. Hug someone. Give a hand-made gift. Feel your feet on the earth.
And remember to enjoy yourself.
Durga Fuller is a whole health integration counselor and cooking teacher specializing in nutrient-dense, allergen-free foods. Visit www.thecookawakening.com.