Easy Swaps for Your Holiday Celebrations

I recently went on GMA to talk about health holiday swaps – easy things you can do during the holiday season to be more intentional about what you’re eating so you get the results you want.

Well today, I’ve got a lot more swaps – 12 in all that you can use for holiday baking, family meals, festive gatherings, and every day to eat less sugar, stay energized all day, and meet your health and fitness goals – all without feeling deprived!

Even if you just take 2 of these swaps and start using them regularly, you’re going to make a HUGE difference in how you look and feel. Once you’ve mastered those, you can add in one more, and so on. You’ll want to keep adding these swaps because of how awesome they make you feel!

Let’s get started with 2 swaps I talked about on GMA…

Swap Milk Chocolate with Raw Cacao

Remember: milk chocolate never, dark 80% is better, raw cacao 100% is BEST!

Milk chocolate is very high in sugar and low in minerals. So it’s highly acidic and will deplete your energy. Raw cacao, on the other hand, is very low in sugar and very high in minerals. Raw cacao contains more magnesium than any other food, more antioxidants than any other food, and will actually help you lose weight!

Cacao powder can be used in lots of recipes instead of cocoa powder and the nibs can be substitutes for chocolate chips or eaten by the handful.

Swap Standard Desserts with Pumpkin Chia Pudding

Typical holiday desserts – cookies, candy, pies, and cakes – are FULL of sugar and very inflammatory. Pumpkin Chia Pudding is a delicious alkaline treat that’s perfect for the holidays. It has very little sugar and it’s high in vitamins and minerals, plus healthy fat that will help you burn belly fat.

Get the Pumpkin Chia Pudding recipe now.

Swap Coconut Milk Instead of Dairy Products

Cow’s milk is in tons of holiday recipes, the worst of which must be eggnog. Every single ingredient in it is highly acidic and inflammatory, except maybe the sprinkle of nutmeg. 

What’s so bad about dairy? Milk does a body BAD. That’s why we live in the country with the highest rate of BOTH dairy consumption and osteoporosis. After 12 years of study, Harvard researchers noted a correlation between dairy consumption and increased hip fractures in women.

People believe milk makes bones strong. The fact is, it leaches calcium from bones. For more on this topic, read Get Off Your Dairy! Why Milk Is the Last Thing You Should Ever Give Your Kids.

Coconut milk, almond milk, and cashew milk all make great alternatives to dairy milk, and they supply more calcium than cow’s milk. Just make sure you choose unsweetened and carrageenan free.

Coconut milk makes an easy swap in holiday baking recipes because it’s thicker than other nut milks so it’s closer to whole milk. If you’re looking for a swap for heavy cream (or whipped cream), try my recipe for Cashew Cream.

Swap Coconut Oil Instead of Vegetable or Canola Oil 

Another coconut swap! Lots of both sweet and savory holiday recipes include vegetable oil, canola oil, or other hydrogenated oils. Do yourself a favor and throw those nasty oils away. They are high in inflammatory omega-6 fatty acids, which Americans already eat way too much of.

Making this easy swap in favor of coconut oil if you’re cooking or extra virgin olive oil if you’re consuming it raw is a way to eat more anti-inflammatory fats. This simple change can reduce brain inflammation, improve heart health, help prevent headaches, and reduce the risk of serious diseases.

If you make one swap today, make it this one! 

Swap Celtic Grey or Himalayan Pink Salt Instead of Table Salt

This is an easy one. Did you know that in order to be healthy and full of energy, salt is a necessity for the human body? It’s true. But it has to be the right kind of salt, and that is where the problem lies.

There are salts that HEAL, and salts that KILL! When you hear doctors and health experts talk about low salt diets, moderating your salt intake, or the amount of salt you should be eating, that’s a completely different animal than the mineral salts that we talk about. 

Refined table salt is harmful in ANY amount and should always be replaced with unrefined mineral salts like Celtic Grey, Himalayan, or Redmond Real Salt. All 3 contain essential trace minerals that it’s unlikely you’re getting from other sources.

This is an easy swap – these salts taste fantastic and can be used in any recipe.

Swap Liquid Stevia Instead of Sugar

I don’t think I have to tell you why this swap is SO much better for you! You know sugar is bad for you.

What you might not know is that some forms of stevia, like TrueVia and PureVia, are made by the same companies that make soda. They contain other artificial sweeteners and additives. 

Organic liquid stevia, on the other hand, does not contain other sweeteners. It’s VERY sweet, so start with just one drop! You can look up recipe swaps to use liquid stevia in baking. Just remember it doesn’t take much to end up with a very sweet taste.

Swap Highly Processed Snacks with Alkaline Snacks

We talked about this one briefly on GMA too, but I want to go into more detail and more ideas for you.

Most processed snacks that you might put out on a holiday spread contain high amounts of inflammatory fats and low amounts of anti-inflammatory fats. These include:  

• Crackers
• Dry roasted nut mixes
• Bread
• Chips
• Pastries
• Anything made with margarine

For your all-around health, wellness, and weight, you want to avoid all foods in these categories as much as possible. Remember, it’s about progress, not perfection. So do what you can to minimize these packaged and processed foods in favor whole, nutrient-dense foods.

Here are my favorite snack swaps:

• Grain-Free Granola
• Flax seed crackers, or Flackers
• Ezekiel bread (does contain gluten) slathered with raw almond butter and raw Manuka honey, avocado and lime juice, or grass-fed butter
• Make your own Sweet Potato Chips or Zucchini Chips
• Sweet & Spicy Roasted Almonds

Swap Acidic Beverages with Good Old Water

This is important for a few reasons. As the winter air is dryer as it gets colder and if you’re not sweating as much as you did during the summer, you may not be keeping hydrated well enough.

90% of Americans are chronically dehydrated, and that’s the case just as much during the winter as it is in the summer.

Secondly, and perhaps most importantly, water helps your body fight acid. Our bodies need an abundant amount of water for all systems to process out the toxins and acids.

Swap Your Typical Breakfast with Green Smoothies

 The morning of the office holiday party, start your day right with an alkaline smoothie using your favorite greens, a few berries for antioxidants, some healthy fats like chia seeds and coconut oil, and coconut or almond milk. That will help balance out more acidic choices you make later in the day. 

Before heading out for a family gathering, treat yourself to a green smoothie as a snack that’s full of spinach, cucumber, celery, parsley, ginger, and lime juice. And the next morning, try a new smoothie recipe to help your body reset.

Swap Sauteed Greens Instead of Green Bean Casserole

While vegetable-based, casserole classics like these options are stuffed with bad fats and unhealthy additives like monoglycerides and diglycerides that come hidden in common processed foods like breadcrumbs and fried onions.

By simply switching some ingredients in your favorite foods, you can create culinary masterpieces without all of the acid. Instead of a baked green bean casserole, opt instead for freshly sautéed green beans mixed with diced onion, celery, and a little olive oil. Or better yet, sauté rainbow chard or kale in coconut oil for a simple side that balances out heavier dishes.

Swap Heavy Sides with Sweet Potatoes

If you typically have stuffing, buttery rolls, au gratin potatoes, or sweet potatoes covered in marshmallows (yuck!), these classics may be more detrimental than you realize. Full of butter and oils, sugar, and gluten, all of that acid counteracts the alkaline properties of any vegetables in the side dishes you eat.

But don’t get rid of sweet potatoes as a side dish completely. Sweet potatoes are full of nutrients and give you a taste of starch without most of the acid. Add some cinnamon, and you will have one healthy, sweet holiday dish!

Swap Acidic Coffee with Acid-Kicking Coffee

Do you add cream, milk, sugar, or artificial sweeteners to your coffee? That’s like dumping sugar on a donut – acid on top of acid – and then putting it into your body.

And don’t even get me started on artificial creamer products made with corn syrup solids and hydrogenated oils, which are inflammatory trans fats.

An easy swap is Acid-Kicking Coffee Alkalizer, a powder supplement that turns creamy and slightly sweet when you add it to your coffee, but it does so much more than that.

It delivers plant-based, clean keto fats, acid-fighting minerals, pure Himalayan pink mineral salts, and enzymes to optimize brain-boosting energy, suppress hunger, and burn body fat throughout your day.

 Plus it tastes delicious in 5 yummy flavors – Salted Caramel, Mocha, unsweetened Black, Vanilla, and Hazelnut (with Brain Boost)!

Try it today or Subscribe & Save 15%!

GET OFF YOUR ACID!
Dr. Daryl