Have a Merry, and Healthy, Christmas
’Tis the season of excess, and this is one of those weeks of the year where the grocery carts will be at their tipping point. The volume of food and the toll on the charge card is one thing, but it’s also the time of the year that certain items find their way onto your shopping list, like cranberry sauce, the 10 pound Toblerone and that tin can of smoked oysters for Uncle Henry.
I just recently shopped for the yearly baking that we do, although I think sugar is the devil’s Christmas cancer glitter. My wife has about 6 recipes for Christmas goodies and it appears that they all require the same ingredients, just in varying amounts. Icing sugar, brown sugar, granulated sugar, light corn syrup, dark corn syrup, fancy molasses and table molasses. The shopping could be made a lot easier if the grocery stores just grouped together in one area all the things that cause diabetes.
While the last thing I want to be called is a hypocrite, as I will enter the dark side on occasion and dabble a bit with some of my favourites, I have noticed how much better I feel the more I say the word “No”. With the temptation of excess all around us, just remember how good you will feel if you just say no. While there may be a few minutes of guilt when you say no to gramma’s urging to take a second helping of stuffing or a third slice of apple pie, it will be worth it when you aren’t struggling later that evening with indigestion, bloating or stomach cramps. While I don’t want to scare you into filling your plate with just celery and yams, it should be known to many that a common trigger of a heart attack is overeating. Research has shown that gluttony can kill. Research presented to the American Heart Association in November of 2000, showed the risk of heart attack rises dramatically for two hours after an unusually heavy meal.
While risk factors of obesity and high blood pressure already play a role in potential heart attack, eating and digesting a heavy meal puts significantly more stress on an already challenged heart. It should be noted that studies show that nearly half of Saskatchewan residents already have one of these risk factors (obesity), so it is possible that half of the guests at your dinner table are at an even greater risk for a heart attack if they overeat.
This time of year, the airwaves are filled with public service announcements keeping us aware of the dangers of drinking and driving. Maybe the occasional commercial warning us of the dangers of food excess may save some lives, as well. Nothing ruins a Christmas more than having to spend it in the emergency room.
Make good choices this holiday season and have a Merry Christmas. Sunday, December 24th, 2017