Recovering From A Day of Food Indulgence

First, for anyone in the NYC area, my friend Elise is hosting a gluten-free cookie tasting party! I met Elise months back when I went to Sambuca for my birthday. They had gluten-free bread for the diners, and although it tasted like a tough and chewy version of the homemade pretzels I made with my mom when I was younger, I ate every bite. It was gluten-free after all, and besides, I'll generally eat anything... But then Elise, their pastry chef, came out with a plate of freshly baked gluten-free bread for everyone to taste. It seems she agreed with me about the bread they were using, and wanted to come up with a better version. The bread she brought out was so much better that I had to try her dessert later, and was impressed. So when I heard about Elise's cookie tasting party, I knew I would be there! She was kind enough to give me a sampling of her cookies and cakes to try this weekend, and I was hooked! I imagine we'll be seeing a lot more of Elise's pastries in the near future. If you want to try them, join me on Wednesday at Sambuca. (You can e-mail me at iris@thedailydietribe.com for more info)

Wednesday, November 18, 6:30PM

SAMBUCA Restaurant

20 West 72nd Street

New York, NY 10023

In other news, we all know that I'm not very good at limiting myself when it comes to desserts. I ate a few too many of Elise's cookies yesterday, and knew I needed a recovery day. With Thanksgiving and all the winter holidays coming up, I know that it can be a stressful time for anyone struggling with their weight. So I thought I would share what I do after indulging.

My biggest tip for anyone who feels that they ate a bit too much the previous day is to go back to their normal routine. I used to think that if I overindulged, I had to cut way back on food the next day to make up for it. It never occurred to me that that very behavior was a part of the problem. By drastically reducing my calories, I was setting myself up to overeat again, later that day or the next. And to be perfectly honest, I think I was just confusing my body. Is she eating 2000 calories, 1000 calories, 3000? Do I need to use these calories or conserve them? What is going on here?! I think back to those days now, and imagine my body in a maelstrom of confusion. I didn't know what was up or down when it came to food, and neither did my body.

Now, I do my best to keep my eating regular. There will always be days when I indulge, and sometimes I'll indulge a little too much. But I just go back to my normal eating and let my body know it can relax. I think it breathes a huge sigh of relief every time it realizes I'm not going to try to starve it in punishment.

One change I do try to make on a recovery day though, is to add more raw vegetables to my day. Today I added some pea shoots and a leaf of kale to my green smoothie and made a big recovery salad for lunch. Tonight I feel much better than I would have had I spent all day limiting myself to atone for yesterday. And my body's much happier...and much less confused!

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