Holiday season is full of fun, festive events as well as lots of social outings full of food and drink.  It’s easy to get wrapped up in the festivities and throw caution to the wind when it come to making healthful choices. 

One of the best ways to stay tuned in to your hunger, intuition and indulgences is to keep a Health at Every Size Journal.
Staying tuned in to your physical and emotional cravings and feelings creates a heightened sense of awareness. 
Heightened awareness translates to making a connection between what you eat and how you feel with no judgment. 
It also translates into really enjoying that piece of dark chocolate flourless cake (see recipe below). Grab a pen and a notebook and jot down a few of your own thoughts this holiday season.

When you first wake up, how do you feel?

What do you feel like having for breakfast?
How did that make you feel?

What do you feel like having for lunch?

How did that make you feel?

Afternoon snack - craving anything in particular, food or otherwise?

How are you feeling emotionally?

What do you feel like having for dinner?

How did that make you feel?

Before bed - any cravings?

How are you feeling emotionally?

Use this tool throughout the holiday season and beyond to stay tuned in and enjoy your indulgences rather than disconnecting and feeling regret, either at missing out by being restrictive or getting uncomfortably full. 

My gift to you this Holiday Season is a delicious recipe for Flourless Chocolate Cake! Happy Holidays!

Flourless Chocolate Cake

Ingredients:
85-88% Chocolate Bar (Endangered Species is a good brand)
½ cup coconut oil or organic butter
2/3 cup agave nectar or Grade B maple syrup
3 eggs, beaten
½ dark cocoa powder

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt chocolate bar in a double saucepan.  Add in coconut oil or organic butter and stir together until fully melted.  Pour into a medium sized bowl. Stir in agave nectar and the beaten eggs. Sift in the cocoa powder gradually and stir. Pour into 8” pan. Bake for 10 – 15 minutes or until still slightly gooey in the center.  Let cool and serve. 

Catherine, a Holistic Health Counselor, trained at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition in association with Columbia University and is a certified Nutrition Educator from Bauman College. She works on health goals in areas such as natural weight equilibrium, food cravings, sleep, energy and digestion.

If you are interested in personalized nutrition consultations for vibrant health, Catherine offers a free initial health history session for both local and distant clients - her furthest client, so far, lives in Spain! Please .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). Also, check out her other blog.