Eating during the holidaze

The winter holidays are some of the most difficult times of the year for those of us who have had bariatric surgery. It is a time of family, friends, gifts, parties and FOOD. To cope with this period of potential excess, it is important to remember why you had the surgery and what you hope to gain (or lose actually) from the process. If this time comes early in your surgical healing period, it is important to be very careful about what and how much you eat. The limits placed on you for those first six months means that your intake is very restricted. Don't let pressure from friends or family push you to eat excessively.

There is a lot of temptation regarding foods during the holidays. Candy, cookies, cakes and other sweets can sabotage your weight loss quickly. They are physically filling and full of carbohydrates, thus limiting the amount of important foods you need to eat. Be extremely careful, but do enjoy that piece of chocolate or a butter cookie, or a few bites of your aunt's apple spice cake. You will notice I said a piece of chocolate, a butter cookie and a few bites of the spice cake. Eating that whole pound of See's chocolate can be a real problem. You can enjoy the wonderful tastes of the holidays without stuffing yourself. Love those eight bites. Especially early in the healing process it is important to be sure you do not over-extend the surgical site.

Parties are the biggest problem you can encounter during the holidays. Most of the people attending will not know the effort you have spent in losing the weight, but may comment on how little you eat. To deflect questions, take a little plate, put a couple of nibbly little things on it and carry it around with you. (A side note: with a wine glass in one hand and a plate in the other, no one will be able to shake hands with you and pass on that ugly flu we are experiencing). People will stop asking you to eat something as long as you have something in your hand. My father used to avoid the issue of drinking too much during the holidays by carrying around a glass with ginger-ale in it. It looked like a high ball and since he already had a "drink", no one asked him if he wanted another. Just keep slowly refilling that glass with ginger-ale or that small plate will small bites. It is the safest way to get through the party intact.

Thanksgiving has come to mean eating to excess with loving friends and family and you need to carefully consider what you are about on that day. Today I will be having Thanksgiving dinner wih nine friends at one of the rental properties my wife manages in the hills of Umbria. We are all bringing things to share for dinner. I will be making antipasti (more about that in a minute), there will be pumpkin ravioli with bechamel and walnut sauce, grilled marinated lamb (hard to get good turkeys here), a variety of vegetable dishes and the usual plethora of desserts. The olive oil from our trees is being pressed this morning so thoughts are not strictly on food, though I guess here in Italy, olive oil is a major food group.

Thanksgiving antipasti will include sausage and cheese crostini with chutney, sliced pecorino cheese, and some winter melon and prosciutto. I will make them in small bites, and will plate them on holiday platters.

The sausage and cheese crostini will be made with sautéed local sausage (seasoned with fresh garlic, salt and pepper only) mixed with a generous amounts of Parmigiano-Reggiano and Cacciota (a cow's milk cheese that is soft and mild). I will puree it in the food processor until smooth. The crostini will be made from fresh local artisan bread that I will grill to toast, rub with garlic, sprinkle with a bit of the fresh olive oil and a sprinkle of salt. I 'll assemble the crostini just before serving so it is warm. A bit of pear or plum chutney will top the sausage mixture on the crostini. Wine will be passed and the air will be filled with stories of past Thanksgivings, stories of friends, and plans for the future. Especially for that olive oil, just pressed this morning.

Enjoy the holidays, but remember the limits we have placed upon ourselves. Eat those delicious bites on that small plate and toast your friends well. Mangia!