From Celebrity Carb Watch

 Kat James: New Holiday Traditions

 By Iris Brooks

Pic here

Health and beauty guru Kat James shares some Holiday

advice for low-carbers.

"Too many people immediately think having a healthier holiday means depriving themselves and 'being good.' The real joy of holidays -- when you have all of your strategies in place -- comes from learning we don't have to give up decadence. We need only to tweak our favorite indulgences," says. This holistic health and beauty guru, who has made a splash with her book, is an advocate of a low-carb diet and while holidays are about tradition, for those of us who are struggling with how to hold onto tradition without losing sight of our eating lifestyle, James has some ideas. "We can indulge in our favorite traditions by smartly tweaking them to work for beauty, health and energy. You may think this requires special sauces, but everyone will enjoy these healthy treats and they will become the new family tradition," she says. If you decide to sip some wine, buffer the impact of the first sip by eating a few ounces of cheese first or a handful of nuts. Or wait until eating dinner, before sipping wine. This might not avoid a blood sugar spike totally but this buffering technique of adding protein in conjunction with wine creates less of a drop in blood sugar, making it easier to get back on track in the days following the holidays, she says.

Make sure to avoid blood-sugar spikes.

If you are avoiding caffeine, there are a variety of coffee alternatives on the market but James suggests Teeccino, an herbal, alkalizing beverage, which both relaxes and energizes, she says. Try a crust-less pumpkin, which is served without the pie shell, in custard cups. There is no reason to give up cranberry sauce, so try sugar substitutes such as Stevia in your cranberry recipes instead.

Experiment with recipes

"Digestive systems can become sluggish for low carbers who are not careful about eating enough fruits, vegetables and fiber as well as drinking enough water," James says. After dinner beverages can be part of the remedy. "The tasty Tuscan tisane (herbal teas) can help support the liver and kidney functions," she adds. As you cook or contribute to a Holiday meal, keep in mind; tradition is not fixed and finite. You can experiment and be part of creating a new, healthy tradition.

For those interested in traveling with Kat James, she offers a series of workshops about transformation and shedding, dealing with changing emotional, beauty, and food patterns starting with mundane daily process. More details are available at www.totaltransformation.com Below are some recipes based on those submitted by Kat James. "This is a healthier play on my mother's wonderful stuffing with apples. By replacing the old, hydrogenated croutons with croutons fiber-rich, tasty low-carb bread, even a decadent variation such as adding sausage still renders a far healthier stuffing that is also more satisfying," says James. Sausage is optional.

Kat's Hearty Stuffing with Nuts and Apples

Ingredients:

1 loaf Low-Carb Hempseed Bread (such as French Meadow Bakery)

3/4 pound butter, organic preferred

1 large white onion, diced

3 large stalks celery, diced

1-3/4 cups chicken stock, organic preferred (such as Imagine brand) 3 tablespoons ground sage (or 1/4 cup fresh, processed in a food processor)

5 large apples, washed, cored, diced large with skin

2 cups walnut pieces

3 large eggs, beaten, organic preferred

Optional: 1 1/2 pounds ground free range pork sausage

Nonstick cooking spray

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Prepare large baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Toast walnut pieces at 250 degrees F for approximately 20 minutes (or until they begin to smell like popcorn).

3. Cut bread into crouton-sized cubes. Toast croutons for about 25 minutes at 250 degreesF , turning to crisp evenly.

4. In a small stockpot, heat butter, stock and sage on medium heat, stirring occasionally until boiling. Lower heat; add apples, celery and onions; simmer for another seven minutes.

5. Combine croutons and walnut pieces in a very large mixing bowl; stir in stock mixture from saucepan until croutons are evenly moistened.

6. Mix in beaten eggs; combine thoroughly.

7. Place stuffing in prepared baking dish; bake at 350 degrees F for 45 minutes, stirring once after 20 minutes. If stuffing a bird, stuff loosely and be sure that the internal stuffing temperature has reached at least 165 degrees before completing cooking.

Note: For a heartier touch, fold in 1-1/2 pounds browned free-range sausage and drippings before adding the beaten eggs. Makes 16 (1/2-cup) servings.

Nutritional Information Per 1/2 cup serving:

14.3g carbs

4.9g fiber

8g protein

17g total fat

49mg cholesterol

182mg sodium

236 calories

"The cranberry sauce of my youth was a gelatinous mass in the shape of the can it came in. While there is some sentimental value to it, there is much more appeal to real cranberry sauce, and very few carbs when you use a sweetener. For an unexpected, exotic tweak, add the juicy seeds of a pomegranate.

Kat's Spicy Cranberry-Citrus Sauce

Ingredients:

1 (2-cup) package fresh frozen cranberries

1 orange or tangerine (Not allowed on some low-carb diets)

3/4 teaspoon orange or tangerine zest

About 1 cup filtered water

1/4 teaspoon ground clove

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, or 1 cinnamon stick

1/2 teaspoon Stevia, or to taste

1 teaspoon guar gum thickener, optional

1 pomegranate, seeded, optional

Directions:

1. Place cranberries in a small saucepan. Squeeze citrus fruit juice over berries; add zest. (If desired, use a scorer to create longer strips of the zest by cutting around the fruit in a circular fashion).

2. Add spices and sweetener.

3. Add just enough filtered water to cover fruit; stir over medium heat until boiling.

4. Lower heat; stir in thickener, if desired; and simmer for another five minutes. Cool before serving. Note: Guar gum thickener can be found at health food stores. Add the seeds of one pomegranate before adding the water, if desired

.

Makes 8 (1/4-cup) servings.

Nutritiuonal Information Per 1/4-cup serving:

5.8g carbs

1.7g fiber

0.1g total fat

0mg cholesterol

0.3g protein

0.9mg sodium

23 calories

Iris Brooks is a widely published cultural writer who specializes in travel, arts and wellness. She experienced the Kat James Total Transformation program and the accompanying tea harvest in Tuscany, Italy in 2004. She has celebrated Holiday on many continents.

© Copyright 2003-4 and/or individual copyright holders. All Rights Reserved.