For many, living the Low-Carb lifestyle, the most joyous part of the year can quickly become the most dreaded. But, it doesn’t have to be that way. You can go into this time relaxed and looking forward to all the blessings it brings simply by planning ahead for success around the dinner table. We are used to thinking that holiday meals are all about the carbohydrates but these meals can really be prepared at whatever carb level we want. Follow these steps to make your festivities the best ones yet…

• Start by choosing Low-Carb favorites and plan the rest of the meal around these
  Turkey and ham are obvious good places to start. Next, consider family recipes for vegetables/relishes/side dishes that are loved by everyone even without having added sugar or a lot of starch.
• Choose to scale back some of the more traditional side dishes. Instead, try…
  green beans w/ almond slivers, sautéed mushrooms and peppers, or a salad w/ cranberry vinaigrette
• Enjoy Low-Carb starters that still pack a lot of flavor
  Consider waiting until you get to the table if you are going to eat more carbohydrates than you normally would. Begin w/ veggies and dip, cucumber rounds in place of crackers for spreads, or nuts instead of chips
• Prepare a Low-Carb platter for the center of the table
  How about this for a yummy selection: dill pickle spears or chips, sugar-free gherkins or bread and butter pickles, olives, marinated artichokes, Italian hot peppers (make it sweeter by adding some artificial sweetener to the brine), roasted red peppers, radish blossoms, baby carrots, and celery sticks
• Now, make a list of your “must-haves”
  Look at the recipes and see if substitutions are possible to make any of them lower carb

Now, feel good about what you have done and remember to enjoy yourself but leave the guilt behind!