Well, the festive season is upon us. I know this because the Christmas play Chloe has been planning since March (yep, MARCH) is getting frighteningly close.

In a wondrous display of distracted parenting, I have frequently said “yes”, “aha”, “mmmm” and “sure!”, safe in the knowledge that she would surely, surely get bored of organising a neighbourhood extravaganza over a period of nine months. I should have known that was never going to happen.

Once upon a time I agreed to a lemonade stand, only to have it turn into a weeklong bake sale on the streets of Hamilton. We had a logo, a website, a licence from the Department of Health … this kid doesn’t take anything lightly.

So here I am, three weeks out from a “show” that requires five scene changes and multiple costumes. I’m having palpitations just thinking about it …

In other news, I’m also breaking into a cold sweat each time I walk through Phoenix. It’s been completely overrun by enormous tins of Quality Street. We’re talking a wall-to-wall invasion of chocolate.

It makes me panic a little just walking past this national flirtation with diabetes. I mean, I know it’s Christmas and it’s a treat, but unless serious complications such as erectile dysfunction, kidney disease and amputation count as a “treat” too, I think we need to stop thinking of sugar as fun.

Yikes, that sounds heavy-handed I know. Am I now on the naughty list?

It’s practically impossible to escape the connection between sugar and fun though isn’t it? I fall into this trap too. Sweet things are delicious and make us feel good but do you know the science behind why? If not, let’s take a little look.

Essentially, when you eat, your taste buds send messages to your forebrain. One area there — the cerebral cortex — has different sections that process different tastes. Once stimulated, the “sweet” area activates the reward system in your brain, basically making you feel warm and fuzzy. Your brain will ask if you want to do that again and you’ll probably say yes. The problem is that it’s easy to overactivate this reward system. We experience loss of control and develop an increased tolerance, which means that it takes more and more sugar to achieve the same amount of pleasure. The result? Sugar addiction, overconsumption and an overstimulated palate. Healthy food doesn’t taste good because relatively, compared to processed food, it’s bland.

One of our main goals within Nutrifit (our six-week nutrition intensive) is to try and readjust your palate. We do this by reducing exposure to processed food and introducing healthy food that uses more natural ingredients to satisfy your taste buds instead.

One of our most popular recipes at this time of year is the Christmas salad.

It’s a great example of healthy eating that packs a punch when it comes to flavour and it’s super nutrient-dense too.

I’ve included beetroot as the ultimate detox vegetable — full of iron, calcium, betaine, B vitamins and a variety of other antioxidants. Beets improve liver function largely by thinning bile and allowing it to flow more freely.

The dressing in this recipe contains a little maple syrup, but you can switch that out to apple juice, or even replace the dressing altogether with a drizzle of olive oil and a squeeze of lemon. Overall, this is a much better way to use leftovers rather than continuing to stuff them in between white bread with tons of mayo!

Instead of the bread, try making sweet potato wedges on the side. The cinnamon brings out the natural sweetness and the rosemary adds an interesting twist. So simple, so delicious. (Make this early by using roast chicken instead — you don’t have to wait till Boxing Day!)

Ingredients:

8 cups of arugula

2 cups of shredded roast chicken/turkey, organic if possible

4 small beets, roasted

1 apple, cut into matchsticks and dressed with a little lemon

4 scallions/salad onions

4 tablespoons of pumpkin seeds or pumpkin power Munchy Seeds (Supermart)

Dressing:

2 tbsp EVOO

1 tbsp maple syrup or 2 tbsps apple juice

½-1 tbsp raw apple cider vinegar

1 tsp mustard

Sea salt and pepper to taste

Method:

1. Toss shredded chicken, warm roasted beets, apple, scallions and arugula with dressing.

2. Sprinkle with pumpkin seeds.

Roasted sweet potato wedges (serves 4)

Ingredients:

2 medium sweet potatoes cut into 1-inch wide wedges

Light olive oil or coconut oil

Sea salt and black pepper

Approx ½ tsp cinnamon

Rosemary (optional but delicious)

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Toss wedges with a little olive oil and spices

3. Bake for 45 minutes or until tender

•The advice given in this article is not intended to replace medical advice, but to complement it. Always consult your GP if you have any health concerns. Catherine Burns is the managing director of Natural Ltd and a fully qualified nutritional therapist trained by the Institute for Optimum Nutrition in the UK. Please note that she is not a registered dietitian. For details, please go to www.natural.bm or call 236-7511. Join Catherine on Facebook: www.facebook.com/nutrifitandnaturalnutritionbermuda