Fall Isn't the Season of No
After 42 years of managing diabetes, I've never been stuck in a no-treat corner. Here's how to make fall a season of YES, with a plan.
Coach Mocha- Kingdom Nutritionist
10/15/20263 min read
The "experts", and the non-experts who somehow became experts from judging Aunt Georgia, are about to tell you what you can't have this fall. I'm going to tell you that you can do it God's way and have it in abundance. Let's look at what we CAN have: good family and friend memories, good times, good smells, good foods, good laughs, good first-time adventures. Let's go!
And here's a peek at how we make fall happen at my house: everybody gets 2 tickets to "bid" on their favorite fall dishes. More on that below.
Rethinking Your Brain Season Fall is rethinking-your-brain season. After 42 years of managing diabetes. I have never once put myself in a no-treat corner. My strategy is the same one I use at Thanksgiving: don't wait for the temptation to show up. Give your brain something better to do first.
The candy and sweet cravings are tradition and habit. If it weren't fall, would you even be thinking about sweets? Let me rephrase that because I know some of you, YES, YOU WOULD, no matter the season! So: if it weren't fall, would you be thinking about pumpkin flavored treats? Let's tweak the brain this season for blood sugars that stay stable. The new normal.
Oct 31: The Day We Begin Fall Every year I kept my kid home on Oct 31, and that became the day we began fall. We prepare all of the seasonal decor on the last day of October. So many things to notice!
Mums go on the doorstep. If you have a home, pull out the tired summer plants and plant mums. It's an instant upgrade. Pick squash for cool displays indoors, and play with weird-shaped ones in glass vases, cornucopia or not. Fake fire sunflowers are gorgeous and hot glue to vases perfectly.
Then make wreaths out of seashells and autumn-colored leaves. We're coastal, so this is THE activity of the 31st: walk the neighborhood and pick up beautiful leaves, then head to the beach for seashells. Undecorated wreaths aren't expensive, so get at least one for the front door. Feeling extra? Get 2. A squash inside a wreath as a table centerpiece is completely IN ORDER. Decorate those wreaths however you feel. And pick some cinnamon-scented pine cones, because the house HAS to smell welcoming.
Lots to do, so get set up. Craft hoodies on. Extra hot glue sticks in the hoodie pockets. Craft scissors on the table. Real leaves and seashells arranged for easy access. Fake leaves and foliage in their own area. Ready? Time to make fall happen!
Time For Bids By the time the afternoon rolls in, everyone is ready to "bid" for fall dishes. Main rules: Must be REAL FOOD dishes, and have 0 added sugar (Stay with me). It may have natural sugars such as deglet dates, even barhi dates. Just keep portions that work for you and pay attention to how your body responds. All spices are on the table. Could be soups, apple chili, homemade peach cobbler or apple pies no added sugar, but ALL the flavor.
So baby! It's fall! Pull out your calendar and pick your specialty cooking days. All 7? Great. Just Saturdays for November? That's 4 days. Plenty.
Each family member or friend who joins in gets 2 tickets (here's where it gets fun)- put your fav fall dish on each one.
Flip a coin.
The "host" asks everyone to read their tickets aloud.
The dish with the most votes goes into week 1.
For weeks 2, 3, and 4, everyone makes their case for why their dish should be next.
ITie, or the cases are all great? -Turn on music you usually don't listen to. (e.g classical music) , call the type of dance (e.g break dance), and each person gets 10 seconds to represent. Best dance wins the spot.
Oddly enough this always settles a dispute. This thing is hilarious! Everyone laughs, and the weekends are already planned for the month.
THIS is what a day full of fun looks like. No candy involved. Candy isn't even in the house. Instead of sad "I can't have candy", it flips to, "I can't wait to see what we create on Oct 31". It's about building, and adventure.
The Practical Move Put three fall things on your calendar before November 1.
One cozy fall recipe (soup, chili etc- for sometime NOT on a Saturday. could even be fall mocktails)
One hands-on project (wreath or centerpiece display anyone?)
and One treat you've never made, with no added sugar (e.g pumpkin ice cream. or pie).
Fall isn't a season of no. It's the season of YES, with a plan.
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