Recipe Round-up for Grain Free Christmas Cookies

My absolute favorite part of the Christmas season is baking!!!

Grain Free NOT Calorie Free

Please keep in mind as we go through this holiday season that just because something is grain free or “Paleo” it is NOT calorie free. In fact some of these “treats” may actually be higher in calories. You still want the bulk of your diet to be made up of protein, vegetables, and healthy fats.

Even though grain free treats may be higher in calories they are a better choice for most for several reasons…

More satisfying due to higher fat content so you eat 1 cookie versus 4-5.
Do not contain gluten, which can increase inflammation and contribute to symptoms such as: depression, anxiety, headaches, digestive upset, joint pain, and the list goes on and on.
Lower in carbohydrates because they lack grains helping to minimize the spike of blood sugar.

Remember not all calories are created equal…

Be Mindful

When you are looking at recipes be mindful of the ingredients, mainly how much sugar it calls for. Most of the time you can reduce the sugar in a recipe and it will still taste great!

For example if a recipe calls for dark chocolate chips and ½ cup of honey or maple syrup, I will reduce the sweetener down to ¼ cup, as the chocolate chips contain sweetener as well. I have found that my new taste buds don’t handle a lot of sugar at one time very well. The only time I usually don’t do this is if I am taking it somewhere.

Also be mindful of how much nut flour and nut butter you are consuming this time of year. The calories can add up fast and for some people nuts can increase inflammation and exacerbate symptoms especially those that are autoimmune in nature.

The holidays can be very busy with to-do list a mile long☺ Often times we are putting food in our mouth unconsciously simply because it is there. Indulge in those things that are truly worth it to you and pass on everything else. If you take a bit of something and it doesn’t taste good to you or you can tell that your body doesn’t like it then stop eating it! You aren’t offending anyone by politely declining foods.

I encourage you to stop…slow down…be mindful…and practice self-care this holiday season.

NOW ON TO THE GOOD STUFF!

A huge thank you to our followers! Here are some recipes for your Christmas baking!

Recipes for Grain Free Christmas Cookies

Chewy Dark Chocolate Gingerbread Cookies from Multiply Delicious.

Cranberry Ginger Cookies from Civilized Caveman.

Chocolate Puddle Cookies from Plateful.

Dark Chocolate Salted Truffle Cookies from Paleo Parents.

Easy Chocolate Turtles from Detoxinista.

Grain-Free Shortbread Cookies from Detoxinista.

Gluten Free Almond Cookies from Taste of Home.

Paleo Chocolate Chip Blondies from Ditch the Wheat.