Confession is good for the soul (body too)

I have a confession to make. I overdid it on Thanksgiving. "Big deal," you say. "Everyone does." Well, yes, but I feel guilty because I am supposed to be the paragon of dietary virtue. And I blew it. I woke up the day after Thanksgiving feeling slightly hung over. And I didn't have a drop of alcohol.

It reminded me of the time I first learned about blood sugar from my mentor, Dr. Barry Sears. I had been eating perfectly for several weeks and someone offered me a piece of carrot cake because "you have been so good…" Within three hours, I was violently sick and it took three days to recuperate. Dr. Sears explained that after keeping a balanced blood sugar for so long, my body overreacted to the sugar and plummeted me into "glucose chaos." It taught me a valuable lesson.

What tripped me up this time was a little here; a little there. Some stuffing. Some bread. Some sugar-sweetened yams. Some pumpkin pie. And worst of all, some cheesecake. It tasted good but was not worth the ill health afterward.

If this is your plight, be assured that your body will recover in three days.

Today, I am indulging myself with a large salad, chock full of brightly colored vegetables. It feels good going down. My body is saying, "Thank you very much!" Tonight I will enjoy a piece of baked trout with another plate of vegetables. Well, I may finish the reduced-sugar pumpkin pie but it is a small piece!

I am taking extra minerals because chromium, zinc, vanadium, and magnesium are essential to blood sugar balance. I am taking extra antioxidant nutrients in the form of the "green and red pills" because all that sugar surely sent me into free radical gehenna. If I am not feeling much better by tomorrow, I may do a body cleanse, just to get rid of the excess.

What about the oncoming Christmas season? I promise to be more careful. Before going to any parties, I will fill up on protein so I am not hungry. I will eat vegetables to quench the fires of free radicals before they do any damage. I will enjoy the sea- son without over-indulging. And if you don't believe me, you are welcome to check up on me.

- Carol Simontacchi is the owner of

the Island Nutrition Center on Sanibel.

She can be reached at 472-4499 or

on the Web at www.islandnutritioncenter.

meta-ehealth.com.