Jaime Hartman (00:08):
Welcome to the AIP Summit Podcast, your go-to resource for taking control of your autoimmune health, presented by AIP Certified Coaches. Hi, I'm Jaime Hartman.
Marie-Noelle Marquis (00:18):
And I'm Marie-Noelle Marquis. And we are here to equip you with the tools, knowledge and the support you need to effectively use the autoimmune protocol.
Jaime Hartman (00:26):
And today we want to get you ready for your happiest and healthiest winter holiday season ever. We are really excited to be joined today by our friend and colleague, fellow AIP Certified Coach, Melanie Snyder. Now, you may remember meeting Melanie when we featured her presentation from the sixth annual AIP Summit way back in episode 12. It was entitled, AIP Beyond the Plate, Integrating Lifestyle Choices. I'll put a link in the show notes to that episode so that you can check it out if you didn't hear that already. Now today, we've got Melanie back and she's with us for a conversation focused specifically on navigating the holidays when you have an autoimmune disease and when you have some dietary restrictions that you need to maintain, but you still want to celebrate the season with your loved ones. Melanie, thank you so much for being here.
Melanie Snyder (01:26):
Thank you so much for having me. I'm real excited to be a part of the conversation.
Marie-Noelle Marquis (01:31):
Melanie, we have a list of questions we want to ask you today, but first, please tell our listeners about yourself and then talk a little bit about how AIP has helped you personally.
Melanie Snyder (01:41):
Sure. Well, I am Melanie Snyder. Again, I live in the West Palm Beach, Florida area, the southeast side of Florida, and I am a health educator, kind of first and foremost. That's how I started off my career. And then it was really after my own personal journey, struggling with chronic inflammation and infertility and then finding out that I had an autoimmune disease. I was diagnosed with Celiac's disease almost 13 years ago, kind of early 2012 that I decided to become an integrative health coach and then also an AIP Certified Coach after experiencing how transformative AIP was in my own life. So I became really passionate about helping people reconnect to their bodies, understand the signs and symptoms and messages that it's giving them, and then there's a lot of information and chaos out there of what do I do? What's my next step, what's going to work for me?
(02:37):
So helping cut through the overwhelm and come up with very specific strategies that meet people where they are, honor their bioindividuality and what their current season of life is that may be presenting certain opportunities, but also certain challenges and coming up with a plan forward so that folks can really feel like they can head down this path. Sometimes we feel like we have to overhaul our whole life to be healthy and even small steps forward can really move the needle. So that's why I started Melanie Snyder Wellness to help with people that were on similar journeys like I am. But in terms of AIP, I was diagnosed as I mentioned almost 13 years ago, and for people that aren't familiar with celiac disease, the treatment is a hundred percent avoidance of gluten. Even the smallest amount can really wreak havoc on someone who has celiac disease, their health.
(03:32):
So I was already going through that process, and this was also during a time where I was traveling a tongue for work. So I had to figure out really quickly how I was going to navigate this new lifestyle on a modified diet, how I was going to eat outside my home and travel and dine out at restaurants and participate in social events and activities and go on airplanes. And that process really primed me for AIP. During that time, after avoiding gluten, a lot of my symptoms did improve and subside, but many of them persisted. I started going to acupuncture weekly, and through that process I was able to start tuning into my body to notice the signs and symptoms, and then I learned more about leaky gut and intestinal permeability and how different foods were affecting how I was feeling. So I also started avoiding dairy sugar, and I'm pretty sure oats during that time, and it was my acupuncturist that turned me onto this idea of paleo.
(04:35):
And then we found AIP. And so at that time, it wasn't like I was jumping in with no experience. I had a lot under my belt. And so I have a lot of empathy for people that are going from eating whatever they want and living their life to then going through an elimination can be pretty overwhelming. And I did have the benefit of already being gluten-free and dairy-free, which just those two alone can be very challenging to navigate. And so that did make the transition much easier for me and now I'm grateful for it looking back. And so often the traditional elimination and recommendation is 30 to 90 days or until we start to feel better that we can notice changes as we're reintroducing foods. But for me during that season, it looked more like eight or nine months. It was a pretty stressful time traveling.
(05:30):
The stress of the travel on my body, we were going through infertility and infertility treatments that was pretty traumatic for us. So I had a lot going on that it wasn't a fast process, but through over time, I was feeling better. And even the doctors that we were working with were saying, I'm like, should I start reintroductions? Whatever you're doing, it's working. So let's not rock the boat. And so we were able to get pregnant. And then for me, one of the beautiful parts of AIP, the gift that it gave me was learning how to take care of myself because so much emphasis is put on the nutrition part, and obviously that's a big part of it, but also I wasn't spending as much or putting as much focus on the lifestyle pieces. And that was really the missing link for me. I was really stressed out.
(06:19):
I wasn't sleeping well. The connection to others and nature was hit or miss given what I was doing. And so it wasn't until I put all the pieces together that it started to come together for me. And that took a long time. There was also a lot less resources back then around AIP, so I was kind of piecemealing it together and learning on my own, reading a lot of blogs and websites and things where now working with a AIP coach can really help streamline that process and make it much easier. But it was such a tremendous experience for me. And so people would ask me, now, do you still do AIP? And often they're focused on or wondering if I'm in elimination and no, but I reintroduce many different things, but I really do rely on the framework of the protocol. I rely on it all the time. If I'm not feeling well, I've scaled things back and really hone in through different stressful seasons of my life. It's just become a really helpful template for me that I still utilize actively today.
Jaime Hartman (07:24):
Thank you so much for sharing all of that. You brought up so many things that we have talked about repeatedly in this podcast series, and I know we will continue to, and it's a message, a lesson that I think so many of us have learned from our experiences that we now want other people to learn from. So maybe they don't have to go through it. You talk about all the pieces coming together and that stress being a huge part of it. Now today we're talking specifically about the holidays. So thinking back to when you first had to make some big changes in your diet, what was your first holiday season with those dietary restrictions? What were some of the hard things, the hardest things for navigating it for you?
Melanie Snyder (08:06):
And I'm someone that loves the holidays, particularly in my house and my family. We celebrate Thanksgiving and Christmas and I love holiday season. So I remember back when I was kind of navigating my first holiday season with celiac disease, I was only eliminating gluten, which I don't want to minimize that, that's not significant. But obviously over time, probably about a year and a half or so later is when I was doing more of the AIP elimination. So there was many more things that I was eliminating. But during that time, I remember being one really excited about that holiday season because we were newly married. We had just moved into our new home and we had a place where we could host our family. We have pretty big family, so I was really excited about that piece. But then also I remember being stressed out and nervous of what I was going to eat and if I was going to enjoy the holiday feeling left out in terms of not being able to eat the traditional things that we would.
(09:06):
And Thanksgiving was the first big holiday. And in my family, we typically eat the same Thanksgiving menu since I was a kid. The same things are on the same rotation every year. And so I remember being equal parts excited and nervous. I didn't have a good strategy. I hadn't really thought that through of how the day was going to play out. I just knew that I had to make separate foods for myself. But I think I was making it the day of, and that proved to be pretty stressful when I had a house full of people and guests and little children, my nieces and nephews running around. So it was a big learning curve for me. It was one I was excited about. So I remember feeling confident enough to give it a go and invite folks into my house, but I was still, I didn't have a plan of what that was going to look like, and I had already kind of grieved the loss or it was starting to accept that this was my new way of life with not having gluten.
(10:03):
And that is a big part of it. And so I knew that if this was going to be how I was living my life forever, avoiding gluten, that it was going to be important for me to find ways to still enjoy these holidays that were so special to me. So I definitely learned a lot. And then later on when I was doing more in the AIP elimination, I had a lot of experience under my belt. I had several holidays under my belt, but it definitely makes things a little more complicated, the more foods that we are avoiding, eliminating dairy and gluten and nightshades takes away some of my favorite treats and desserts and mashed potatoes and some of those. So I was able to spend some time looking for replacements, but it was pretty overwhelming. I remember.
Jaime Hartman (10:51):
And it sounds like you were able to kind of ease into the navigating the social elements of that because of the phased implementation of it and that you had that very specific diagnosis. I imagine that might've made it just a little bit easier to explain to people how your social interactions might be different. But for our listeners who maybe aren't at that point, can you give them any tips for how they might build their confidence in navigating those social situations in the holidays or any time?
Melanie Snyder (11:23):
Yes, and I agree, and my circumstance was unique because I was concerned about gluten exposure and cross-contamination, which that's a whole other episode for not everyone's going to have to navigate it the same way I do because a little amount of gluten makes me terribly sick. So how I was proceeding is obviously different for someone else that may be eliminating nightshades or something like that. And it also depends on where we are in the AIP or in the different stages and phases of what that looks like for each holiday season. But one of my favorite tips that I like to share with folks is to practice socializing throughout the year. And often when the stakes are not as high as the holidays, sometimes we feel like there's more pressure around Thanksgiving or Christmas or Hanukkah. Maybe we have family traveling in. We want to provide a good experience, especially for hosting.
(12:20):
So that can add a whole other layer of things. But when we're practicing socializing throughout the year or during times where we're not so busy or overwhelmed by the holidays, then we can gain those skills. So whether it's inviting some friends over and hosting a small gathering or a small sit down dinner party or accepting invitations to go to a neighborhood barbecue going on road trips, if we have the opportunity to take a airplane somewhere, all of those, even if they're not related to holiday celebrations, are going to give us the skills to navigate when the holidays do come around. So to me, it's no different than if I'm hosting a dinner party than if I'm hosting Thanksgiving, except there's going to be more traditions and culture and decorations and things. But for me, it's often the same process. So if we can put ourselves out there, accept social invitations, invite people over, create these opportunities throughout the year when there's not the pressure of if the recipe flops, that's okay, we're not ruining anyone's holiday, I find that that boosts our confidence and also gives us more skills so that if plans change last minute and now I'm hosting or now I can't host because of an illness and we're going someplace else, I can act on the fly.
(13:38):
So I find that really helpful. And then the other tip would be to practice exploring recipes throughout the year. If anybody's like me, by the time the holidays roll around, I am really busy. I have a young child, so we've got activities and celebrations and school activities, that's sometimes just the meal planning and figuring out what I'm going to offer serve to other people or serve for myself can get very overwhelming. And when we are practicing throughout the year when we're not as busy, we start to build this menu of options for ourselves. So when certain holidays roll around, we can pick and choose and yep, the crowd, this is a crowd pleaser. I'm going to make that this is a great cake recipe that maybe I can decorate in a fun way for this holiday. It takes a lot of the pressure off and the planning.
(14:26):
I think often what's not talked about a lot is the mental load when we are on a modified diet. And I don't say that in a way to discourage people, but I want to honor that that is a part of it that often it does require some planning and preparation ahead of time. So when it starts to become second nature for us, it alleviates that tremendously from my experience. So I encourage people to find cake recipes that work for you based on whatever ingredients or foods that we can eat, find a good muffin recipe so we can participate in a brunch, find side items that work or appetizers we can serve at social gatherings. So we have our go-to. And so now I just can think on the fly, and I find that just the practice of doing throughout the year when it's not busy really sets us up for being able to feel confident handling any type of social situation, whether it's a baby shower, a wedding, or hosting a holiday. We feel ready and prepared to do so because done it a number of times and we learn what works for us, what we thought might alleviate our stress, may have increased some stress, and we can make modifications along the way. So I'm 13 years into this at least, and I'm still learning and modify as I go and how I'm based on how I'm feeling then at that time.
Marie-Noelle Marquis (15:48):
That's great. I love that tips. That's a really good, we often mention planning is so important, but sometimes planning feels like a chore. And I love the way you just presented that. That feels like fun activities throughout the year to be like, yeah, let me just build that habit, make it second nature. My question for you is what advice can you give people who are struggling with the emotional impact? So you just mentioned the mental load, that emotional toll, the impacts of the holidays on people, especially for those who are facing the first season that they can't just eat regular food.
Melanie Snyder (16:26):
Yes. I think this is so important to honor and talk about. The holidays can be emotional for us in general. It can bring up a lot of feelings and emotions. Some are very nostalgic and joyous and some can be challenging. We may have a lot of support among our close family and friends, or maybe we don't have as much support. We may be thinking about these foods that have really been a part of our holiday experience that now we're not going to be able to eat or maybe in the same way or different traditions that we're not going to be able to participate in. So there can be a layer of complexity around the holidays in general. So I think it's important to honor how we feel, know that you're not alone if you are feeling this way, and also that it does get easier and easier.
(17:15):
So I think particularly using AIP as an example, I know at the very beginning when we're starting, so depending on where this falls around the holiday, especially if we're still early in elimination, maybe we haven't reintroduced a lot, it can feel overwhelming. And we may wonder what we're going to say to people when they ask us, what are you doing? Or why are you eating this way? Or Why can't you have this thing? And especially if we haven't gotten to the other side where we feel better and we've reaped the benefits of AIP, we may not even be sure how we can communicate that to people. But I find that once we have gone through reintroductions, we've got this customized plan that works for us, we do feel more confident showing up to holidays and explaining I was feeling X, Y, Z, these are the things that I did and now I feel this way.
(18:03):
And that just gives us more confidence. But typically folks are struggling earlier on as they're, this is all new. And I find that if that's where people are in the beginning of this experience, kind of thinking about the holiday Thanksgiving's right around the corner. So using Thanksgiving as an example and have them reflect on that holiday and what makes it that holiday for them, not just food related, but what really feels like Thanksgiving. It could be where they celebrate. Maybe they always go to grandma's house or they always go to aunt so-and-so's house. It could be different traditions for decorations, bringing out a funny decoration every year, watching the Macy's Thanksgiving parade in their pajamas. It could be how they set the table that they all play football after dinner or do a puzzle together. And often what people find is there's many elements that make the holiday so special.
(18:59):
Some may find that food is a small part of that. And so even with modifications, they'll still walk away feeling like they had a great experience and were participating in the memories and it felt like Thanksgiving. Other people may find that food does play a very large role in the breakfast and what they snack on during the day and the big meal for those folks. I would often recommend spending focused time and attention on looking for replacements if we really look forward to this hot apple pie on the Thanksgiving, but now and dairy-free, egg-free looking for a replacement. And so that we may not have the same exact pie recipe, but we have something similar. So when everyone's sitting down to dessert, I also have an apple pie that I can enjoy. So I feel a part of the experience and not missing out on it.
(19:52):
And now there's so many resources that are available. I know back then, I remember my first Thanksgiving on AIP, Mickey Trescott sent out, the timing was perfect this Thanksgiving, this AIP Thanksgiving guide, and I was like, oh, thank you. It was everything from start to finish, the turkeys, the side items, desserts, and I didn't have to reinvent the wheel. I could follow it to a tea to get me started. And now there's so many cookbooks. There's Pinterest just doing a search for AIP, apple pie, so many come up. So if we do feel so many emotions around the making of the food and eating the food and smelling the food, and we can't enjoy those same ingredients work to find a replacement, I find that that really helps if that's going to feel much more of a connection to the holiday. One of the recipe, or excuse me, the websites that I love the most is Michelle Hoover's Unbound Wellness.
(20:50):
She has so many different options, and they're beautiful. They are flavorful. She brings in some holiday fun, and right now she actually has a Thanksgiving button on her website that goes straight to all of the options. So she's really great about including the holidays. So if food is such a big part and we're wondering if we're going to feel like we're missing out, spend some time whenever we can. Sometimes it's so busy to look for replacements, and if it's not this time, we can work on it for next time. Sometimes we may have to just scale back this time around when things are so new to us, and that's okay too. But if we're feeling like it would feel like a loss and we would look back and go, oh, that wasn't, I really missed this, then maybe spend time there practicing finding a replacement.
(21:39):
It could be just an egg replacement or gluten-free flour or using coconut milk instead of dairy or a nut milk. And it may not taste exactly the same, but it'll still give us that same nostalgic feeling. And then my other thing that comes to mind for me is to practice what we're going to say to folks, because sometimes the feelings and emotions are around this anxiety of when people are going to question why I am eating certain things or why I can't eat grandma's cookies that have been passed down for a generation. So I find if we practice what we're going to say ahead of time, kind of have a response in our back pocket, it gives us more confidence and less stress going into it. And by the way, honoring ourselves that this is challenging. This is a big step that we're taking to be committed to our health, and that's to be celebrated. So feeling really good about the choices that we're making to move forward. And I promise it does get way easier as time goes on, and often that just comes with the practice and the experience of showing up and finding replacements.
Marie-Noelle Marquis (22:43):
Thank you so much for that answer. What are some practical tips you'd say for adding festive fun to whatever food you can enjoy?
Melanie Snyder (22:53):
Yeah. Okay. So again, I love the holidays. I also love a themed party. I love putting on dinner parties. I love a beautifully set table that's not for everybody, and I get that too. So some people may not feel that it's important to add some festive fun to what they're eating. They may just keep it simple. And that's great too for the folks that want to add some fun, but are feeling like maybe they're going to be offering some simple, like a vegetable platter or a fruit platter or a peel in each shrimp or something like that. We find in our house that I have lots of little holiday additives that we can put in. Sometimes I'll order cupcake toppers of the holiday and just stick those in like little toothpicks that add some fun. We have an assortment of silicone baking trays for different muffins and things.
(23:43):
So we have one in the shape of pumpkin. So for Thanksgiving, we'll make a gluten-free, dairy-free AIP friendly muffin, but we make it in the tray. So when we display it on a platter, it's in little shapes of pumpkins. So find a recipe that works for us and cook it in a way that adds some fun and flavor. And then I also just like to add little cocktail napkins in the theme, have some pretty flowers. We also have an assortment of, Michael sells them all the time during each and every holiday of, they're like candy silicone trays, but we'll use 'em to make fun ice cubes. So we'll have a themed ice cube available on a sparkling water station or something. And my daughter is so excited about this. She loves cooking shows and baking shows, and right now she's really excited about making themed and flavored ice cubes for the water glasses.
(24:37):
So we were sitting on Pinterest the other night looking through, and there's some fun fall themed with sliced oranges, put in a cinnamon stick and a sprig of rosemary, some cranberries, and then fill it with water, freeze it. And now we have some fun festive ice cubes to put in the water glasses on the table. So sometimes it's not so much around all of the different types of foods that we're eating, but just the little touches. So when people come over, it feels like we put in some effort and it feels fun, and the energy is around the theme of the holiday that really gets us excited and gets other people excited as well. So we can also keep it simple and just do what works for us.
Marie-Noelle Marquis (25:24):
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(26:14):
When it comes to toxins in your health, urban AIP operates a completely plastic and aluminum free kitchen because as a practitioner, I know that avoiding exposures to chemicals like PPA can be the missing link when it comes to managing your autoimmune health. So everything, our food wrap, our storage containers, our piping bags, our meal trays of course is plant-based and compostable. It's a huge part of creating a healing focused kitchen, a healing focused table, and again, a non-negotiable when it comes to your autoimmune health. And lastly, I'm a firm believer that joy is a tremendous part of healing. So Urban EIP is here to celebrate your health with meals that are safe, abundant, colorful, beautifully plated, full of flavor, and with portions that actually satisfy you. And because it's the holiday season, we really want to encourage our AIP community to bring a little ease into their lives.
(27:08):
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Jaime Hartman (27:51):
Alright, so let's talk now a little bit about how people who are hosting holiday celebrations at their home, some tips that you might have for them. And I'm thinking especially because you've already shared a ton of ideas here about how to make it fun and festive, but how do they also make sure they're taking care of themselves in the midst of doing all of that?
Melanie Snyder (28:08):
So when we are hosting, just having people at our house does add another layer that's just a reality. It may involve cleaning our house, cleaning bathrooms instead of just showing up at a party and bringing food when it's in our home, it does add many more layers and like you're saying, can increase some stress. How can we take care of ourselves? So one thing that I like to do is first kind of figure out the logistics. And I think for each person that will be a decision they'll have to make some people on AIP, if they learn that gluten and dairy doesn't work for them, then sometimes they have a gluten and dairy free home now or a gluten and dairy free kitchen. So they have to decide for themselves what they're comfortable with. Do they feel comfortable with people bringing in outside food or making food in their home?
(28:53):
Do they want folks to make the entrees and side dishes and things in their own kitchen? So sometimes logistics come into play there of what we're comfortable with. I have celiac's disease and we do have gluten in our house. My husband can eat whatever he wants. And so from the very beginning, we just have a good system in our home of how we set it up with gluten-free. And he has minimal things, but some pastas and crackers and things, and we have a system for navigating that. But figuring that out I think is important. Coming up with our menu, if we're going to be serving the same thing that we can eat and everybody else will eat that way. For me, I'm really the only one that eats the way that I do. So I typically make a separate menu for everybody so that they're having the foods that they, and what I have found really helpful is I make my food separately, often the day before or the night before.
(29:48):
I store it in glass food containers in the fridge. I have my name on it. So that way when I'm hosting the day of, and there's a lot of moving parts, we typically have 25 to 30 family members at our house. It's a lot going on. I know that I have food that I can eat, so I make my meals, my snacks, my desserts, dinner, roll everything ahead of time. And that was something I learned kind of the hard way along the years because sometimes the day just got so busy and then I'm like, wait, I haven't even made my own side dishes yet. So that relieves stress for me, making it ahead of time and then I can focus on my guests and everything. One thing I would also say is asking for help whenever possible. Often, especially when someone's going to another person's home for the holiday, they want to be a part of it and they get a lot of joy on making foods in their home and sharing it and bringing it.
(30:38):
So asking for help whenever we can. We don't have to do all the things, have someone bring drinks and ice, have someone else bring some appetizers to share, or if there's a family recipe that they want to make, they enjoy the smell in their kitchen. Have them bring those. So typically folks will be really excited about helping. So ask for help whenever. I'm really thankful too that my husband loves to cook and he's a great cook. So we share that responsibility. And now as my daughter's getting older, she also takes part. So the other tip would be to cut corners wherever we can. Sometimes when we're on a modified diet and we're not eating a lot of processed packaged things, it feels like we're making everything from scratch. There's a lot of prep and cutting and chopping and all the things I have learned to identify what I can pre-order from even grocery stores, like a veggie platter or a fruit tray or a peel and eat shrimp tray or something that I don't have to prepare.
(31:40):
And then I pick it up and then I just transfer it to a pretty platter that I serve on the island in my kitchen. So it saves me a lot of time. Sometimes it does cost a little bit more. So playing that pros and cons, weighing the benefits of having saved time and stress and having things out that I can also eat and enjoy. So I find that that's helpful. So whether it's a Halloween or Thanksgiving or Christmas, I have platters and fun bowls and things that I can transfer things to. And then also throughout the year if we've identified, maybe there's a dedicated gluten-free or allergen-free bakery or something where we can pick things up. I love that. Shout out to with a hail life, HALE Life Bakery in Tampa. They're on the other coast of Florida, so I can't go there all the time.
(32:28):
But when my husband's there for work, he just went recently and brought home some. They have a dedicated gluten-free bakery. Everything is top allergen free, so most of it's AIP friendly as well. And we brought home some desserts and some cinnamon buns, which I'm really excited about for the morning of. So cutting quarters, anytime I can have anything pre-made, which often can be a challenge, we often lose the flexibility of prepackaged things and just grabbing things off the shelf or that way. So anytime I can do that, I definitely, definitely will. But again, finding what works for us. Obviously everyone's not as worried about cross-contamination in their kitchen as I am, so that's how I proceed. But find what works for us. And again, that comes from the practice of doing and figuring out that day went pretty smoothly or what could I do differently for next time to alleviate some of my stress. So often there's not just one way. There's so many different ways we can navigate it.
Marie-Noelle Marquis (33:32):
What are the holidays like for you now? It has gotten a lot easier over time. Yeah. And what are you most looking forward for this holiday season?
Melanie Snyder (33:44):
Yeah, I would say the holidays for me are much easier. I've learned a lot along the way. I think a big part of that was a level of acceptance that this is the new me, that eating this way also supports my health, and so it gives me more energy and I can participate in life in a way that I want to, and that took some time to accept. And so with that being said, I don't dread the holidays. I don't have a lot of anxiety leading up to it of what am I going to do? And that's not to say to be fully transparent. I still have times where I'm exhausted. Life is busy, and I would love to just push the easy button and not have to do any planning and preparation and run through the drive through. I do definitely experience that, but for the most part now, the holidays, I can truly enjoy them.
(34:39):
I focus on the memories that we're creating with our family and the next generation with nieces and nephews and my daughter. And so I truly, truly love it. It's gotten so much easier. And also the people in my life know this about me that they know that I'm going to bring my food typically wherever I go, they kind of know the drill. So they support me as well. And I think that that's a big bonus. So each holiday season, I think I've learned what works for me and what doesn't. And now I feel much more confident hosting or going to someone else's home. I've found replacement recipes. I still get excited when I come across something that I'm excited to try. So it's more of a curiosity now instead of just kind of struggling through. I really look forward to almost like a challenge. What can I do this year that will be fun and new and exciting?
(35:32):
So this holiday season, I think what I'm most excited about is how excited my daughter is. Maybe I rubbed off on her, but she loves the holidays, she loves Thanksgiving, she loves Christmas, and she's nine. And so I think that's what me and my husband are probably most excited about is just experiencing it with her and really be intentional about slowing down. We have some family traditions that we do together every year, and I'm really looking forward to that. Just this morning on the way to school, she's counting down the days till Thanksgiving. We're listening to Christmas music in the car, and it's just a really fun time. So the holidays are really joyous for us. So we are definitely countdown and countdown vote here at the house.
Marie-Noelle Marquis (36:16):
What are some of your favorite recipes?
Melanie Snyder (36:20):
I don't know that I have a favorite. There's so many things, but I think probably the one that, to be honest, I miss the most is my great nana's date cookie recipe. And it's something that I made with my mom and my grandma growing up that my sisters and I all make that we now in the next generation make together. And I haven't quite perfected it in a way that I can eat it. There's oats in it, and I don't tolerate oats very well still. And so that's probably my favorite. I still make it. We still make it in our home. I love the smell of it. We typically do something to mess up the recipe. It's kind of become an ongoing joke, even with the best of intentions, something happens, we burn it or something. So it's just a staple experience that no matter where we're celebrating the holidays, we always make it.
(37:08):
And now our kids also have grown to love it and want it there. So that's one. And maybe a side item that I love to make, which sounds kind of odd, but I love the brussel sprouts kind of sauteed and bacon, and then I sprinkle some pomegranate seeds to add some holiday color to it. That's probably one I bring a lot. But I just love, I mean, there's so many different parts, but I'm also, I love treats, so I get really excited when I can find gluten-free, dairy-free recipe for a new dessert or something that I can make. I love that. And again, I found, I use Michelle Hoover's AIP friendly sugar cookie recipe from her website. And so we do a lot with that. We have quite a collection of cookie cutters. So I think I just love the creative process of trying new things. I'm not great at creating recipes myself, but I love to try other people's recipes.
Jaime Hartman (38:04):
That's great. So switching gears slightly, I know you have a lot of experience in traveling with dietary restrictions. So just quickly, could you share some practical tips with our listeners on how they could do that successfully if they're facing travel in the next few weeks for the holiday season?
Melanie Snyder (38:21):
Sure. Yes. And as I mentioned before, when I was embarking on all of this new lifestyle, I was traveling a ton for work. I had a work trip coming up the very next week after my diagnosis. So I had to really figure this out. And it really presented a lot of unique experience. Me probably looking at the big picture, so many different circumstances that we could address and cover here. But one tip is that I always try to eat a full meal before I go. So whether I'm heading out on a road trip, I'll eat a big full meal and maybe if it's a short road trip, I can get away with just some snacks. If I'm heading onto the airport, I'll eat a full meal. And that really is helpful so I don't show up hungry at the airport trying to find something with all the chaos of the airport and everything going on.
(39:05):
And then my other big tip is I encourage people to find shelf stable, non-perishable protein options. Protein are often the hardest to find when we're on the go and traveling. So I use a lot of Chomp sticks. There's some AIP friendly flavors. They're meat sticks. You can get them everywhere. Target Whole Foods, Amazon, I also eat the Epic bison cranberry are AIP friendly. Those are also great. My family enjoys them. And then also canned meats, especially with a pop top, make sure you get the ones with a pop tops. We don't have to carry around a canned opener, but I often bring canned chicken. Canned fish can often be a little fragrant when opening in small places or on an airplane or something, but I typically will bring protein with me and then we'll kind of fill in with snacks along the way. Often fruit like apples and pears that have a harder exterior travel better than bananas that get smushy and bruised.
(40:06):
So I always am prepared when it comes to just using some quick examples for me. If I'm going on a road trip and I'm staying at a hotel with just a mini fridge and a microwave, I'll cook my meal ahead of time, especially if I'm going to celebrate the holidays. So I make my holiday meal before I leave and I bring it all with me, bring it in a cooler, and then I stash it in the refrigerator at the hotel or whoever's family member, we're going to take some space up in their kitchen. So that way I don't expect the host to provide food for me to eat. It often is overwhelming for them and for most people, if they're used to eating whatever they want, it's not really top of mind. I also am concerned with cross-contamination of gluten, which other people may not be, but I bring my food with me in the coolers.
(40:53):
If I'm going on a longer road trip where I'm staying for an extended time, we will often book an Airbnb or something like that that has a full fridge so that I can make foods for myself. So we went and stayed at a week in a cabin in the mountains in North Georgia. It was about a 10 or 12 hour drive. We made sure to stop in Atlanta, a large city on our way up to go to Whole Foods. I stocked up with everything that I needed for the week, knowing there was also a super Walmart there where I could fill in fruits and vegetables and things, but I made sure to get protein options and a gluten-free Turkey to celebrate Thanksgiving. And that was really helpful. So we always have a big cooler when we're driving. And then for plane rides, again, there's so many different circumstances, but to preface by if we have a layover plan for delays, long delays diverted to different airport.
(41:45):
So I find that bringing those shell stable proteins are really helpful. And then typically we can find something around an airport, unless it's small town America, it can be challenging. So I often bring food on the plane with me, and then if I'm staying at my sister's house or something for the holidays, I'll put in a Whole Foods order to be delivered to her house when I get there so that she doesn't have to worry about what do you need and what brand and what's gluten-free, what's AIP friendly? And I just have it all delivered there. So when I get there, I have everything that I need. So I guess the overall big picture would be to bring meals with us if we're traveling on a short trip or what can we plan on the other end to do some shopping or if we have access to a full fridge plan on making the foods when we get there. But if someone has something coming up in the near future, a travel situation they're not quite sure how to handle, don't hesitate to reach out to me and I'd be happy to troubleshoot through with you. I definitely have encountered many different situations along over the decade when I was traveling on a modified diet pretty consistently.
Marie-Noelle Marquis (42:55):
Thank you so much. That's a great point. I'm going to hit on a trip soon and I'm going to make sure to have a full meal before I go. Right. Finally, what final words of advice do you have to offer our listeners that will help them make this their happiest and healthiest winter holiday season ever?
Melanie Snyder (43:18):
Yes. I think first and foremost, honoring where we are today in this holiday season, and especially when this is a newer process for us, we can figure out what's going to work for us this time around saying no, where we can scaling back. Maybe we don't have to go all out this year while we're still kind of getting our feet wet with figuring out how all of this works, ask for help where we can, just knowing that it will get easier. What's true for us, this holiday season will likely be different next holiday season, and we'll continue to build on our skills, but honoring where we are is important. And now with a lot more experience under my belt, I kind of look at and approach the holidays to best support my health and three different phases, if you will, the pre-holiday during the season, and then what I do afterwards.
(44:06):
And so right now I'm kind of in that building my resilience phase. There's a little bit of a lull after the craziness that was October before Thanksgiving starts where I look for any pocket that I can to get extra sleep, get my body moving, get outside doing some gentle body movement and stretching, focusing on nutrient dense foods, making sure my digestion is optimal, regulating my nervous system and managing stress because I have found if I go into the holiday season already feeling depleted, then I'm just going to be slugging through and feeling low energy and I don't get to enjoy it the way that I want my digestion's usually off. So I try to build myself up on the way into the holiday. I come in with lots of energy and feeling good. Then during the holiday season, a lot of what we've already talked about saying no where I can asking for help, I really try not to overschedule myself.
(45:04):
And this year in particular, we're really trying to focus on slowing down and being intentional so we can really enjoy it. I definitely have had holiday seasons where we're go, go, go, go. And then on the other side, I'm like, I haven't even really sat by my tree and had a hot cup of tea just in my pajamas just to enjoy the tree. So I want to really slow down this year, and I find trying to managing expectations throughout the holiday season can be really helpful so that we can enjoy it and that we don't end up running ourselves into the ground that we're having to really rebuild afterwards. But then after the holidays, we typically build in several slow days afterwards, even when it's exciting and fun and that we hosted and it went well. It's still a lot. It's a lot. My body's just go, go, go, go, go.
(45:54):
I crave sleep and calmness. My digestion's usually off because I do definitely indulge in sweet treats and things over the holidays. So it's just a rest and repair. I'm willing to do that so that I can enjoy the holiday in the moment. And sometimes I am pushing myself and not sleeping as much, and my diet isn't as optimal as it normally is. So afterwards I do, I focus on nutrient dense foods. I'm making hot ginger tea to calm down. I'm regulating my immune system with some stress management and red light therapy. I'm getting more sleep. We have a lot of PJs to PJ's day, we call it in our house, where we're just in our PJs all day, snuggled up watching movies, doing puzzles, just having really slow calm days. We'll get to the beach if we can. I live close to the beach and we're thankful we can go year round.
(46:46):
So it's really a rest and recovery afterwards. And as often as I can fit that in, not more tasks, not that we need more tasks to do to take care of ourselves, but over time I will say that it just becomes a part of us and it just becomes our new way of living. So it doesn't feel like a chore to take a hot Epson salt bath and do some red light therapy. It just becomes a part of my nightly routine. And it just eating nutrient dense foods becomes a part of how I eat normally, and I know what works for me. So with experience, it just becomes a part of us. It gets easier and easier. We know how to prepare our body and how to reset and recharge afterwards. And so that would be my biggest tip. And then I think my final tip would be if we are newly embarking on this modified diet lifestyle, and we're finding that we're feeling more isolated or withdrawn because it's too overwhelming to think about taking the show on the road, so to speak, and doing this outside of our home or outside of our kitchen, to consider small steps that we can take forward to get out of our comfort zone, to get some practice being a part of the celebrations and the social activities.
(48:01):
And that will build our confidence. And if this process feels way too overwhelming for us and we don't have the bandwidth, we're so busy, it's during a busy holiday season, sometimes just reaching out and gaining some support from someone, like an AIP coach that can really look at our current circumstances and give us some concrete steps moving forward to help guide us through that, even if it's taking small steps. Often what's overlooked are the other lifestyle pillars with AIP, and one of those is connection and being able to connect to other people. And nature is also a huge part of our healing journey and our overall health and wellness. So if we're wanting to be a part of the holiday celebrations and social activities, but we don't feel like we have the skills to do that, finding a way to bridge that gap so that we can get out and do that as that is going to bring us so much joy where the food part may be tricky for us this year, and hopefully we're also going to get a lot out of laughing and playing the games that we always play every year on the holiday and participating the holiday celebration is also going to fuel us and help heal us, and that's going to continue to just carry us and give us more momentum and more momentum.
(49:18):
So figuring out what small step we can take this year that will help move us forward, and I promise it gets a lot easier as we go.
Jaime Hartman (49:28):
Thank you so much for that. I am thinking about the word comfort zone and how it's reassuring to be told that it's okay if you prefer to stay in your comfort zone, but maybe thinking about how can you make your comfort zone include things that are beyond what's currently there. Can you make your comfort zone more expansive? And the advice you just gave is exactly how that can start to happen. Melanie, remind our listeners where they can get in touch with you, and of course, I'll also be sure to put a link in the show notes, so if they don't hear this right away, they can go and look for it there.
Melanie Snyder (50:03):
Sure, yes. Well, my website is melaniesnyder.com and I'm on Instagram at Melanie Snyder, so feel free to send me a message, send me an email if you have something coming up you just want help troubleshooting, I'd be happy to do that. And you can sign up for my newsletter. I've got some things in the works, some new programs and offerings and resources in the works of the new year, so you'll be the first to learn about that as well. So thanks again. I really appreciate being a part of the conversation. The AIP community is very special to me, and it's really impacted my life in such a tremendous way. So I'm happy to continue to be a part of the resources that are available. So thanks for having me.
Marie-Noelle Marquis (50:48):
We thank Melanie for taking the time to share her experience wisdom and for being so generous with her time and advice today. Through this podcast, AIP Certified Coaches aim to bring you resources so that you can feel confident about doing AIP on your own, but with the knowledge that you are not doing it alone,
Jaime Hartman (51:05):
We'll be back with another episode in two weeks. So make sure you subscribe to the AIP Summit Podcast in your favorite podcast player if you haven't already, to make sure you never miss an episode.
Marie-Noelle Marquis (51:16):
And if you'd like to leave us a rating and review, it'll help others find this podcast. We are committed to helping you use the power of the autoimmune protocol to elevate your wellness journey to new heights.
Jaime Hartman (51:32):
The AIP Summit Podcast is a Gutsy By Nature production. Content presented is for informational purposes only, and is not intended to be a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.
