SECTION 13

Brain Warrior Holiday Meal Plan

Warriors Don’t Wait Until January 1 to Start Training, They Train All Year!

The more you sweat in training, the less you bleed in combat.

—NAVY SEALS

Did you know that more heart attacks occur on December 25 than any other day of the year? Experts believe it’s because of a combination of stress, overindulging in inflammatory foods and alcohol over the holidays, and lack of sleep. Travel and the decision to postpone seeking medical attention for serious symptoms also factor in.

Let’s back up. It all starts with Halloween. Your bliss point, akin to a cocaine high, is triggered when you overwhelm the brain with excessive sugar. This sets sugar addiction, inflammation, and brain fog in motion. It’s the start of lots of bad decisions. From there, the season of parties is just getting under way.

Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Chanukah have become less focused on giving and more focused on gluttony and self-indulgence. This isn’t our opinion: this is a statistic. According to many experts, the average American easily consumes close to 3,000 calories in one meal. With lengthy family gatherings and second portions, that number has been estimated to be as high as 4,500 calories in a day. That’s about how many calories an average man should eat in two days! And then the parties continue all the way through the New Year. It’s a perfect storm for anyone to become vulnerable to illness. Then again, it’s usually those vulnerable to illness who engage in this kind of activity. Yes, we’re picking on you (out of love).

Daniel and I simply refuse to think of ourselves as “deprived” because we make the choice to feel energetic instead of overweight and foggy during the holidays when the focus is supposed to be on gratitude and helping others. We feel blessed and we want you to join us. You can enjoy the holidays more than ever with these simple recipe swaps.