You can enjoy wonderful low carb desserts like this maple creme brûlée with candied walnuts this holiday season! My tips on surviving the holidays on a restricted diet. This post is sponsored by Bob’s Red Mill.

When I was dealing with gestational diabetes, being on a restricted diet was really tough on me. I wasn’t eating low carb at that point but I was watching every little thing that passed my lips and being so careful about my sugar intake. I denied myself a lot of things I really wanted to eat for the sake of the baby I was carrying. I didn’t resent it really, but it wasn’t easy and I knew it wasn’t sustainable. And that was fine because by all predictions, I wouldn’t have to sustain it after my pregnancy was over. Because I was slender and fit, everyone predicted that the glucose tolerance issues would resolve and I wouldn’t have to worry about it any more. I remember saying on multiple occasions that I was just glad I wouldn’t have to face a holiday season with those dietary restrictions. Because holiday baking, and holiday eating, were my thing. I started my planning well in advance, thinking of all the fun goodies I would make and share with friends and family. And I couldn’t imagine how I could ever eat and bake and share the way I love to do while on a restricted diet.

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Fast forward 5 years and here I am, on an even more restricted diet. I’ve made it through 4 holiday seasons being low carb and gluten-free, and it doesn’t phase me in the least. And it’s not because I have become so abstemious or good at denying myself; it’s because I now know that there is no reason to deny myself at all. I can bake and eat and share to my heart’s content, as long as I bake with a whole different set of ingredients than I used to do. And I’ve come to believe that I can make over almost any holiday favourite into something that fits my dietary restrictions, without any loss of flavour or texture. All it really takes is a little advanced planning and a little know-how. And the good thing is that if you don’t know how, there is someone out there in the world that does. You can find a recipe that suits your needs, you just have to be ready to look for it.

Bob’s Red Mill specializes in some of the very ingredients that make the low carb and gluten-free way of life manageable. They asked me to share my tips in surviving the holidays on a restricted diet. I’m also sharing a delicious new low carb holiday recipe. Because I like sharing and you like recipes!

Please check out my post Surviving The Holidays on a Restricted Diet and get the recipe for low carb Maple Walnut Creme Brûlée on Bob’s Red Mill Blog.

Disclosure: this post is sponsored by Bob’s Red Mill. As always, all recipes, photography, thoughts, opinions, random tangents and incoherent ramblings are my own.