by Nancy Addison
freeimages.com
The Holidays are upon us and we can get caught up in a whirlwind of activities, dinners and cocktail parties. You may encounter holiday treats at work or at home, brought to you by a kind neighbor or friend. Every event may seem like an excuse to splurge, but the consequences of overindulgence in food and drink can be painful, and can even put your health at risk. Here
are my top 6 healthy tips for thriving through the holidays:
First: Before going to a party, eat some fruit, salad, or high protein snack. Doing this makes me feel a bit full and prevents me from showing up to a party hungry, which can lend itself to overeating or indulging in foods that don’t support my health.
Second: When I am in a buffet line, or at a party where there is an amazing amount of
food, I use an appetizer or salad plate instead of a dinner plate. People who do this, on average,
eat 40 percent less! I try to choose cut up fresh veggies, hummus and other truly healthy foods.
Third: If overindulgence in spirits is a problem, here are a few natural ways to help
relieve a hangover:
- Remedy #1: Combine 1 tsp. honey, 1/2 c. orange juice, and 1⁄4 c. kefir or yogurt.
Consume. - Remedy #2: Eat a banana.
- Remedy #3: If feeling nauseas, try cutting up a bit of fresh ginger into little pieces,
and steeping it in hot water for about 3 minutes to make a ginger tea. It is very
effective for relieving nausea.
Four: Make sure to get enough rest. Everyone has experienced the fatigue, lack of
focus, and short temperedness that can follow a poor night’s sleep. We don’t want to experience
that during the holidays!
If you have trouble sleeping, try having a little chamomile tea with a tiny bit of raw,
unfiltered honey. If you are under a lot of stress and need a little relief, valerian root can help
with tension or anxiety. For thousands of years, the herb valerian has been used in Europe and
Asia to aid with sleep or anxiety. For insomnia, it’s suggested you use between 400 milligrams
to 900 milligrams of valerian up to two hours before bed.
Five: Most people are so busy doing everything for everyone else, that they aren’t
making enough time to nurture and take care of themselves. Let’s face it, the better we take
care of ourselves, the better we can take care of the ones we love. Make sure you take some
time each day to slow down, calm the mind, get a little exercise, drink a sufficient amount of
high quality water, and love yourself. If we don’t take a little time for ourselves, stress can get
hold of us.
Six: If you’re feeling blue, pamper yourself and do what feels good. Try to take a walk, or
spend time alone if that’s what you want. Remember, this is your holiday too and you can be
there for yourself just like you try to be for everyone else.
Sometimes people can feel a little blue. When that happens, shift your focus to
something new. Exercise has been shown to help with weight maintenance, health, stress relief
and depression. Turn on a funny movie, take a walk, turn on joyful music, call a friend to come
over, or take a supplement called 5 HTP. 5 HTP is an essential amino acid that can increase the
levels of serotonin in the brain, similar to antidepressants.
Remember, the holidays only come once a year and only last for a short time. So many of us
have an idealized idea of what the holidays should be like and can be disappointed when they
don’t live up to those expectations. Try to be realistic and remember, nobody has a perfect
holiday or perfect family. If you follow these tips, you might just find this year to be healthier,
less stressful, and actually filled with joy!
© Nancy Addison 2018
organichealthylife.com
Nancy Addison is a certified health counselor, certified in plant-based nutrition, certified
raw food chef, certified in Health-Supportive Cooking, and certified in Mediterranean
Cooking. Nancy has written award-winning books on health, nutrition and cooking. You
can reach her on her website, Organic Healthy Life, or find more easy, healthy recipes in
Nancy’s books, using her universal author link for amazon: Author.to/nancyaddison
The information from Nancy Addison and Organic Healthy Lifestyle LLC is not offered for the
diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of any disease or disorder nor have any
statements herein been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). We strongly
encourage you to discuss topics of concern with your health care provider.
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