Healthy Holiday Tips

1. Purchase pure, essential lavender oil:  add a few drops of this magical oil to your diffuser at night, or blend vanilla and lavender oil with water in a spray bottle to use a room spray or pillow mist.  Lavender is known to calm nerves, alleviate headaches, deepen sleep patterns, even reduce inflammation in skin blemishes!  The moral of the story is: keep a bottle in your back pocket through the holidays for fast, all-natural stress intervention! 🙂

 

2. Organic kale and collard greens:  make the holidays extra festive and healthy–go GREEN!  Whole Foods Market has a point system that rates foods on nutrient density, from 1-1000…both of these powerhouse foods rank in at 1000 points!  Add them to your shopping basket and to your plate this holiday season, preferably raw or lightly steamed.

*Suggestions: use finely chopped organic red or green kale as a salad base; lightly steam organic collard greens, kale and mustard greens with minced garlic–serve with a drizzle of cold-pressed organic olive oil and sprinkle of crunchy sea salt as a tasty side dish!

 

3.  Cranberries and pomegranates: What is “green” without it’s festive holiday partner, “red”?  These two colors are everywhere for the holidays, why not in your recipes?  Jump online and find creative ways to lively up your recipes with cranberries and pomegranates (juice or seeds) this season.  Your taste buds will stand at attention and with high levels of antioxidants and nutrients, they’ll keep you feeling energized and fabulous all the way through the New Year!

*Try this smoothie to kick up the energy: banana, frozen raspberries, organic kale leaves, pomegranate juice, frozen mango and coconut milk.  You’ll astound your family & friends with your gift wrapping speed and dynamo dancing skills at the holiday parties!!  (Make a big enough batch of this smoothie to share with others…it IS the season of giving, after all!)

 

4. Organic red wine: no significant price difference per bottle, but no sulfites and better, earth friendly farming practices!  Why not support organic vineyards this year?  Remember, moderate consumption of red wine is delicious way to boost immunity.  Try a lighter to medium body style to compliment your family’s turkey dinner!

 

5. Deep inhalations and exhalations:  Try this simple, effective breathing exercise below to sooth frazzled nerves and calm the mind.

*Suggestions: Sit somewhere quiet and count to 5 as you breathe in, filling your lungs.  Then exhale out slowly, counting to 5, pressing all air out of lungs.  Do 10 rounds of breath work.