Two Holiday Recipes! Plus, A Note of Caution for the Holidays
Believe it or not, the holidays are sneaking up on us and we better be ready for it. The holidays are known to cause shifts in our health, sometimes for the good, but usually for the bad; WHY? Holidays revolve around food. Our society does love food. Cultures are built around food and fellowship, but food in many societies has been tarnished and polluted. Food is no longer medicinal and sacred, but fast, convenient and hyperpalatable. This has led to addictions around food, yet not due to its real, pure flavor; its due to its chemically produced structure and taste. The act of gathering to eat foods from packages and foods polluted with chemical sugars, hydrogenated oils and foods prepared by factories is missing a huge part of the foundation the food was meant to be.
This is not an encouraging way to start a blog post, but I believe its necessary to confront the problem head-on; If not, I risk not making an impact towards your readiness to change your ways for the future. I would love to see everyone commit to doing holidays differently this year. What if you decided the only food you served at the table was food created from scratch by your own hands? What if you decided to remove all packaged candies, pre-constructed desserts and all enriched flours from your holiday? What if you challenged yourself to shop the perimeter of the store only, choosing only real dairy, real meat, real eggs, homemade bread and real produce? What if you decided to not buy Halloween candy with dyes, chemical preservatives or artificial flavors?
This seems hard-core, and to be honest, impossible. I would say to think you can avoid all the bad things is probably wishful thinking, but I believe we can all do better. That's a great place to start!
One of the first steps you can take to a healthier holiday is by reading the ingredient label of foods in your pantry or foods you typically choose. For example, the ingredients in Hawaiian buns is cringe-worthy (if you can read them).
Or the ingredients in sparkling grape juice, served at many of the holidays for the kids table (or the lucky pregnant women).
These are just a couple of examples of food items whose ingredient lists are full of chemicals that are not suitable for humans to consume regularly. The risk during the holidays is not a one-time consumption, but when the holidays become littered with these food items one party after another. The goal I have for you is to once again, DO BETTER! If you challenge yourself to limit your consumption and choose a better option, you will feel better as the holidays come to a close. This is one thing that you can count on!
If you would like more help on how to do the holidays healthier this year, reach out to me! I am happy to do a one-time visit to review your typical choices, traditions and specific health issues and help you come up with a plan to do better.
In the meantime, see the recipes below for a couple great holiday options that will be sure to be enjoyed AND make you feel good!
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