New Traditions, healthy herbs and family fun.
Carrie Procinsky,
Oncology Nutrition Consultant
The holidays are right around the corner! For some, the holidays are full of excitement; for others, it can be incredibly stressful. Stress can be very beneficial (especially if you need to outrun a mountain lion), but it can also be quite harmful. Acute stress is short-term stress that goes away. For example, outrunning that mountain lion or burning a pot of water while making dinner (yes, I did that). Chronic stress is stress that lasts for an extended period. Unfortunately, the holidays can contribute to chronic stress as we sit and worry about what we will make for meals, how we can afford these meals, gift giving pressures, travel and so on and so on.
We all know that too much stress is not good for us, but many do not realize stress has been found to change the gut microbiota(1), and not in a good way. Our gut is responsible for nearly 80% of our immune system, so it is no wonder many of us get sick during this time of year. Not only is emotional and physical stress a concern, but some foods can also be a stressor to the body, which is why we remove gluten, preservatives, artificial additives, refined carbohydrates, and sugar(2) from our nutrition plans. Starting with nutrition is, of course, always our first approach, and we understand it can be challenging especially during the holiday time.
This holiday season, we encourage you to make some healthy swaps to your favorite recipes and try cauliflower “mashers” instead of traditional mashed potatoes or cranberry sauce without sugar (see recipe below). Mocktails are a lovely way to participate without the headache in the morning! Healthy and delicious additions to any dish are fresh herbs and spices such as parsley, thyme, rosemary, nigella sativa seeds (black cumin seeds), cumin, dill, cilantro, basil, and many more. Have fun experimenting with new herbs!
And remember, the Holiday season can also be about starting new traditions. Plan things that are fun and bring you and your family joy and lower stress! Each year we rotate between returning to Canada to see family and staying in Houston. It is our turn to go to Canada this year, and the fun things we have on our list include going on a sleigh ride in the foothills, ice skating, Polar Express movie night, and tubing at one of the ski hills. Each year we plan something different; each year is filled with surprises and lots of laughter and love. And every year, we pull out our favorite family game, Donkey, to have my nine-year-old son beat us terribly, every time! What do you have planned for fun this year?
1 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0306453021004686?via%3Dihub
2 https://www.sciencedirect.com/sdfe/pdf/download/eid/1-s2.0-S0193953X14000768/first-page-pdf
