Finish the Holidays Strong with a Holiday Pre-tox!

Holistic Habits by Cheryl A. Mothes, Ph.D. Natural Health Nutrition Counselor

Content is a daily radio script from my KHIS radio spot - tune in at 6:15 (CST) every morning to Justin and Meredith’s morning show on 89.9 FM. 

Imagine finishing the holiday season feeling positive and healthy. You can achieve this by embracing a 'holiday pre-tox'—a series of simple steps to help you avoid emerging from the holidays with added pounds, lethargy, self-shaming, and the after-effects of indulging in too much food and unhealthy beverages. Often, the holiday season involves increased exposure to alcohol, dining out, and desserts laden with artificial colors, flavors, or sweeteners. Stay tuned this week to discover more about this health-promoting strategy as we navigate through the festive season to live longer and live stronger! 

Yesterday, we introduced the 'holiday pre-tox'—a strategy aimed at enjoying the holidays without the added 'weight' (no pun intended) of overindulgence in activities, foods, and drinks. Feeling lousy after parties or events carries a mental load, and planning a strategy in advance can make a significant difference. By making better choices throughout the holiday season, you will assist your body in detoxifying itself and start the new year on a high note! Many families are now contemplating the myriad activities scheduled, intentionally limiting them for better rest, reduced pressure, and a more manageable pace. This approach benefits our minds and bodies, allowing us to be more 'present' in the events we choose. Tomorrow, we will delve into the nutritional aspect of your holiday pre-tox, focusing on 'plantifying' your plates! 

For a healthier, illness-resistant, post-holiday emergence feeling better than ever, a nutritional 'pre-tox' begins with seeing double—double the veggies! Our body's magical clearing house is the liver, and vegetables, especially organic cruciferous ones like broccoli, cauliflower, kale, Brussels sprouts, and cabbage, are its best friends. Broccoli, particularly when paired with avocado or hummus, delights the liver in its detox efforts! To enhance taste and texture, a quick steam in the microwave for just a minute can make a significant difference. When at a holiday party, aim to fill at least half of your plate with veggies—the more, the better! Additionally, consciously consider the added sugar in food and beverages—wine, sweet potatoes, cookies, candies—all packed with sugar during the holidays. Treat the holiday season as just that—a 'holiday,' not a 'holiweek' or 'holimonth.' Choose wisely, indulging only on Christmas Eve or day, and you will feel much better! 

Yesterday, we emphasized the importance of fending off sugar during the holidays, acknowledging that choosing wisely is not always easy due to sugar's addictive nature. Leverage the 'sensory-specific sensation,' where the first 1 to 2 bites or sips provide that delightful feeling, but excess does not offer any additional satisfaction. Keeping portion sizes small can make a big difference. If you usually indulge in holiday sweets and drinks daily leading up to the new year, opt to indulge only on odd days or every three days. Since alcohol plus sugar is a fat bomb, the fewer days with alcohol, the better. Importantly, the holiday frenzy can impact our sleep, affecting our immune systems, and insufficient sleep increases our appetites—a double whammy. Prioritize 8 hours of sleep, especially during the holidays, to live longer and stronger! 

All week, we discussed pre-toxing to end the holidays on a healthier note. Alongside boosting veggies, improving sleep, and limiting sugar, hydration is crucial. Alcohol, the ultimate toxin, not only dehydrates us but also reduces our metabolism. Combat low hydration levels by making a conscious effort to drink more water and green tea. Green tea, with its antioxidants, keeps our cells healthy. The holidays are an excellent time to ramp up workouts or walking, as physical activity is super effective at moving toxins out of our bodies. A simple daily walk aids in detox and reduces stress levels. Lastly, remember that you influence everyone around you! Share your plan to thrive through the holiday season and welcome the new year healthy and happy with your family and colleagues—they may just want to join you! Have a fantastic Friday everyone!

 And from 2022! 

This week, we are discussing the benefits of workplace wellness programs—health promotion. One heavy manufacturing company reported an outstanding 34-to-1 return on investment, and that’s just direct healthcare costs. Some of their indirect costs, like lost workdays and disability, fell even more. You can imagine other potential benefits—happier employees, more productive employees, making them more likely to stick around. Corporations that have a stronger health culture and emphasis do better in profitability. What does your company do to promote health? The return on investment is worth exploring the options! Have a marvelous Monday everyone! 

More about workplace health promotion: let us say one employee gets diabetes, and it costs about $10,000 more per year. If a self-insured company could prevent or reverse that case, they could save the company a lot of money, raising the possibility that workplace wellness programs could not just pay for themselves but actually save the company money, even make the company money. The return on investment - how much money you get back for every dollar spent - is the key. An ROI of 3 to 1 means every dollar you spend yields $3 back; by investing in such a program, you would end up tripling your money. A compilation of studies found an average ROI of more than three dollars of healthcare cost savings for each dollar spent on health promotion. On this terrific Tuesday, talk to your company about the win/win benefits for employees and the employer with a great health promotion program! Have a terrific Tuesday! 

An impressive number of studies have shown that lifestyle is the root cause of what ails us, particularly for chronic conditions. The studies also show that changing one’s lifestyle can have a dramatic effect on health improvement, both in the prevention and treatment of disease. A majority of Americans have healthcare insurance through their employers, the cost for which is rising at an alarming rate. Unfortunately, it has not translated into healthier employees or healthier Americans. We spend more on healthcare per person by far, yet the U.S. population is not healthy - we are 43rd in the world. And since 2016, our life expectancy has declined year after year. All the more reason that your employer, or that you as a business owner should look into wellness programs - they are effective in improving employee lifestyles, reducing disease, increasing productivity, and reducing costs. Have a wonderful Wednesday everyone! 

"Dry January" may be a new concept to some - and like any positive change, it still takes planning. We will share tips every week to prepare to reassess and eliminate your alcohol consumption, starting with the importance of understanding your true baseline drinking behaviors. Moderate drinking is up to one drink per day for women and two per day for women. Heavy drinking is more than 3 drinks per day for women and four for women. If you are more than a moderate drinker, going without alcohol completely may be harder, so it is good to prepare! Give your physician and family a heads up, and ask for their support. There's so much health to gain and to live longer and live stronger without alcohol. 

It is Fix It Friday and you may not know that the "Senate Bean Soup" recipe has been around for almost 100 years - it is still on the menu every day at the restaurant in the U.S. Senate! Here is a "New Senate Soup" from Be A Plant-based Woman Warrior that you are sure to love! 

Cook 1 pound of dried navy beans, with a bay leaf, 4 cups of vegetable stock, 2 chopped yellow potatoes, w chopped stalks of celery, 1 large, chopped onion, and 2 large, minced cloves of garlic. Bring it to a boil then reduce it to low and cook it until the potatoes dissolve and the beans are tender, which may take 2 hours - or use your Instant Pot for faster results. With an immersion blender, pulse the soup so it is about half creamy. Add 1 chopped red pepper, 1 can of drained and rinsed black beans, 1/2 cup of parsley, and 2 cups of stemmed chopped kale. Stir then simmer for another 30 minutes. Season with black pepper and hot sauce.