Author: Jordana Halpern Geistbr
Source: ezinearticles.combr
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Holidays. Theyre great times to celebrate with friends and families, and while holidays may create memories, they can also be a time of tremendous stress and even more tremendous eating.

It starts with Halloween. Come November 1, people begin confessing how many mini Snickers bars theyve devoured, either from their own home stash or from the buckets collected by their children. As quickly as Halloween candy leaves store shelves, its replaced with Thanksgiving foods and embellishments. Thanksgiving brings more families together than any other holiday, but it also induces stress, whether it be travel related, preparing for a giant meal or revisiting childhood relationships that still need to be resolved.

Of course, theres usually an abundance of rich and sweet foods and drinks to placate the holiday stress, not to mention the leftovers that need to be dealt with. Thanksgiving overeating quickly leads to Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa festivities, where people feel more stress over travel plans, buying gifts, arranging vacations and preparing more large meals. Theres eating and drinking at pre-holiday parties, and other get togethers where people feel obligated to attend and are looking for a way to unwind.

By this time, many of us have given up and put health on the back burner. Who wants to deny themselves a good time on New Years Eve? Even if we do start out the year, resolute and determined, we may already be feeling exhausted and depressed from the poor quality food weve been eating since November, combined with a lack of sunshine and fresh local produce during cold winter months. Its the perfect time for Valentines Day chocolate – what better way to deal with low energy, colds and flu, and winter blues?

While all this holiday food promotion is lucrative for retailers, it can be physically and emotionally harmful for the rest of us. Sweets and treats have become part of the daily American menu, and it has resulted in a dramatic rise in obesity, diabetes and heart disease, much of which now begins in early childhood. Be prepared and enjoy your holidays this year without compromising your health. Here are a few ideas to carry with you as you enter the party seasons:

1. Slow down and sit down when you eat. Its easy at a party to eat unconsciously, refilling your plate and glass as you mingle. If you fill your plate once and sit down to eat your food, youll feel more satisfied.

2. Find ways to get more sunlight into your life. Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) can lead people to eat and drink excessively, as they try to fill their depression with food.

3. Cook more food at home. If you are eating mostly home cooked, good quality, whole food, the occasional party or indulgence wont send you into the over eating spiral. Having wholesome foods at hand, like the easy soup below, will make it easier to avoid processed, fast or take-out meals.

4. Redefine your needs. Do you need to go to every party? Do you need to overextend your budget with gifts? Do you need more time at home, where you can nurture yourself and others?

5. Listen to your body. Take time to breathe and hear what your body really needs. When we treat ourselves well and feed ourselves healthy foods, our body responds with a natural tendency to stay strong.

Cream of Broccoli Soup (with no cream)
- 3 cups broccoli (or asparagus or cauliflower)
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1-2 cloves garlic, minced
- 5 cups chicken or vegetable stock
- 1/4 cup oatmeal
- 1 tbsp. olive oil

Cook onions and garlic in olive oil until slightly browned. Add stock, salt and pepper to taste, as well as any dry herb seasoning you want. Add oatmeal and simmer for 15 minutes.

Add the broccoli (or other vegetables), including the stem, into small pieces, and put it in the stock mixture. Cook until soft, but still green. Blend with an immersion blender until smooth, thick and creamy – the little bit of oatmeal in there will give it a thick creamy texture. Season to taste.

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pFREE HEALTH HISTORY CONSULTATION – When was the last time you talked with someone about your health and received the personal attention you deserve? Find out if you can improve your health by scheduling a free consultation with me. I am a Board Certified Holistic Health Counselor with certifications from the Institute of Integrative Nutrition Columbia University Teachers College. I am also a Reiki Master, level 3, and a member of the American Association of Drugless Practitioners. For more information visit my website at a target=_new href=http://www.HealthyHappyYou.org rel=nofollowhttp://www.HealthyHappyYou.org/a or contact me at a href=mailto:jordanageist@gmail.com rel=nofollowjordanageist@gmail.com/a or phone: 716-912-8253/pbr
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