Post-Holiday Recovery Plan (3 Easy Steps)

Happy New Year!

If you're anything like me - and a lot of other people I know - you're probably ready for some serious Post-Holiday Detoxing!

Hey, I hear ya.  This Christmas, my nemesis was the sauerkraut and onion perogies.  Well, the sauerkraut and onion filling was not the problem.  But their white flour dough wrappings were...

Whether you've celebrated Hanukkah... Christmas,... New Year's... or the generic, nondescript "holidays", you may be feeling the effects of having eaten foods you don't normally eat and having drank beverages you don't normally drink - in quantities not normally consumed!  Add to this, stress and shortened sleep - and it is possible you may be starting the New Year in less than optimal form.

Thankfully, our bodies really do have a tremendous capacity for recovery - when given what it needs.  So, let's give it what it needs, shall we?

Even if you haven't been "misbehaving" for the last month, you'll find that "The Plan" (revealed here in 3 Easy Steps) is an effective way to kick start your health for 2018. 

THE POST-HOLIDAY RECOVERY PLAN

STEP 1 - Drink!

Drink purified water, lemon water, green tea, chlorophyll-rich green drinks (e.g. spirulina, chlorella, barley or wheat grass juice), pomegranate juice "shots", mineral-rich bone and/or vegetables broths, and Berry Radical "lattes".  Mix and match.  Drink every day. Drink lots.  Drink often. 

Benefit
These beverages will help flush toxins from your system, load you up on anti-oxidants, and replenish mineral reserves (lost from all those sugary Butter Tarts, fill-in-the-blank cookies, and After Eight Chocolate Mints).  The end result: a healthier body, a clearer mind, and a more sunny disposition.  What's not to like about that?

STEP 2 - Eat!

Eat vegetables!  Many foods associated with traditional festive meal-planning are heavily based in meat, dairy, and starch.  It could be fun for a while, but that kind of diet is not sustainable to our health over the long term. By the third day of Christmas, all my husband and I wanted for dinner was a salad.  Now is the time to let vegetables take center stage.  Focus on legumes, nuts, and seeds as protein sources and use meat and whole grains more as "garnishes". Fill the rest of your plate with vegetables.  Think: stir-fries, soups, stews . . . and salads.  Think: lettuce, spinach, arugula, cucumbers, radish, cabbage, broccoli, kale, turnip, cauliflower, yams, peas, peppers, tomatoes, carrots, beets, squash, eggplant, onions and sauerkraut (without the white flour dough wrappings...)

Benefit
The increased fiber promotes colon cleansing and hormonal balance.  The important vitamins and assorted phyto nutrients can help to boost immunity to protect you from seasonal colds and flues... and cancer.

STEP 3 - Reclaim your time!

Let's face it:  the holidays are a busy time for most folks - with things to do and people to meet.  This often translates into late nights and little down time, also not sustainable over the long term.  Let how you manage your time at the start of the new year set the tone for the next twelve months.  Be obsessive about getting your eight hours of sleep.  Take four slow, deep breaths four times a day.

Benefit
Rest in these forms helps our bodies to recharge our energies - so that we can feel our best, be our best, and live our best lives as we embark on and embrace a brand new baby year.

Eat, drink and be HEALTHY  all year through!