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Do you look forward to the holidays or do you feel something closer to dread? The holidays can be a wonderful time to gather around the ones we love, string up some pretty lights, and gorge ourselves on decadent food. But we can often find ourselves in poor health due to our diets, illness, and stress and anxiety. Not to worry, we’re here to help you sort out this season with a few helpful hints and some products you may find useful!
Diet
The Christmas dinner table is a place full of merriment and laughter until dinner is over. Once complete, we all nurse our food comas and bellyaches, sinking into the softest chair in the living room for a quick power nap. What we eat may be the most important thing that contributes to our health. If we make poor choices, we feel terrible. If we make wise choices, we feel full of energy and vitality. The old adage, “garbage in, garbage out,” couldn’t be truer when our diets are concerned. When you’re surrounded by holiday favorites like sweet potato casserole, pumpkin pie, and glazed ham, it can be difficult to muster the willpower to say no.
This Christmas, pledge to indulge a little but focus the rest of your plate on more healthy options. Trust me, your gut will thank you later. If you find that you splurged a little too much here are some options help all that rich holiday food progress more comfortably.
Digestive Bitters
Bitters are an often less known option to help encourage healthy digestion. They typically consist of an alcohol base and a complex of bitter herbs that help stimulate the digestive process and can be taken before or after a meal. The first use of bitters dates back as far as 2,000 years ago and have been an important part of Ayurveda, Chinese, and Mediterranean cultures. We really love and recommend the bitters by King Floyd and they’re also great for mixed drinks!
Digestive Enzymes
Sometimes we just need a little help breaking down those troublesome foods that may be rich in fat, sugar or carbohydrates, or maybe you have a food allergy and are unable to break down lactose of gluten effectively. In either case, digestive enzymes are a great option when you’re having difficulty digesting all that holiday food. The major food groups have specific enzymes which help break down that particular food. When we have a deficiency in any one of these enzymes, it can lead to all sorts of intestinal difficulties. We have a wide selection of complex and specific digestive enzymes to help with all of your digestive needs!
Cold and Flu
With the colder and inclement weather often comes compromised immune systems. Your best defense begins with washing your hands frequently and trying to be aware of how often you are touching your face, eyes, nose, and ears. If we keep our hands away from these areas, we greatly minimize our risk of infection. If you’ve already succumbed to infection or if you’re wanting to boost your immune system to help decrease your chance of infection, look no further than these products!
ACF
ACF (Allergy, Cold and Flu) by Buried Treasure is a product that we regularly recommend. It’s packed FULL of immune-boosting ingredients like vitamin c, elderberry, rutin, zinc, echinacea and much more. It’s a high potency, fast acting liquid that can bring relief quickly. It’s safe for adults 12 and up, but we also carry a children’s formula that’s safe for ages 4 and up.
Elderberry Syrup
Elderberry syrup has gathered a lot of attention in recent years, especially after the flu hit hard in the last couple of years. Elderberry has many uses but is mostly known for its immune boosting properties. This is mostly attributed to the high flavonoid concentration found in elderberries. We carry many varieties of elderberries varying from complex syrups with other immune boosting ingredients to organic dried elderberries available to purchase in bulk quantities. We recommend purchasing organic products whenever possible and also have some wonderful local handmade products of as well.
Stress and Anxiety
Most of us love our family members, but being in close contact with our family for an extended period of time can stir up some uncomfortable feelings. We get a little snippy, sarcastic or whatever other coping mechanisms we use to make ourselves feel more comfortable. If you’re needing something to relax (without reaching out to big pharma), we’ve got some great natural options to help rest and relax.
L-Theanine
Theanine is an amino acid commonly found in various teas that promotes relaxation without drowsiness. Theanine helps elevate GABA, serotonin and dopamine, neurotransmitters that are responsible for regulating mood, concentration, alertness, sleep and more. At the same time it increases the brain chemicals that promote calm and relaxation, it reduces the chemicals that promote the feelings of stress and anxiety, making this an extremely effective option for some people.
Happy holidays everyone!
