This time of year, I take my help wherever I can find it – usually in a large, steaming cup. Yes, in desperation, I turn once again to my old friend, caffeine. Preferably doused liberally with milk and sometimes chocolate. What?! Caffeine and sugar? Well, dark chocolate, after all, has proven health bennies, and I’m getting calcium in the milk, right? See I am a health-conscious individual!

Hey, don’t judge. It’s the holiday season, so it’s also the time of year when I am completely exhausted. Everyday. All the time.

Who isn’t? Shopping, parties, events of all kind. And don’t get me started on the cards.  The endless list of cards, cards, cards. From the week before Thanksgiving until the week after New Year’s, I am practically a zombie.

Enter, my dark master.

Ahhhhh, caffeine, the drug of choice for those of us who are afraid of jail and hangovers. It is practically perfect. That jitter-inducing, breath-scorching panacea – it even cures headaches. Science has proven it. Just read an Excedrin bottle.

A good cup of joe gives you something to do with your hands, goes great with a smoke (for those who still admit to the occasional puff) tastes great and gives you a rush. What’s not to love?

You can meet people for coffee, have people over for coffee, and utter the all-purpose, non-committal, “let’s have coffee” to those to whom you owe an invitation, but don’t really want to see.

You can blame caffeine for your foul moods, as in “Leave me alone, you nimrod, I haven’t had my coffee yet.”

It’s also an effective means of procrastination, as in, “As soon as I finish this cup of coffee I’ll …(insert desired predicate, such as, “finish that report, mop that floor, wrap that gift, etc.”)

But, alas, coffee can only replace sleep for so long and by January I’ll have to cut back on my perky friend (ha ha – pun fully intended.) I’ll need substantive weekend naptime, Pepto-bismol for my acid-rotted stomach and Tylenol for my frayed nerves.

But until then, I’ll abuse my wicked little friend to the fullest. I’ll use any excuse to self-medicate freely and without remorse. I’ll latte in morning, frappe in the afternoon and espresso at night. I’ll carry a cup around with me so often that my friends and family will begin to believe I have been genetically modified to hold one.

I can live with that. What I can’t live without?  Caffeine.  At least not until January 5th.

I’m sure you could find a supplement for all these micronutrients – but I’m also sure your body would know the difference! Because the very best way to “take” them isn’t with a glass of water, but in the whole foods sources that contain them.

Another advantage of getting your vitamins and minerals from food is that it would be pretty hard to take too much of them that way. For example, vitamin A can be toxic in excessive amounts. And even vitamin C, which can be taken in much bigger doses, can cause stomach distress when taken in large amounts.

So check out these examples of where you can find these mighty micronutrients, and start including more of these foods in your diet today!

Folate

Where it’s found: Citrus fruits, dark green leafy vegetables, whole grains (especially wheat bran), beans and legumes, poultry, shellfish, liver.

Why it’s mighty: A water-soluble B vitamin that needs to be constantly replenished, folate assists in red blood cell formation and tissue growth and helps the body manufacture DNA. It’s also an especially essential micronutrient for pregnant women, as it reduces the risk of birth defects.

Lutein

Where it’s found: Carrots, tomatoes, squash, dark leafy greens, eggs, oranges or any fruits, berries or vegetables with orange, red and yellow pigments.

Why it’s mighty: A member of the carotenoid family, this phytochemical helps keep vision sharp and reduces the risk of macular degeneration and cataracts. Research shows that it also may help prevent a stroke by significantly reducing the thickness of carotid (neck) artery walls.

Manganese

Where it’s found: Nuts, whole grains, dried legumes.

Why it’s mighty: This mineral is very important to the body when ingested in trace amounts. It can assist coordination among the brain, nerves and muscles, as well as serving as a component of the various enzymes that metabolize proteins, fats and carbohydrates.

Zinc

Where it’s found: Whole grains, nuts, seeds, poultry, meat and shellfish.

Why it’s mighty: In addition to enhancing immunity and protecting against infection, zinc can help alleviate eczema, and help with concentration.

Vitamin E

Where it’s found: Wheat germ, nuts, sunflower seeds and green, leafy vegetables.

Why it’s mighty: Another important antioxidant, this fat-soluble vitamin also protects cells against the effects of free radicals, as well as supporting the immune system and helping in the repair of DNA. Vitamin E works especially well in concert with Vitamin C.

Next, I’ll tell you about a micronutrient that can both reverse bone loss and increase bone density. Best of all, it’s easy to find and delicious to boot!

Happy Mission Monday! The holidays can be a hard time to stay true and stick to your normal diet with all the holiday cookies, deserts, and chocolate around. We want to know, what are some of your family holiday health tricks to stay on the right path this holiday season? Do you limit yourself to one cookie a day or substitute ingredients in recipes to make them more healthy? We’d love to hear any and all tips and tricks! We hope you take a moment to answer and play along on Twitter or Facebook.

Today’s challenge: What is your top holiday health trick to keep stay healthy this holiday season?

If you’re playing along on Facebook, simply comment in our Mission Monday post before 11:59 p.m. ET tonight to be entered to win!

If you’d like to play along on Twitter, simply tweet us your answer with #wildoatsmission #sweeps by 11:59 p.m. ET today to be entered to win!

Good luck! Full Sweepstakes rules and details can be found here Twitter and Facebook.

I feel like I’m always hungry during the holiday season! Maybe it’s because there are so many opportunities to eat something tasty. To burn off those extra holiday calories and curb my appetite, I try to be active through out the day as much as possible, like taking the stairs up to my apartment on the sixth floor instead of the elevator. I also make sure I have healthy snacks at home for me, and my friends and family, to enjoy.

Popcorn is very healthy when it’s not drenched in movie theater butter (which actually isn’t even real butter- it’s non-hydrogenated soybean oil that’s been colored and flavored).

Popcorn is a whole grain that is high in fiber. Make eating it count as something good for you.

Here’s how with this recipe:

Wild Oats Spicy Popcorn

1 serving; should take around 3 minutes to prepare

2 cups Wild Oats organic classic popcorn

1 Tablespoon Wild Oats organic extra virgin coconut oil

A dash of Wild Oats organic chili powder

A dash of Wild Oats organic cumin

A dash of Wild Oats organic coriander

In a large skillet over medium low heat, add the coconut oil. When it coconut oil melts, turn the skillet a few times so the oil coats the surface area of the pan. Add the popcorn and toss in the oil. Sprinkle the spices on the popcorn, and spice it up to the level you prefer. When you can smell the spices, turn off the heat and transfer to a bowl, or an airtight storage container to save for later snack attacks (or to sneak into the movie theater!).

For benefits of cooking with coconut oil, read this: Getting Coconutty in the Kitchen

By the way, I’m snacking this popcorn as I write this post!

Farm to Table dinners have become very popular over the past few years.

Generally, these events occur on a warm, summer evening, where the people paying for the experience gather at a local farm to enjoy a gourmet meal prepared by a professional chef and produced from ingredients picked fresh from the farm that morning.

The idea behind these events is to connect people with the farmers who grow their food. I think it’s a great idea. In fact, I’ve helped organize a couple of farm-to-table diners in my community.

But I got to thinking about the whole farm to table dinner idea a couple weeks ago, when I was out helping to build some new fence with the rancher who takes care of my bison.

The temperature when we started working in the morning was a nice shirt-sleeve 58°. Then, a biting, stiff wind blew in the dreaded Artic Vortex, dropping the temperature to 21° by the time we stopped for lunch.

Ray, my ranching friend, broke out his portable gas grill to cook up some buffalo burgers. Most of us were more interested in the heat from the grill.

Enjoying a gourmet meal at a nice table under tea lights strung between trees in a farmyard in mid-July certainly provides insight into one aspect of the farming lifestyle. Huddling around a small gas grill on a windswept portion of eastern Colorado in November provides a glimpse into another aspect.

I wonder if anyone would buy tickets to attend.