Well the holidays are almost upon us. Candy canes line the supermarket aisles and grace our trees. While the traditional red and white sugar blast may not be your best choice for this ancient medicinal, there are lots of reasons to keep Peppermint Tea or Oil around during the festivities.

For those of us who might have a tendency to overdo it a bit at the family dinner or office party, peppermint oil can help relive gas, bloating, flatulence and even reduce liver fatigue. It can help activate lymph flow and drainage while aiding in the detoxification process after, “too much cheer.”

During these cold dry winter months, the soothing scent of peppermint can help ease bronchial coughs and asthma, assist memory, and according to Body Ecology, even help with emotional tolerance. (That alone puts it at the top of my holiday must list!)

Peppermint also has anti-viral or cleansing properties that can protect you from viruses like herpes 2, while simultaneously saving you from embarrassing bouts of dragon’s breath after a plate of liver and onion canapés.

At the end of the day, a drop or two of peppermint oil added to a tablespoon your favorite organic almond, olive, or other safe carrying oil can be massaged into your temples, lower back, and abdomen to relieve headache, backache, and digestive disorder or distress. As an all over body application, its essence can help soothe dry skin, eczema and dermatitis.

Of course every herb and spice has its weight loss claims and peppermint is no exception. If you are looking to curb your calorie consumption this holiday season, try inhaling. Peppermint. (Sorry I couldn’t resist.)

According to Natural News: “The Chicago Tribune reported a study from 2011 …participants were asked to simply smell peppermint oil every two hours. Apparently, the ones who inhaled the peppermint felt less hungry and consumed on average 2800 fewer calories over a week than the ones who didn’t smell the peppermint throughout!”

Looks like there are lots of good ways to party healthy with peppermint this season.

WebMD – Peppermint Oil

Body Ecology – Peppermint

Peppermint cures flatulence

Natural News – Peppermint and weight loss

OK, so the question that I presented was simple … Does Pecan Pie make an appearance at your holiday gatherings?  My “Good!” comment is presuming that your answer is “Yes!”!  Pecan pie has been a staple of Thanksgiving and Christmas dessert tables for decades in our family.   My personal favorite parts of the pie are the toasted pecans and the crisp crust!

Pecans are delicious and healthy.  They are a nice source of phytosterols and contain protein, fiber, several vitamins and about a dozen minerals.  Like all nuts, pecans are high in fat, but it is almost entirely unsaturated, a healthy fat for supporting proper cholesterol levels.

A study scheduled to be published in Feb ’15, looks at the effect of pecans on cholesterol issues, on cellular vitality and on anti-oxidant/anti-inflammatory mechanisms.  The study looked at the effect of the phytosterols only, the oil only or the whole pecan in laboratory animals provided a high fat diet.  All the animals showed increases total cholesterol and leptin (a hormone associated with obesity) when fed just the high fat diet.  The results showed that, although the pecan oil and the pecan phytosterols had good effects, the best results came when whole pecans were added.  The whole pecan group showed:
●  decreased total cholesterol
●  prevention of increased leptin hormone
●  improved the production of enzymes associated with cellular health
●  improved anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory enzymes

Pecan Pie at the holidays is a nice dessert choice.  Making one that is delicious and is healthier too feels good.  I came across a great recipe a couple of years ago.  It is a no butter, no corn syrup recipe that drops the calories and saturated fats way down, and tastes great!  With a prep time of only about 30 minutes, it also works in my busy schedule!

Pecan pie is one of those holiday desserts that proves that a little can go a long way.  You don’t need a big slice.  One smaller slice works for most people.  Cut your pie into thinner slices!  You’ll be amazed at how fast it disappears!  Yumm ….

Additional Resource:

Health Benefits of Pecans

Americans have become food obsessed. We swoon over pictures our friends and famous chefs post on Facebook and Instagram, and next thing, our stomachs start growling and we reach for a snack that we weren’t necessarily hungry for in the first place.

Looking at food pictures online can be addicting, and become problematic for the waistline, not only during the holidays when everyone and their mother seems to be posting pictures of cakes, cookies and other delicious treats, but all year round! That’s why it’s important to limit your choices not only at the holiday buffet table, but the pictures of food you view online as well.

Here are a few helpful tips to handle food picture overload:

1. Be choosy about who you follow. Seek out those that will inspire you to live a healthy life, and don’t follow those who don’t! On Instagram, as @observanteater, I follow @wildoatsmarketplace, @naturalgourmetinstitute, and @cookinglight, to name a few.
2. Limit your time on social media. I know, I know, so much easier said than done, especially because it’s an outlet to connect with friends and family. The American Academy of Pediatrics  recommends to limit screen time (television and internet usage) to 2 hours per day for children, however I think it’s good for adults to do this as well. Decide how to use these two hours wisely. Not only will you feel better by limiting screen time, you’ll free up more time to get active in the kitchen and cook a healthy meal in “real” life that you can actually eat with those you love.
3. Put your cell phone on airplane mode during times when you should not be using it, like when you are driving. Take a mini-vacation from World Wide Web information overload! (you shouldn’t be looking your cell at pictures of the next best holiday treat while waiting for the traffic light to change anyway).

Developed from more than 20 years of experience by Cameron Shayne, Budokon fuses elements of martial arts, yoga and meditation into one exhilarating workout. Cameron started by training folks like Jennifer Aniston and then used his knowledge to start his own powerful workout.

The Budokon Beginner Practice DVD with Cameron Shayne is designed to get your Budokon practice headed in the right direction. It includes a helpful breakdown of Budokon moves such as modified crescent, cat stance front kick and pivot punch so you can learn the mechanics to get your practice off on the right pace. You’ll find step-by-step instruction, which helps you ease into Budokon without getting bored.

The workout begins with fast-paced yoga sequences to deeply stretch the body, followed by classic martial art moves to build strength and ends with a brief meditation to prep the mind. Even though the workout may seem intimidating at first, the more you practice, the more you’ll get the hang of it. Before long, the moves will almost feel like something that your body is designed to do. That is when you can really reap the benefits of the workout. It’s important to remember that in this system, the longer the practice, the more your body will respond.

From the instructor Cameron Shayne: “The Budokon practice for the average person out there, what it brings to our culture that is so material, focused and driven – it brings you back to the Earth. It brings you back to some tranquility, some center, some real true art. You want to feel art again? Practice something like this. Budokon cultivates people, it cultivates the human spirit.”

For more information, please visit www.budokon.com.

Life is full of irony.

Nothing demonstrates that like our family Thanksgiving table.

This year, we had an organic turkey, basted with white wine, butter and honey The stuffing was organic as well, with organic celery, cranberries and onions.

Organic mashed potatoes; check.

Organic sweet potatoes; check.

Then, there was the traditional casserole, with organic broccoli, crushed crackers and….melted Velveeta®. And, yes, it was delicious.

I gave my wife a hard time about the combination of organic vegetables and Velveeta. “I even went on the internet,” she replied. “The experts agree that there’s’ just no substitute for the creaminess Velveeta provides in a broccoli casserole.”

A lot of us are serious about organic. And organic is serious business. But, seriously, sometimes a little Velveeta in a broccoli casserole is okay, too.