Getting caught up in the festivities of the holiday season is easy and natural. Overindulging in holiday foods is also easy but not natural or wise. I don’t usually eat festive foods outside of the holidays and limit myself during the season, but the temptations are abundant, and it is easy to slip into harmful indulgences. The old cliché is true “the best defense is a good offense.”  Many holiday foods are very nutritious if you take the offensive and prepare them yourself or shop wisely for wholesome foods without additives. Two of my favorite holiday treats are Hot Chocolate and Wassil, and these healthy recipes are included at the end of this newsletter. Always look at the ingredients, many commercially available holiday foods are far from what was intended by nature.

I tend to eat way more protein during the holiday season, especially nuts. I try to get raw nuts and avoid fancy roasted nuts that have been “lightly” sprayed with high fructose corn syrup, that is used to stick the salt and other seasonings to the nuts. I can avoid feeling run down and clogged from consuming the extra protein by stimulating my digestive system to produce more hydrochloric acid. This is accomplished by taking a ¼ teaspoon of cayenne pepper orally. A capsule of cayenne won’t work because it bypasses the sensors in the mouth which send the signal to release the hydrochloric acid which breaks down the protein into chains of amino acids. These partially broken down proteins, which are then released into the intestinal tract to be further broken down into individual amino acids by intestinal enzymes. These individual amino acids can now be up taken to provide the body with what it needs to make its own protein. If this pathway isn’t followed then the body’s back up procedure is bacterial breakdown of the proteins, which creates a lot of gas and blotting.

I also consume more carbohydrates and fats. Carbohydrates are broken down more efficiently by the taste of sour; lemons help, but 1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar is the best digestive stimulant. To help break down fat I use anything with the taste of bitter. I find the taste of barberry works the best.

By efficiently breaking down and utilizing the extra holiday food I consume and by exercising more I avoid the extra weight and possible illness that can result from overindulgence.

I hope everyone has a happy healthy holiday season.   

David Christopher is a Master Herbalist, director of The School of Natural Healing, and son of our beloved Dr. John R. Christopher. He is continually helping others improve their health and that of their family members. The School loves having him as the director.