Simple steps to ensure a stress free Christmas
Simple steps to ensure a stress free Christmas
Have you thought about how many times you’ve been ill in the run up to Christmas or even over Christmas? Or both? You just seem to pick up every bug and virus going!
Let’s take a quick look at why this happens and how our bodies handle our stresses.
The adrenal glands and immune system are extremely dependent on stable blood sugar levels. Adrenaline and corticosteroids are hormones produced in the adrenal glands as a response to stress. These hormones inhibit white blood cell formation and function, reducing your protection against infection. To help control the effects of stress, it is important to support the adrenal glands and as winter takes hold we have the perfect seasonal natural preventative remedies readily available to all this festive time of year.
Keep your choices healthy by choosing organic dark chocolate, and having fresh fruit for dessert. Unless you have a nut allergy, snack on nuts, preferably unsalted, such as natural Almonds which are always abundant at Christmas. Nuts also contain quality protein and valuable oils that support immunity and digestion. Eating protein with your carbohydrates helps to reduce the rate at which sugar releases into your bloodstream, so combine fruit with nuts and seeds. It is important to eat some protein at every meal to help keep your sugar levels balanced. Vegetarians can combine carbohydrates with nut or bean roasts.
Vitamin C is the only vitamin we cannot store in the body so it must be obtained daily from our diet. The richest sources of it include cranberries, blueberries and other berries, kiwi fruit, Satsuma’s and peppers. The adrenal glands need abundant supplies of Vitamin C.
Magnesium is the most important mineral required by the adrenal glands and so should be eaten daily. Magnesium rich foods are wheat germ, green leafy vegetables, cod and almonds.
Vitamin B5 is also needed to support the adrenal glands. Good sources of this vitamin are green leafy vegetables and animal and dairy produce.
Keeping your antioxidant levels high in your diet helps protect you from the ill effects of the few things you are bound to eat that are not healthy. By loading up on the
vegetables and raw salads, you provide immune enhancing phytonutrients and live enzymes, which help your digestive system to absorb the nutrients from your food better. Use balsamic vinegar and olive oil, or a home-made natural yoghurt base as a dressing, instead of the unhealthy dressing from the supermarket-bought bottle.
Keep your
alcohol intake to a minimum, as it stresses the liver, the digestive and immune systems, and upsets blood sugar balance. Choose red wine rather than white wine or beer as it contains immune boosting antioxidants. Drinking organic wine also reduces the likelihood of a hangover, as they do not contain the chemicals found in non-organic wines.
Just by making some small sensible choices you can have an energised Christmas and look forward to a bright revitalised New Year, it’s all about the decisions we make when faced with so much choice, with a little planning and preparation you can have a very happy
stress free holiday.
Be Well this season
About the author Debbie Huxton
Debbie combines an individualised coaching and profiling system, to create a holistic program which is unique to every client. And because it’s designed specifically for you, it’s works specifically for you. You will look, feel and sound better than you have done before. Debbie is a qualified and experienced professional B.Nurs (Hons) Nutritional advisor, Certified NLP Practitioner, NLP Coaching, Time Line Therapy™ and Hypnosis consultant, writer and professional speaker.
Call Debbie on 0808 108 0754.
