LOADED!!!!!!!!!!!!!

In my opinion, the perks of winter include rich hot chocolate, lazy snow days and cute après-ski wear. The pitfalls? Dry, static-ridden hair, chapped lips, parched, flakey skin and itchy, well, itchy everything. Little did I know that despite falling temps, low humidity, brisk winds and high indoor heat a few essential items can make these cold weather problems a thing of the past. Read More at Makeup.com

Now that the holidays are behind us, it is time to settle in for the long, dark winter. Many people suffer from seasonal depression, and so this time of year, more than ever, it is important to make sure your nutrition is supporting your neurotransmitters, especially serotonin. Read more at mindbodygreen.com

Here is my basic “food for mood” checklist:

1. Make sure you eat every 3-4 hours, and that you include protein with all your meals. Many people decide to become a vegetarian without paying enough attention to protein. If that is you, make sure you are eating beans, nuts or seeds with every meal.

2. Take Vitamin D every day. This is the “sunshine” vitamin and very important to support your mood. I recommend 2000 iu per day, minimum to maintain your levels through the winter.

3. Eat plenty of good fats, especially the Omega 3 oil DHA found in fish, algae, and nuts (especially walnuts). Studies have found fish oil supplements can improve mild to moderate depression just as good as anti depressants. I recommend a minimum of 500 mg DHA to support your mood.

4. Don’t forget the B’s. B12, Folate and B6 are all critical for your mood pathways. In general, B vitamins are found in whole, unprocessed foods like meats, legumes, whole grains and vegetables.

5. If diet alone isn’t doing the trick, you can try taking 5-HTP (5-hydroxytryptophan) at bed to boost serotonin. Try 50-100 mg, and should notice a difference in how you feel in 2 weeks.

Who doesn’t love to indulge over the holidays? Most of us are guilty of turning to foods we’d shun at other times of the year: butter-rich cakes and cookies, rum-infused eggnog (you don’t want to think about how many egg yolks are in it), cocktails, creamy overripe cheeses. As Susan Blum, founder of the Blum Center for Health in Rye Brook, N.Y., puts it in “Whole Health News,” “This time of year your liver often gets kicked into overdrive. It has to work harder to process all that rich food and alcohol under conditions of too much stress and too little sleep.” She suggests preparing ahead. Start the day with a cup of hot water with lemon juice, which is packed with antioxidants and Vitamin C. Amino acids found in protein — shoot for 60 grams of protein a day — are also crucial for liver function, so load up on beans and seeds. Read more at The Washington Post

1. Do consume anti-inflammatory foods and supplements.
Because inflammation can trigger pain, soothing foods and supplements can provide chronic pain relief.

“For example, curcumin – found in turmeric, the herb used in curry – is a great anti-inflammatory and can be eaten in food or taken in capsules,” explains Susan Blum, M.D., assistant clinical professor of preventive medicine at Mount Sinai School of Medicine and founder of the Blum Center for Health in Rye Brook, N.Y.

“Ginger [also] can bring chronic pain relief in food or as a supplement,” she says. Read more at http://www.lifescript.com

A detoxed system! A flatter stomach! These are just a couple of the big benefits that supposedly come with cleanses. Find out if they really deliver.
Read more at Fox News

There are many ways that you can support your digestive health with your diet. Certain foods can help stimulate your digestion, support your friendly flora, and maintain the integrity of the barrier function of your gut.

Supporting your gut health will keep your immune system strong, and ensure you get the most out of the food you eat.

Here are five food tips for a healthy gut:

1. Eat fermented foods like yogurt, kefir, kimchi and sauerkraut. Drink kombucha. There are great options to dairy like cultured coconut milk, and soy yogurt.  These foods will keep the healthy flora going strong.
2. Eat plenty of fiber in whole grains and veggies. They provide the “fertilizer” for your healthy flora.
3. Avoid raw or uncooked meats and fish, as they carry many viruses and tiny parasites, that while they might not infect humans, they put a strain on the immune system in your gut. Avoid having sushi more than once a week.
4. Do not drink too much liquid with your meals as it dilutes your enzymes and therefore your digestive power.
5. Use coconut oil and ghee (clarified butter) in your cooking. Ghee has butyrate, and coconut oil has medium chain triglycerides, both are the best food for your intestinal cells and keep the barrier strong. Coconut oil also has anti-yeast and anti-viral properties.