Holiday How-To's: How To Eat, Drink, And Be Healthy

The most wonderful, magical time of the year should also be a healthy one for you and your family. Here are a few holiday how-to's to help you ring in the New Year cheerfully without sabotaging your health. 

A Cup Of Kindness Yet

For Auld Lang Syne this year, the kindest thing you can do for your teeth is to monitor your intake of alcohol and other beverages. The acidic content in white wine can wreak havoc on your teeth, so you might want to switch to red - you know, to match Rudolph's nose.

In fact, the acid in most alcoholic drinks, as well as citrus juices, cider, hot chocolate, and coffee can actually soften your tooth enamel. Even carbonated drinks like seltzer, club soda, and tonic water contain carbonic acid that can damage teeth.

Try diluting your drinks by adding ice or cold water. And in between tipples, rinse your mouth with water. Carrying a small bottle of mouthwash is a good idea, too, especially if you're planning a long night of holiday mirth-making.

Happy Holiday Feasting

As frantic as the pace may become, with gift shopping, wrapping, and giving, office parties and family party prep, it can be easy to cut corners and turn the family feast into a fast-food-prep process. Don't do it!

Take precautions with frozen foods by not defrosting them at room temperature to speed up the process. Don't cross-contaminate raw foods - meats, seafood, and poultry - with ready-to-eat fare. And take a couple of extra minutes to keep your hands and all cooking utensils clean.

If you're planning to add greens - collards, kale, or spinach - to your holiday banquet there are a few ways that you can avoid E. coli contamination.

Patronize your community farmers market.

Use white vinegar to clean your greens.

Cook or saut greens instead of eating them raw.

Handle leftovers properly. Don't leave perishable foods out for more than two or three hours. Store leftovers in air-tight containers at temperatures that will preserve them for short-term use. Vacuum-seal and date freezable foods for long-term storage. 

A Not-So-Happy Meal

Make sure that your pets and kids don't have access to mistletoe, holly, wreaths, and other holiday greenery that might be mistaken for food. Most are poisonous to animals and humans. So enjoy making your house look as jolly as you feel, but deck your halls carefully, with small children and pets in mind. 

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Reviewed By:

Founder Ray Spotts has a passion for all things natural and has made a life study of nature as it relates to health and well-being. Ray became a forerunner bringing products to market that are extraordinarily effective and free from potentially harmful chemicals and additives. For this reason Ray formed Trusted Health Products, a company you can trust for clean, effective, and healthy products. Ray is an organic gardener, likes fishing, hiking, and teaching and mentoring people to start new businesses. You can get his book for free, “How To Succeed In Business Based On God’s Word,” at www.rayspotts.com.