BE Healthy

A few things that are keeping me healthy right now...

1) Showing Compassion: When my mom was dying, I had to fly all by myself from a family vacation in Georgia to her hospital bed in Pennsylvania so I could see her one last time. I cried at the airport and during the whole flight and not a single person showed me any compassion. I'm sure someone noticed me and felt something, but no one handed me a tissue, no one patted me on the back, and no one asked if I was okay. I remember being surprised by that and, frankly, the experience left me feeling a bit empty.

Fast forward, 6+ years and I was at a spa waiting to be called in for a facial. There was only one other person sitting in her robe in the quiet room as I drank my cucumber water and tried to relax. I immediately noticed that she was crying and felt a jolt of sadness. Spa waiting rooms are not meant for conversation or confrontation and the fact that she was using her hand to shield my view of her crying face indicated to me that she did not want to be seen. I soon got called in for my facial and although I tried to relax and enjoy it, I could not stop thinking about her. I regretted not acknowledging her somehow and I remembered how the lack of compassion I felt at that airport and on the plane all those years ago impacted me. So, I decided then and there that I'd anonymously pay for whatever service she was getting.

At the checkout I explained to the staff what I wanted to do and they were flabbergasted. "What an amazing, selfless, and generous thing to do?" they said. While I knew that was true, their response actually surprised me a bit. I wasn't choosing to do this, I HAD to do this. Honestly, what I did was actually selfish because it made ME feel so great! It was like I righted the wrong done to me all those years ago by doing what I think any compassionate human should do. Sure, imagining that my gesture might bring her about of a reprieve or some joy was great, but this act was all about me demonstrating empathy to a stranger to fulfill my own needs. Paying for her service made me happy and improved my emotional health for days to come. So...if you want to boost your mental health, show a little compassion! The holiday season is the perfect time to do so too 🎅! *Read more about the benefits of showing compassion HERE.

2) Drinking More Water: An incredible 75% of American adults are chronically dehydrated. YIKES! You may be thinking that you drink enough each day, but the water you drink is offset by any alcoholic or caffeinated beverages you consume and by the amount of salt in your diet. 🙈 Scary stuff especially since dehydration can cause: dry skin, constipation, fatigue, headaches, brain fog, moodiness, sugar cravings, bad breath, and in worse cases, kidney issues. So, will you please join me in making drinking more water one of your 2023 resolutions?

My suggestion is to start your day with a glass of water before your morning coffee. This will help flush out your stomach, nourish your organs, and balance out your lymphatic system. Ideally, you should add some lemon and sea salt flakes in because there are SO many benefits to doing so! Adding salt (specific ones!) to water is a huge craze right now and for good reason. Experts claim that drinking it leads to a more restful sleep, improved digestion, weight loss, decreased inflammation, and, of course, enhanced hydration! Try THIS recipe and be sure to read all the great info provided in the article. OR consider trying SOLE (pronounced "so-lay") water. The health claims are similar, but it's a little more complicated to make. If you're interested in giving it a try, check with your doctor first and then consider THIS recipe.

To aid you on your quest for hydration, consider: investing in a motivational water bottle like THIS one (which would also make a great Christmas gift BTW!); trying some of THESE infused water recipes or even easier try adding THESE water drops to your water; and finally, purchasing a Brita or better yet a Berkey (my favorite) so that you're drinking filtered water and not contributing to the plastic bottle problem too!

2023 is going to be our year of HYDRATION! It's an easy resolution, but one that will help us reap so many health benefits. HAPPY NEW YEAR!

3) Making Boards (Charcuterie Boards, of course!): I am so into this trend that I actually think I might try to do an entire holiday meal on boards! The combination of food and "art" is so alluring and, honestly, it's kind of easy to do! The possibilities are endless too. Consider a Christmas breakfast board full of whole wheat pancakes, pumpkin muffins, and fresh fruit. Then for lunch how about a Christmas stocking shaped array of soup shooters (I love Italian wedding or butternut squash!) intermixed with slices of crusty sourdough bread. Dinner could be a board with grilled chicken skewers with a bowl for a yogurt based dip, zucchini boats, and sweet potato skins...YUM! And dessert could be a mixture of decadent (You gotta have some fun over the holidays!) treats like brownies and holiday cookies with piles of berries mixed on an adorable Christmas tree shaped platter like THIS one. So easy, festive, and fun! And, if you get creative you can keep the boards mostly 😉 healthy too.

Now, let's talk about butter boards. While I love the taste of butter, I'm not sure I can get behind a trend based around something unhealthy. However....I like the idea of them and so I plan on dabbling with THIS whipped feta greek board (My Integrative Medicine Doctor at MSKCC told me feta was one of the 'least-bad' cheeses to eat and we know olives are good for you!). It looks delicious! I've also seen hummus board and guacamole board options so I'll definitely look into those too.

Boards can be a healthy and fun choices for holiday meals and not just for appetizers. You can get a mental health boost by getting those creative juices flowing and a nutritional health boost by incorporating an array of different fruits and vegetables into your presentation. It's super easy to find recipes on the internet, but please enjoy some inspirational photos of some of my favorites below!