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Christmas 2015 has come and gone. Here at Power Pantry we hope you found refreshment and relaxation in the season, and enjoyed the peace and confidence which comes from knowing God sent His Son to save us. For us, we celebrate Christ's birth... Emmanuel: God with us. And we were reminded this Christmas holiday that the story of Christmas is not really the chance for us to pursue God as much as it is that God pursues us. He truly desires to be with us.
Hoping your holiday celebrations so far have been enriching and bountiful, relaxing and fun. Around our house we have been working on a Christmas jigsaw puzzle, playing board games (have you played Wits & Wagers? It's a hoot for all ages!), and two of us got to a football game. We agreed that at times we felt pampered, we were rejuvenated, and we are most definitely blessed. And we're wishing the same for you and yours.
The new year is just around the corner, and it is a prime time to recognize that stocking a power pantry can change everything for our wellness lifestyle. Have you experienced the stress of a poorly-stocked pantry this holiday season? We did a little bit. Here and there we ran out of something we wish we had on hand (avocados just don't keep very long!) but overall, our food choices were healthful and nutritious.
For the new year, Power Pantry is going to offer some simple guidelines to lifestyle wellness, from vision and fundamentals to specific how-tos. So tune in, share with others, and always feel free to leave a comment or ask a question.
Abundant blessings to you and yours. Happy New Year from Power Pantry!!
By the Way
Need something different to ring in the new year? Maybe try a new way to celebrate? We're forgoing our typical round-robin of snacks and dips and goodies, and ordering Chinese... maybe even some quality sushi... we'll see. Maybe this is a good year to forgo the beef sticks and cheese logs and go for the hummus and guacamole.
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What would holidays be without added stress? While the coming days and recent weeks should be a time rich with healthy relationships, joy, and gratitude, we may find ourselves overcome by frustration from unmet expectations and poor planning. Add to that the rich, sugary foods typical of this time of year, and we have a recipe for emotional upheaval.
Where do we begin to reduce and then eliminate the stress building blocks? We start with our diet, of course. We are what we eat. When we eat junk, we turn our bodies into junk; when we eat healthful, nutritious foods, our bodies reward us with health and well-being. And that definitely equates to less stress and gives us the opportunity for some of that joy and gratitude.
The greatest stress-producing foods are things like:
- Caffeinated drinks (tea, coffee, energy drinks, numerous soft drinks)
- Sugar
- Gluten (studies have shown that gluten (from wheat, barley, rye, etc.) negatively impacts mood by blocking production of serotonin.)
- Processed and refined foods (like white rice, fast food, pastas; anything with artificial colors, flavors and preservatives, flavor enhancers (like MSG), trans fats and other synthetic ingredients)
- Alcohol
- High-fat foods
Some great stress-avoiders in the food category are ones like these (which I found in a great article on Dr. Joseph Mercola's website):
Green leafy vegetables
Turkey
Fermented foods
Wild-caught salmon
Blueberries
Pistachios
Dark Chocolate (yes, chocolate!)
Vitamin D from a great dose of sunshine (not a food, but vitamin D helps with serotonin production)
Seeds (for magnesium)
Avocado
Other beneficial foods: Oats, Green tea, Walnuts, Cashews, Chamomile tea, and Blueberries
All of these foods sound like great additions to a power pantry. Just in time for the holidays, you could stock up on these stress-fighters and look up some new recipes to try. And maybe this is the perfect time to overcome the typical stress and burn-out by trying healthful foods our bodies will love.
By the Way
If you're visiting others for the holiday and concerned there will only be unhealthy food, snack and dessert choices, then consider taking a healthful dish to share with everyone (like hummus or guacamole instead of french onion dip or ranch dressing to go with the veggie tray and chips).
Also, need a sure-fire way to bring the stress level way down? Work on deep, calming, peaceful breathing. Concentrate on the peace you are seeking this holiday and focus your attention on slow, steady, rhythmic inhaling and exhaling. You'll feel better in no time!
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Admit it... this year you want the holidays to be different (where your health is concerned). If you're like me, you have countless memories of holiday seasons of indulgence and overindulgence that you paid for dearly, months into the new year. I know it's possible for this year to be different, and we can do it without starving ourselves or even 'dieting'.
Sounds impossible? No, it's not, really. All we need is a plan, some conviction, and a pantry stocked with healthy, nutrient-dense options. This week Dr. Joel Fuhrman posted a great guide to holiday eating in an email blast, and I want to share it here:
Celebrate the Holidays Healthfully
This article offers great content for how to get our eating habits on a healthful track, and yet not go hungry in the process. Things we've talked about in the Power Pantry blog before: pursue greens, beans, onions, mushrooms, berries and seeds; have a health-buddy for accountability; take healthful dishes with you to family gatherings, etc.
Make this holiday season different in a healthy way. Start by stocking your pantry (and fridge) with healthful, nutrient-dense options that your body will love, and set a course for a healthy, happy holiday and new year.
By the Way
Don't miss the comment from Dr. Fuhrman on 'holiday heart' - the time at the ER when doctors see the most strokes and heart attacks from holiday indulgences.
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As the year draws to a close, it's a great time to look back on where we've come from, and to think ahead to where we're going. New Year's resolutions aside, a little self-searching goes a long way in considering our todays and tomorrows.
I've shared before in Power Pantry that I often consider life 'in the middle of a decade'. Where was I five years ago? Hmmm... 2010... our oldest son was 12 and Jen and I had been married 15 years, and that was the year we had our fourth child. I was travelling a lot for work, and even in the midst of the recession we were very blessed. I weighed about 35 pounds more than I do now, and I hadn't yet read "Eat to Live" (from Dr. Joel Fuhrman). Life was a lot different just five years ago.
Since then we've recognized the value of whole foods and nutritional density, and the detriments of wheat gluten, dairy and numerous other common foods in the American diet. I started running in 2011 sometime, with a very slow and painful introduction.
In five years we've seen two of our kids grow into awesome, trustworthy young adults, another enter middle school, and our youngest start kindergarden. Jen has been 'cured' of her arthritis from simple nutritional improvements, and I've trimmed down to a scrappy 158 pounds and have a maturing running habit and wellness lifestyle... cool.
What about five years from now? I doubt I'll run a full marathon, but I do intend to try some of the Spartan Races, and maybe even their Trifecta (three progressively harder races completed in one year.) We have some cool trips planned as a family (before our older kids fly the coop) and I'm sure there will be some great nutritional additions and unhealthy subtractions from our wellness lifestyle. (Somewhere in there we're supposed to get a local Whole Foods Market...that will be very cool.)
How about you? Sitting here in 2015 and reflecting on where you've come from and where you may be going, what do you come up with? A step in the right direction can change everything, and set a positive course for years and decades to come. As the long winter nights and holiday breaks afford some extra time (hey, no grass to cut!! At least in our northern latitudes...) find quiet time for reflecting, and a little goal setting.
By the Way
Our family likes to do jigsaw puzzles every so often. We got out the puzzle table and a fall-themed puzzle at Thanksgiving, which we're completing bit by bit. One of the great leadership reminders I get from doing puzzles is to keep the box handy. The lid of the puzzle box is the most important part - that's where the vision comes from. If we didn't have the picture of the finished puzzle, we'd have no vision to understand the value of our efforts. While reflecting from the middle of a decade, keep that in mind that there is a bigger vision at stake for all of us. What does your future look like?
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With the violence in CA, I'm kind of at a loss for words. I think it's a good time to hug a loved one a little longer, contemplate the blessings of life more closely, and be truly grateful for all the ways we are blessed. Being a positive force today might make all the difference in the world.
By the Way
I got this quote from a friend today, so I'll close with this:
"We are healed to help others, blessed to be a blessing, served to serve, not just sit around and wait for heaven."
Need something different to ring in the new year? Maybe try a new way to celebrate? We're forgoing our typical round-robin of snacks and dips and goodies, and ordering Chinese... maybe even some quality sushi... we'll see. Maybe this is a good year to forgo the beef sticks and cheese logs and go for the hummus and guacamole. 
