Monthly Archives: December 2024

Managing Holiday Stress

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The holidays can be a joyful time to spend with family and friends.  Unfortunately for many the holidays can also be a very stressful time.   There is the over-booked calendar, the over-eating, the over-spending, the over-committing, the over-drinking, and generally the over-indulging that can put you over the edge. Even seeing family members can spark conflicting emotions and threaten your peace.  And each year as the holiday season seems to get longer and longer, there is more time for stress to manifest.   Managing stress effectively during the holiday season will help you give yourself the gift of health.

Although normal levels of stress can motivate and propel us to achieve great things, high levels of stress have a counter-productive effect on our immune system and health.  Stress, whether environmental, physical, mental, or emotional, leads the body to have the same physiological response. Chemicals are released in the body in reaction to stress such as adrenaline, epinephrine, and cortisol, increasing your blood pressure, heart rate, and insulin levels. In fact, chronic stress has been linked to many diseases such as hypertension, migraines, irritable bowel syndrome, and anxiety.

Taking a holistic approach to stress management during the holidays will allow you to create more serenity within and with those around you. While many of the ways to reduce stress are easy and fairly obvious, we often forget about them when we most need them.  A few tips to keep in mind are:

  • Breathe!  Slowing the breath down can have a direct effect on lowering your heart rate and making you feel more relaxed. For a simple breathing technique that helps to decrease stress see the post on the 4-7-8-breathing technique.
  • Sleep: Even small amounts of sleep deprivation can increase the body’s stress levels.  Try to aim for 8 hours of sleep a night.  Take advantage of times for naps and opportunities to sleep in. If you are experiencing difficulty sleeping, ask Dr. Knight about herbs and supplements that may help you to get a good night’s sleep.
  • Eat a well-balance diet rich in fruits and vegetables, fiber, legumes, healthy protein sources, and complex carbohydrates while limiting foods high in sugar and refined carbohydrates.  It can sometimes help to eat a healthy snack before going to a holiday party so that you are not as tempted to fill up on less healthy options such as fried foods, cookies and other sweets.
  • Exercise for your sanity’s sake. Just 30 minutes a day — a brisk walk, a run, a bike ride, walking the dog, cross country skiing, or strength training — gives you a powerful tool to fend off stress. Exercise not only helps you manage weight and is good for your body, but it can help you de-stress and clear your mind.
  • Consider alternatives to traditional gift giving such as offering services, a donation to a charity, or a homemade treat.
  • Set time aside each day for just you– read, go for a walk, or linger over a relaxing cup of tea.

If you need more help with decreasing stress around the holidays or at any time during the year or if you are looking for more specific ways to manage stress Dr. Knight can develop an individualized plan for you.       

Posted in Stress Reduction

A Selection of Winter Recipes from the Omnivore’s Delight

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Mini Beet Rosti

Ingredients:

  • 1 ½ pounds beets
  • 2 tsp fresh rosemary coarsely chopped
  • ½ cup chickpea flour
  • 4 Tbsp olive or grape seed oil
  • ½ tsp salt.
  • ¼ tsp fresh ground black pepper

Cut off the stem and tail ends of the beets.  Using a vegetable peeler, remove peel from beets.  Grate beets using a hand grater or food processor. Heat a 12 inch skillet over medium heat.  In a large bowl toss beets with rosemary, salt, and pepper.  Add ½ the flour (1/4 cup).  Toss until well combined.  Add the remainder of the flour and again toss until well combined.  Pour 2 tbsp of oil into pan and turn to coat the bottom of the pan.  Scoop a ¼ cup of the beet mixture and form into a ball.  Place in pan and press down with a spatula to form a thin patty.  Repeat until pan is full.  You will not be able to fit the whole amount of beets into the pan and will have to cook them in two batches.  Cook over medium heat until the bottom of the patty is crisp, about 8 minutes.  Once crisp, flip the patties and continue to cook until the other side is crisp, about 8 minutes longer.  Remove from pan and repeat process with remaining beet mixture.

Three Sisters’ Stew

Ingredients:

  • Aprox. 2 cups cooked beans (such as scarlet runner, kidney, cranberry, navy, or butter beans)
  • 3 cups vegetable or chicken stock
  • 2 tsp. ground cumin
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 tsp dried oregano
  • ½ tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 medium onion chopped
  • 2 tsp sea salt
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 2- 3 cups winter squash peeled and cut into chunks. *
  • 1 (14 oz) can chopped tomatoes
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • 1 ½ cups fresh or frozen corn

Heat a 4 quart pot over medium heat. Add oil and sauté cumin, cinnamon, and oregano for 30 seconds.  Add onion salt and garlic; sauté until onion is soft, about 5 minutes.  Add squash, tomatoes, stock, and chili powder. Bring to a simmer and cook until squash is soft, about 20 minutes/  Add cooked beans and corn; simmer until corn is tender. Adjust seasoning as needed.

*If using Delicata squash you do not need to peel them.

Mushroom Leek Spread

Ingredients:

  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 cup leeks (whites only) coarsely shopped
  • 1 clove garlic minced
  • 8 oz crimini mushrooms
  • 4 oz shitake mushrooms
  • ½ tsp dried oregano
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ¼ tsp black pepper
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • ½ tsp prepared brown mustard

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.  Sauté leeks and garlic for 2 minutes.  Add mushrooms, oregano, salt, and pepper.  Reduce heat to medium and continue to cook stirring occasionally until the mushrooms are cooked and much of the liquid has evaporated.  Transfer to blender or food processor.  Add lemon juice and mustard and puree.

Posted in Recipes