BALANCE, PLAIN AND SIMPLE

So often we brace ourselves for the indulgence of the festive season, and entering into it with this mindset can either fill every indulgence with guilt or we give up completely on our wellness goals, only to regret the progress we sacrifice. The only way to face this season is with a mindset of balance, keeping a check on the things you can and choosing the best option wherever possible. Some easy ways to maintain balance are to focus on the things that come more naturally.  Get enough vitamin C every day Vitamin C is an essential vitamin, meaning your body can’t produce it. Yet, it has many roles and has been linked to impressive health benefits. It is water-soluble and found in many fruits and vegetables. When your body has sufficient vitamin C available to it, you are literally protecting your body at a cellular level from infection.  Spend 20 minutes in direct sunlight It is believed that up to 90% of adults may be vitamin D deficient, and by simply spending 20 minutes a day outside you could start to improve your vitamin D levels naturally. You don’t even need to be out in the heat of the day to receive benefit – having your breakfast or an early dinner outside in the fading light can be beneficial.  Eat raw foods where

THE HARVEST TABLE’S CATHERINE CLARK’S TIPS ON SURVIVING THE FESTIVE SEASON

possible at the start of a meal Raw food – such as fruit and vegetables – are full of important enzymes but most importantly full of enzymes that assist us to digest our food. This makes raw foods almost self-digesting. This also means that raw foods can assist us to digest other cooked foods, such as protein, which might be more difficult for your body to break down.  Keep an eye on your stomach acid levels In our rushed and stressed lifestyles, our bodies’ production of stomach acid has dramatically declined. When we now eat protein, our bodies cannot digest properly and the food begins to ferment. To add to this, your stomach valves are designed to only open to let food out of your stomach when the right level of acidity is achieved. A lack of stomach acid therefore hinders the entire operation of your stomach. You can incorporate some lifestyle changes to improve your acid levels by adding a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar to water and drinking this morning and night, adding it to meals or buying an acid supplement to take with each protein meal you eat.  Practice gratitude Practicing gratitude daily really helps put things into perspective and energises us to continue on our journeys. A lovely way to make this a daily habit is to carve out time in your routine, either alone or with family or a friend, and find things to be grateful for. Express it out loud; articulating the “gold” in our lives makes it so much more real and valuable.  Laugh a lot Stress can cause inflammation and prevent your body from doing the vital repair work that it needs to perform daily in order to stay healthy. Laughter assists your body with the release of endorphins, which reduce stress and increase the general feeling of happiness.  Listen to your body and give it what it needs Our bodies need good nutrition every day. Choose one meal to focus on getting the good stuff in, and it will leave less space for the things your body doesn’t want or need. When we take good care of our bodies they really do return the favour and take good care of us. * FOR MORE INFO www.theharvesttable.co.za