Dallas Morning News – December 24, 2020
Christmas Cheer 2020
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! Even with all the C. Virus barriers to celebrating as you usually would, I hope you can still enjoy your friends and family. And – I have a couple of tips for you today.
Of course, health is on everyone’s mind, but the holiday season can be a tough time for being diet and health conscious. Couple of suggestions that can be done without changing your lifestyle too much at all.
The first is walking. Many of you are already doing more walking, but if you aren’t yet, get up and get out there. The weather has been nice, but even if it’s bad, bundle up and enjoy the short adventure. Besides the fresh air and exercise, there’s another terrific benefit. Other people are out there walking and many with their dogs. You will greatly enjoy, as I have, seeing all the big dogs, little dogs, mutts and pure breeds that obviously have been living around you all along without you knowing. I have seen and met some great pets and you will too. It might also spur you into thinking about adoption. We have a link on dirtdoctor.com to the local SPCA locations and highly recommend them but there are many other rescue and adoptions organizations making available any kind of dog or cat you can imagine.
The second is drinking lots of water. My easy rule of thumb if to drink about twice as much as you think you need. You will feel like it’s overkill but trust me, it’s worth the effort and has great benefits. Water does good things directly to the body by hydrating and helping everything inside you to function properly, but it also reduces your desire to eat and drink the stuff that’s not so good for you. Might even enjoy the little sins more with less volume. Feeling better and being healthier comes along as a great bonus.
Also there is a desert-like treat or snack that’s delicious and good for you. It’s crispy pecans. I have a different recipe on dirtdoctor.com but a shorter, easier one that I learned from a friend that can be done in less time and tastes fantastic is as follows.
Ingredients include 4 cups of pecan halves, 3 tbs butter, 3 tbs Worcestershire-type sauce. My favorite is Organic Coco Aminos. 1 tsp cinnamon powder, 1 tsp sea salt, ¼ tsp garlic powder and a dash of Tabasco or other hot sauce. Melt the butter in heavy skillet, add the rest of the ingredients including the pecans and bake the mixture at 300 degrees (or less) 25 minutes, stirring until pecans are crisp. Yummy!
These taste-improved nuts also seem to be more digestible and thus better for you. Enjoy pecans or other nuts this way soon and treat your friends and family to an unusual and healthy treat.