LET YOUR FOOD BY THY MEDICINE NOT THY POISON

PLANNING IN ADVANCE. Plan to feed your loved ones a nourishing meal with a balance of ingredients which taste great and support digestion. No one wants to outgrow their Christmas jumper on the big day! Do what you can before the big day to minimize stress and panic.

Make a vegetable or bone broth before the event to freeze. Use this as a base for your gravy to enhance gut healing and collagen as well as flavour into your Christmas meal.

Herbs used for cooking can be pre bought and dried or frozen to reduce stress and plan ahead. Freeze dill beforehand to add to gravy to improve digestion. Strain and discard before serving.

Oil matters. Add dried rosemary or other dried herbs (think Sage or Thyme) with garlic cloves to raw unfiltered and cold extracted organic olive oil. Use this oil for vegetable or salad dressing to bring real flavour to every bite.

Chemical Free anyone? Choose seasonal local and organic. If organic is not possible, wash your veggies in warm water with vinegar for 5 minutes, and gently rub them to remove nasty pesticides which go straight to the liver.

Don't waste the best part. Save time and don't peel your vegetables, as this is the most nutrient dense part! Just wash them, any fine traces of soils are part of our healthy biome! If you must peel, then freeze the peeling for a yummy and nutritious vegetable broth in January!

ON THE BIG DAY. Creating a healthy atmosphere. Reduce chemicals and choose natural soy wax and essential oils candles instead of petrochemicals so that the air is not filled with chemicals! Throw out any diffusers if they contain toxic 'fragrance'.

Get over it! Remember to let go of any grudges you've held during the year. Anger is the poison that harms us, not anyone else. If you can't let go at Christmas, when will you?

Plan a balanced meal. Ditch the nibbles which clog digestion. Goodbye bread. You were always bad for me (and full of air), and I don't need you anymore! Also ditch the roasted and salted nuts. If you must, choose raw and organic for their good oil content which is lost when roasted (unless freshly roasted). Peanuts are not a nut, they are a legume and contain aflatoxins, a known carcinogenic mould. These, you should never eat.

Pro Tip! Don't have more than 2 champagnes with breakfast if you're cooking or driving later on!

Choose plant-based snacks. Aim for colour and nutrition which complement your meal and won't overwhelm digestion before the meal is even out of the oven. Olives, roasted tomatoes, capers, artichoke hearts, superfood mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, raw walnuts, vine leaves, blanched spinach and garlic, wedges of pink grapefruit or mandarin or for the non veg: oysters, marinated prawns, caviar, wild caught smoked salmon or other deep sea oily fish (sardines, anchovies, mackerel, trout), or pate for its healthy liver properties rich in Vitamin A retinol. Garnish with chives, raw leek rings, (a powerful pre-bitoic) seaweeds, horseradish, parsley, and other lovely fresh herbs and lemon wedges. Keep cheese to a minimum as it is filling, and better to clean a palate after the main meal. Choose spelt flour crackers over wheat-based snacks, to preserve gut health and reduce the bloat! We always eat what's put in front of us, so provide a healthy solution to the problem!

Prime the Gut. Think earth and sea greens! Start the meal by priming the gut with a small aperitif of bitter greens to prepare gastric secretions for healthy digestion. Rocket, purple and green salad leaves, blanched spinach, seaweed flakes, garlic, lemon, sesame, salt. Use apple cider vinegar and cold extracted olive oil and seasoning to complete the transformation.

Aim for liver supporting foods in your composition of the main meal. Roasted Fennel and steamed Brussel Sprouts or Broccoli/Cauliflower/Cabbage will support liver and digestion. Avoid too many starch vegetables at once (potatoes, carrots, pumpkin, parsnips) and balance these out with the greens to simplify digestion.

Don't skip the trimmings! Caraway, dill, rosemary, fennel, ginger, thyme, sage, oregano, nutmeg, and other aromatic culinary herbs and spices will transform your cooking game to the next level and ease digestion. Be generous.

Don't overeat! The worst thing we can do is be overfull and regret Christmas altogether. Eat a normal size portion and save room for dessert. Digestion is greatly compromised when we eat too much at once and its pro ageing. Save some for left overs tomorrow. Your future self with thank you.

Don't drink too much water! Avoid too much water during the meal, consume this at least 20 minutes before eating. Enjoy wine or champagne but not so much liquid that you dilute your stomach acids and don't digest your food well. Drink water again 1 hour after your meal or better yet, a cleansing herbal tea. Hydrate well in the coming days prior to Christmas so that you dont start the day dehydrated.

After the Meal, what to do? Serve a digestive tea after the meal. Make a ritual with loose leaf peppermint, chamomile, fennel, caraway, to support digestion and reduce bloating.

DESSERT. Make a healthy desert that you can have for breakfast the next day too! Cinnamon ginger dipped apples, rhubarb or pears with oats. (recipe below):

Apple crumble

• green apples (wash with vinegar to remove wax and anti mould sprays) or pears
• rhubarb (optional)
• oats
• cinnamon powder and sticks
• fresh ginger root
• molasses or raw brown sugar or stevia to sweeten (Agave syrup, is high fructose and should be avoided always)

Sauté sliced ginger in water, add sliced apples and/or pears, add cinnamon and some water, add rhubarb, add sweetener to taste, grease a baking dish and add cooked fruit. Mix a bowl of oats with soft coconut oil or soft unsalted butter. Add oats to top of cooked fruit and cook in a warm oven 30 minutes before ready to serve.

HAD TOO MUCH? Feeling bloated, full and perhaps too tipsy? Or too many Christmas pre drinks in the lead up to the big day? Reach for the homeopathic Nux vomica 30C and take 2 pills before bed and again in the morning. Your liver and digestion will be grateful. And so will your nearest and dearest.

GET MOVING! Do go for a walk or a game of tennis to get the circulation and lymphatic system moving so you don't feel full for days afterwards! Support lymph movement and digestion with brisk walking, rebounding exercises such as serving on the court. If you still not feeling it, reach for the nux vomica to get you back into your game.

AND WITH ANYTHING IN LIFE, LESS IS ALWAYS MORE!

Renee Blanchardt holds a Bachelor of Health Science (BHSc Homeopathy 2005) and an Advanced Diploma of Health Science (Adv Dip HSc Naturopathy) and is originally from Australia.  Renee has always had passion for homeopathy, herbal medicine and supporting individuals to improve their life quality.