Mindful Holiday Gatherings

This past weekend, I had a beautiful surprise—my daughter and her boyfriend showed up unexpectedly on our doorstep. This young couple drove 4.5 hours home from LSU to spend time with us. It was one of those wonderful moments where the joy of connection takes precedence over everything else. I decided that my blog could wait, and I embraced the opportunity to be fully present with my family. We stayed up late, shared laughter, and made new memories—even as Daylight Savings Time was playing its tricks on my sleep schedule.

The visit got me thinking about the upcoming holiday season and the importance of being present, grateful, and mindful during these gatherings. Holidays bring people together, often around tables full of delicious food, and it’s easy to get swept up in the celebration. However, with a few simple reminders, we can enjoy these moments while also caring for our health.

Mindful eating during the holidays doesn’t mean depriving ourselves—it means embracing foods that nourish our bodies and spirits. When we gather for festive meals, we can include ingredients that support our overall health, especially our dental health. For example, foods rich in fat-soluble vitamins like butter, egg yolks, and bone broth can help provide the nutrients our teeth need to stay strong. These nutrient-dense options are often part of traditional holiday meals, making them easy to incorporate.

If you’re looking to get started on nourishing practices, consider embracing Weston A. Price Foundation (WAPF) principles. For instance, healthify traditional family recipes with wholesome ingredients instead of convenience products. We swap out canned cream soups for organic, homemade cream soups or reduced bone broth-based sauces in our casseroles throughout the season. Preparing a sourdough starter or fermenting vegetables now can provide probiotic-rich foods that promote a healthy oral microbiome. Making your own bone broth can be a wonderful addition to holiday dishes and used as nutritious fasting liquid or a nutritious base for soups or even as a post-meal rinse to support oral health. These traditional methods of food preparation can help ensure that we are nourishing our bodies deeply, providing essential vitamins and minerals that support both dental and overall wellness.

Including crunchy vegetables like carrots, celery, and bell peppers can support dental health. These foods provide valuable nutrients and help naturally clean our teeth as we chew, stimulating saliva production to maintain a healthy oral environment. Leafy greens like kale and spinach can boost mineral intake, providing calcium and magnesium for stronger teeth and bones.

And while we all enjoy the occasional holiday treat, there are simple ways to support dental health amidst the indulgence. Rinsing with structured water, raw milk, bone broth, or herbal infusion/teas after sweets, choosing probiotic-rich foods like yogurt or kefir, and enjoying plenty of mineral-rich dishes can help balance out the effects of sugar on our teeth. Incorporating fermented foods, like sauerkraut or kimchi, can also promote a healthy balance of oral bacteria, which is key to preventing cavities and maintaining overall oral health. The key is finding harmony between enjoying the moment and caring for our well-being.

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) also offers valuable insights that can guide us during this season. With Thanksgiving in the autumn season, it's important to start focused support now. According to TCM, autumn is associated with the metal element, which focuses on the lungs and large intestine, helping us build resilience as we transition into winter. Deep breathing exercises, eating nourishing warm foods, and staying hydrated can support lung health. As we move into winter, which is associated with the water element, the focus shifts to nourishing the kidneys, which are considered the source of vitality and strength, and are crucial for mineral assimilation and teeth strength. Supporting our kidney energy can help us stay resilient during the colder months. Foods like bone broths, warming soups, and seaweed can help strengthen the kidneys, while practices like keeping warm, staying well-rested, and maintaining a regular sleep schedule are essential for keeping our systems balanced. The holidays can be hectic with travel and preparations. It's crucial to honor our need for rest and maintain healthy sleep patterns to support our well-being.

In addition, the TCM horary clock is a helpful tool that supports our systems by aligning our activities with the natural energy flow in the body. Each organ has a time of day when it is most active, and by understanding this cycle, we can make choices that promote proper function and health. For example, ensuring we get quality sleep during the hours when our liver is most active can support detoxification and healing, while adjusting our gathering schedules to optimize the horary clock, and eating our largest meal when our digestive system is at its peak, can improve nutrient absorption.

Another important aspect to consider is staying hydrated. Drinking nourishing liquids like structured water, healing herbal teas, or sole water throughout the day supports optimal body function and oral health by washing away food particles and keeping our mouths moist, preventing harmful bacteria buildup. Herbal teas, such as chamomile, peppermint, ginger, nettle, dandelion root, or astragalus, can be supportive and comforting alternatives to sugary beverages, providing hydration without the risk of added sugars.

During this holiday season, we can also focus on mindful habits beyond food. Practices like taking deep breaths before eating, chewing thoroughly, and savoring each bite can enhance our mindfulness during meals. Also, morning meditation, evening reflection, journaling, grounding, or sitting in silence can enhance digestion and improve nutrient absorption. I personally meditate with a group online every Friday morning, use my PEMF mat in the evenings to do yoga nidra, creating restfulness before bed. I also love to play frequencies and use crystals to enhance my sleep each night. This kind of mindfulness not only supports our physical health but also encourages a deeper connection to the people around us and enjoying the experiences we share.

As we move into this season of gratitude, I encourage all of us to reflect on the connections between joy, wellness, and community. Taking time to care for ourselves—whether through nourishing food, mindful habits, or simply allowing ourselves to savor moments of love and laughter—can contribute to our health in meaningful ways. Embracing gratitude can have a profound impact on well-being. Studies show that practicing gratitude can reduce stress and improve overall health, making it a powerful tool during the holiday season.

Speaking of care, I’m working on something exciting to share with all of you as we head into the new year! Many of the ideas and practices mentioned here will be elaborated in my upcoming Heal Teeth Naturally program that I am currently working on and expect to launch for the new year. The program will include Weston A. Price Foundation (WAPF) and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) principles, such as soaking and sprouting, healing herbs, infusions, bone broth, horary clock practices, pH principles, supplementation recommendations, and a 3-month healing plan. I've also been working on partnering with several wonderful companies whose products align with holistic health values, and I'm planning to offer some fantastic giveaways. These products have been carefully chosen to support a healthy lifestyle, and I can't wait to share them with you. Stay tuned for more details—it’s going to be a fun way to start 2025 together!

I invite you to be a part of this journey toward holistic healing. Subscribe to my newsletter or continue to follow me here or on social media for the latest updates on my Heal Teeth Naturally program and exciting giveaways!

🌟Let's continue this journey together!