Quick and convenient healthy eating 
tips during the holidays from a holistic chef

“It really isn’t hard to give yourself, your family and friends the gift of delicious, nutrient-rich meals over the holidays,” says holistic chef and certified healing foods specialist Shelley Alexander, author of “Deliciously Holistic,” (aharmonyhealing.com).

• When shopping, check labels and avoid foods with a long list of ingredients. The best whole foods have one or just a few unprocessed or minimally processed, easily recognized ingredients. Avoid chemicals, artificial sweeteners, high fructose corn syrup, nitrates, MSG, genetically modified ingredients and preservatives.

• Set aside a few hours each week to prep foods to eat in the days ahead. Wash produce before using with natural vegetable wash or use one part white vinegar to three parts water. Cut up produce and store it in airtight containers.

• Start your day with a green smoothie. Cut and freeze organic fresh fruit to use in green smoothies. You can also buy frozen fruit that’s already cut. Add organic kale or spinach, coconut water or nut and seed milks plus natural sweeteners such as dates or stevia for an energy-boosting beverage.

• For your holiday dinners, plan on making at least three to four dishes that are both delicious and nutritious. Good examples are pasture-raised, wild turkey with sage and garlic, baked wild salmon with lemon and herbs, roasted heirloom root vegetables drizzled with balsamic glaze, and desserts made with seasonal fruits, spices, and healthy sweeteners such as coconut sugar or raw honey.

• Invest in a dehydrator. Dehydrate fruits and vegetables and raw nuts or seeds that have been soaked in unrefined sea salt water (which removes anti-nutrients, kick-starts the germination process and increases key vitamins), for great snacks with a long shelf life.

• Make batches of fermented vegetables twice a month. Fermented vegetables keep your digestive system healthy – they’re loaded with probiotics. Mix a variety of organic vegetables into brine with warm filtered water, unrefined sea salt, and cultured vegetable starter or liquid whey, and mix with shredded cabbage heads. Pack the mixture into sterilized glass jars and allow the vegetables to ferment for five to seven days.