In the Spirit of Giving :: Holistic Healing :: Functional Foods/Nutraceuticals :: G-L

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In the Spirit of Giving
by author Sandi Gauvin

Is pervasive yuletide background music reverberating in your head along with thoughts of holiday gift lists and interminable trips to the mall? Are visions of sugar plums and dancing fairies turning into nightmares before Christmas as you contemplate the holiday season?

In an effort to help you calm the mistletoe mayhem and cut through the seasonal snarl of traffic, crowds, and endless line-ups, here are a few unusual, yet healthy, gift ideas to aid in restoring the spirit of giving.

Movies and Munchies

Pick a movie theme for the film fans in your life, and fill a festive bowl with a favourite classic and a healthy thematic snack to munch on while they watch.

Wasabi peas: Provide a bit of blaze for the brave with wasabi peas; a marriage of dried green peas with sea salt and wasabi, the fiery green condiment made from Japanese horseradish. This is a guilt-free snack that offers chlorophyllin, known to be a cancer-fighting compound. It may go down particularly well with the 1950s Japanese blockbuster Godzilla.

Pumpkin seeds: Packed with protein, fibre, iron, copper, magnesium, manganese, and phosphorus, as well as the amino acids arginine and glutamic acid, pumpkin seeds are another guilt-free snack. They also contain linolenic acid, which may help to prevent hardening of the arteries. These munchies are a natural for any heart-stopping horror classic such as Frankenstein or The Phantom of the Opera.

Organic tortilla chips: Satisfy just about any movie snacker with organic tortilla chips. Complement with quality organic salsa, low in fat and calories but loaded with lycopene–the powerful antioxidant that gives tomatoes their deep red colour and provides protection against prostate cancer and heart disease. This is a great snack team for any version of the Spanish swashbuckler Zorro.

Popcorn: An old standby, popcorn is a favourite low-calorie snack. Rich in dietary fibre and a source of good complex carbohydrate nourishment, organic popcorn comes in plenty of flavours, including white cheddar, garlic and herb, and sea salt. Fill an extra-large bowl with some of these tasty varieties–enough to last through a marathon viewing of Gone with the Wind.

Have a Hempy Holiday

You can fulfill just about anybody’s wish with a product from the multipurpose hemp plant. Long cultivated and used for rope, cloth, paper, and food, hemp is a renewable resource that also provides important nutritional benefits. From clothing to paper, to hemp oil and seeds, you can literally wrap up your holiday shopping with this one versatile ingredient.

Wear it: Satisfy almost any taste with hemp clothing. Use some hemp wrapping paper and twine to wrap up a pair of hemp jeans with a hemp rope belt, or pair a hemp hoodie and T-shirt with some natural hemp socks and a cozy pair of crocheted hemp slippers. Top it off with a natural hemp hat available in various shapes and colours, including ski brim caps, safari hats, beanies, berets, and even baseball caps. Or wrap up a cozy pair of hemp mittens with a matching warm scarf and toque.

Pack it: Travellers will appreciate a selection of natural hemp items to make their journey easier. Give a passport holder or bag, waist pouch, cheque book, wallet, sunglass case, or shoulder bag or backpack, all versatile items that come in a variety of colours and designs. Throw in a hemp hacky sack to use during long waits at the terminal.

Create with it: For the artist or crafter in your life, tie up a selection of yarns, beads, twine, and jewellery supplies in a natural hemp bag. You can also include some hemp writing paper or note cards and envelopes or a beautiful hemp journal for recording creative inspirations.

Beautify with it: A hemp toiletry bag is the perfect container for a selection of personal care products containing hempseed oils rich in essential fatty acids–important ingredients in maintaining healthy skin and hair. Stock the bag with natural hemp shampoo and conditioner, hand and body lotion, face and body scrub, eye and face creme, shower gel, bar soap, and some fun-flavoured hemp lip balm.

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Sandi Gauvin is a writer and assistant editor for alive Magazine who, much to her familyâ€™s delight, still embraces the spirit of giving.

Source: alive #278, December 2005

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Holiday Honey Loaf
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Feel free to substitute other squash to suit your taste!

Cinnamon Baked Squash

Baked Camembert With Cranberry Preserves

Acorn Squash

Royal Snack Mix

Home-Roasted Nuts
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Roll Call
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Hot-Spiced Apple Juice
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Three Sisters Harvest Squash
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Emerald Garlic Mashed Potatoes
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Yams with Pineapple
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Cornbread Stuffing
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Cranberry Pecan Salad
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