Holiday Detox: Want to Get Rid of Stress and the Blahs?

The Holidays are wonderful, don’t get me wrong. They’re a great opportunity to spend quality time with family and friends, and are the one time of year when everyone gathers in the same place to share and reconnect. As relaxing and wonderful the Holidays may be, however, they also bring the stress of family obligations, cleaning, food preparation, buying gifts, wrapping, cleaning again, entertaining. And the abundance of sugary, fat-laden holiday treats, comfort foods and festive cocktails and libations can leave you feeling stuffed, uncomfortable, sluggish and, well, just plain heavy.

With the New Year comes resolutions, promises to “get back on track” and good intentions to de-stress and cleanse the system of Holiday over-indulgences. To do so, many turn to fad diets and excessive exercise routines that require unrealistic time commitments and restrict our everyday lives to the point of giving up and forgetting about our self-improvement efforts…at least until next year.

All hope and motivation of bettering ourselves in the New Year is lost? Don’t fret. There are some amazing natural and organic products out there that, when incorporated into everyday life, can help us de-stress, detoxify the body, and enjoy food without weighing us down. These natural, organic products, free from artificial ingredients, will help to calm, cleanse, and rid your body from the blah feelings associated with Holiday over-consumption.

Organic India Certified Organic Tulsi Teas

Throughout India, Tulsi is considered “The Queen of Herbs” and is revered as a sacred plant infused with healing power. Tulsi (also known as Holy Basil) makes a delicious and refreshing tea that possesses wonderful health benefits that support your body’s natural immune system while relieving its negative reaction to stress.

With a wide array of flavors, Organic India’s Tulsi Tea line offers holistic healing benefits through a relaxing tea-drinking experience. Not only are all teas organic, each blend uses the highest quality herbs and flavors to awaken the senses and calm the soul. Teas pair nicely with foods, mixed with milk or dairy substitute and/or sweetener if desired, or are exceptional served on their own. My fave? The Lemon Ginger tea with honey.

Plus, they’re a great company to support: Organic India works with thousands of organic family farmers in India to actively promote sustainable agriculture!

DoshaCare Customized Ayurvedic Skincare

DoshaCare is the newly-launched, customizable skincare collection inspired by the ancient Indian principles of Ayurveda, which emphasizes that beauty is achieved through lifestyle choices that nourish the body and fulfill the mind. The DoshaCare line addresses more than your skin type; its formulators take into account your diet, exercise routine and personality traits to select the most appropriate skincare system. Through a series of questions, the Dosha survey determines your primary and secondary Doshas, which are then used to prescribe a customized skincare routine within the natural DoshaCare product line.

Perhaps because DoshaCare skincare line—cleanser, exfoliant, moisturizer and eye cream—are tailored to my skin type, I’ve never before experienced the combination of moisture and “anti-aging” ben. Not only are the products natural and smell wonderfully, I did not have to make a significant change in my daily routine to experience the benefits—I simply substituted my previous skincare products with the DoshaCare line et voila! Great skin without any artificial or toxic ingredients.

In addition to offering ayurvedic healing properties, DoshaCare is packaged with tubes made of 70 percent recycled materials, bottles made of 100 percent recyclable materials and labels printed with environmentally-conscious soy ink. On the inside of every package is a motivating message that inspires health, wellness and good thoughts!

Simply Boulder Culinary Sauces

Simply Boulder culinary sauces are unique combinations of pure olive oil, organic agave nectar and natural flavors to add a boost of flavor to any dish. Not only are the sauces gluten-free and have acquired theCeliac Sprue Association recognition seal, the plethora of flavors, including Coconut Peanut, Honey Mustard, Lemon Pesto, Truly Teriyaki and Zesty Pineapple, can be used as marinades, drizzles or dressings on pasta, salads or sandwiches, and for grilling, baking or broiling.

These sauces offer the many health benefits of olive oil and are made from natural and organic ingredients, but they take the stress out of cooking and allow you to enjoy wonderful meals without the fuss. Although I do enjoy cooking, I often do not take the time to do so, and Simply Boulder sauces allow me to prepare a meal that tastes like I spent hours making it! 

Blackwell’s Organic Soy Gelato and Fruit Sorbetto

Who said “detoxing” had to restrict sweet treats? Thanks to Blackwell’s Organic Soy Gelato and Fruit Sorbetto, you can enjoy a chocolate fix or a light sorbetto treat without artificial ingredients or the heavy feeling of traditional Holiday cakes, cookies or pies.

Blackwell’s Organic desserts are health conscious without sacrificing taste; each ingredient is truly a whole food. The soy gelato and fruit sorbetto are made without preservatives, additives or extracts, and are cholesterol free and completely vegan. Each flavor, including chocolate, coffee, peanut butter, peanut butter chocolate swirl, vanilla, lemon, mango, orange, pineapple, raspberry and strawberry, is hand-crafted in small batches using only the highest quality certified organic ingredients and Fair Trade CertifiedTM cocoa and coffee and real fruit and fruit juice.

Both the Soy Gelato and Fruit Sorbettos are guilt-free indulgences. They are so light, and with a variety of flavors, there is something for every mood. Also, each flavor works well with another- pairing two or more flavors together, such as raspberry and chocolate, makes for a healthy treat that satisfies!

As you can see, “detoxing” from Holiday stress and heavy foods is simple if you incorporate natural, organic products into your daily routine. It is important to remember that although transformation doesn’t happen overnight, you can move forward with your self-improvement goals by making small changes each day. 2009 is going to be a great year!