5 Healthy Holiday Treats to Share With Your Friends and Family
Do you want to share the gift of health this holiday season?
One of the greatest ways to show love and affection is by cooking and serving food to friends and family.
Whether you are entertaining guests at your home or looking for something to bring to a gathering you are attending, it always feels great to contribute food for people to enjoy.
Unfortunately, however, most holiday foods are loaded with processed sugar, refined flour, preservatives, and other unsavory ingredients.
Wouldn’t it be great to be able to enjoy delicious holiday treats without feeling guilty about damaging the health of you and your loved ones?
Well now you can because we have compiled a list of our ten favorite healthy holiday treats! These easy and delicious snacks can be found at most health food stores and are sure to be a hit with all of your friends and family!
Roasted Nuts
There’s a reason we associate chestnuts roasting over an open fire with Christmas! Nuts are a delicious and healthy traditional winter treat. Our ancestors would collect nuts throughout the Autumn to store as food for the long and harsh Winter.
Not only are nuts seasonally appropriate, but they are also loaded with nutrition. Nuts have vitamins, minerals, healthy fat, protein, and fiber. Best of all, these nutrients come without a spike in blood sugar!
Make sure to prepare your nuts correctly for maximum bioavailability of nutrition. Nuts are best soaked overnight for 8-12 hours and then lightly toasted in the oven so to completely dry them out.
Cheese Board
Cheese is a nutrient packed snack that pretty much everyone loves to eat! Cheese contains vital minerals such calcium and potassium as well as important fat soluble vitamins like A, D, and K.
Many people are sensitive to industrial processed and pasteurized dairy so find raw cheese if possible. It is also best to buy local, organic, and/or grass-fed cheese when available. For those who do not tolerate cow cheese well, goat cheese is a great alternative. Not all goat cheese has the strong taste and smell normally associated with it.
Pick 4 or 5 interesting cheeses from the local cheese shop or health food store and arrange it on a tray with some gluten-free crackers. It is sure to be a hit at any holiday gathering you bring it to!
Charcuterie
Another delicious low-carb option for holiday snacking is a charcuterie board. Although minimizing red meat can benefit most people’s health, occasional indulgence in high quality animal products can actually provide valuable nutrients such as B vitamins, iron, healthy fats, and protein.
Quality is important, however! Make sure to find pasture-raised and grass-fed meats. When an animal eats a natural diet the nutritional profile of the fat is much healthier to consume. Grain fed animals have more inflammatory omega-6 fats while grass-fed animals have more anti-inflammatory omega-3s.
Another benefit is that many charcuterie meats are made from offal (organ meats) which provides unsurpassed nutrient density that is missing from many people’s diets. Organ meats were traditionally prized far above the muscle meats commonly consumed today.
Olive Spread
Olives are a bonafide superfood extraordinaire! In addition to vitamins, minerals, and fiber, olives most robust nutritional component is their coveted oil. Composed primarily of monounsaturated fat, the oil in olives has been shown to bestow a myriad of health benefits upon those who consume it regularly.
The monounsaturated fats in olive oil are anti-inflammatory and promote heart and brain health.
Olives are also rich in antioxidants such as vitamin E which can combat free radicals and prevent oxidation which leads to disease.
Spiced Keto Christmas Cookies
This delicious cookie recipe (found here) is unlike any you have made before. It is gluten-free, dairy-free, and sugar-free while being more delicious than other cookies that will spike your blood sugar and cause inflammation.
Made with real food ingredients such as almond flour and zucchini, these decadent treats are not only delicious but nutritious as well. Use your favorite Christmas themed cookie cutter to turn these cookies in to the ultimate healthy holiday treat!
Merry Christmas From Divine Health!
Here’s to wishing you and your loved ones a joyous holiday season filled with love, laughter, and good health! Hopefully these healthy holiday treats can inspire you enjoy holiday festivities while also supporting your well-being.
For the latest recipes and health articles from Divine Health, sign-up for our newsletter at www.DrColbert.com today!
Check Out More Keto Articles Join Our Keto Group
Was this helpful?
Get Dr. Colbert's weekly health tips
Simple, faith-filled health tips in your inbox once a week. Plus a free gift: the 21-Day Keto Zone Challenge.
Unsubscribe anytime. We never share your email.
What stood out to you most, and have you tried any of this yourself?
Tell us on Facebook
Comments are closed.