NAC (N-Acetyl-L-Cysteine) Capsules

The holidays are fast approaching, and there are so many things to look forward to; friends, family, time off work, gifts and giving! This time of year, rolls in so quickly, and before we know it, our weekends are booked with events, baked goodies fill the staff room tables, and our healthy habits get pushed to the side. Even if we have good intentions heading into the holiday season, sometimes temptation can get the better of us. As a result, come January, we often find ourselves struggling to get back into our routine. For this holiday season, how about instead of an ‘all or nothing’ approach, we aim for balance? Let’s discuss some healthy holiday tips to help create balance this holiday season and avoid rolling into the new year with a holiday hangover. Stay active! Keep up with your workout regime. This is not the time to let exercise slip. Colder weather and late nights might make it easier to excuse yourself from a training session, but make the effort now and avoid the struggle later. Chances are, we may miss a few visits to the gym during this time of celebration, but getting back to it will be a lot easier if you stick with it as much as possible. If your gym is closed for holiday hours, and/or your extended family has filled your home, find unique ways to exercise. Get outdoors! Dress warm, go for walks with family, build a snow man, or take the kids tobogganing. Just keep MOVING! Sitting around all day with tempting food everywhere can eventually result in a lack of discipline. By going outside and getting some fresh air, you will have a clearer mind to make better decisions and your waistline will thank you. Rethink your drink Alcohol adds empty, sugary calories up fast! Do your best to drink a glass of water in between each drink at the holiday get-together. Reduce sugar intake by trying to avoid pop as a mixer and give soda water with a lime wedge a shot instead. You can also do this by choosing a dry wine over a sweet one. After a night of drinking, eating something protein rich will help balance out your blood glucose levels and may help you feel a little less crummy the next morning. If you love the idea of sipping on something warm next to the fire, there are a couple great alternatives to consider. Bone broth is a great way to maintain your gut health, as well as keep your immune system strong. Instead of a hot chocolate, try having an alternative creamy, delicious drink on hand like Organika Mylk Lattes. They are a hit with most crowds and are both healthy and fun! Thoughtful Bites When heading out to events, try having a light, protein-rich snack before you get there. This will help you make better food choices because you won’t show up hungry! If you have a choice, contribute a dish. Bringing your own recipe is not only thoughtful, but a great way to help control what you are eating. When it comes to making healthy and tasty recipes, there are so many great options to check out online! Check out Organika's blog to get an idea of some tasty and healthy recipes to make and bake for your family and friends. Closing thoughts Get lots of rest over the holiday season, move lots, and cook with intent. Keeping healthy habits strong during the holidays will allow for a little more flexibility when it comes to enjoying grandma's famous sugar cookies! Celebrate one another. Happy holidays, Amy Wilson

Chelan Wilkins, RHN National Education Trainer As we find ourselves reaching for those scarves, wool jackets and winter boots we also find ourselves surrounded by the dreaded cold and flu season. Unfortunately, as the weather shifts into to the colder months, the epidemic of sickness start to rise! It becomes very common for workplaces to see an increase of “sick days” and the stress levels accumulate to accommodate the lack of work begin to set in. So how do we stay healthy during the “cold and flu “ season, especially in the workplace? Here are some tips! First, let's talk about where the majority of our immune system resides! 70% of our immune system is located in our digestive tract! Crazy right? So when we talk about keeping our immunity up, we really should focus on our digestive system and the foods we are eating! Lots of people suffer from digestive disturbances, eat a poor diet, drink too much coffee, drink alcohol and suffer from high stress! These are all contributing factors to have a weak digestive tract – “ leaky gut”, IBS and even IBD ( Chrohns, Colitis, ). It is the “good bacteria” that resides in our intestines that keeps the bugs away, and if we have a compromised immune system, low beneficial bacteria leaves a window for our immune system to drop and bacteria’s to set in! This leads to low immunity and an increase of sickness during those seasons. When we find ourselves surrounded by sickness, stress and even in highly populated places that have a high amount of “ germs” how can we protect ourselves from illness and keep our immunity up? Here are a few of my recommendations to staying healthy: Nutrition: Everything that we eat plays a role in our body positively or negatively! Ensuring that we eat nutrient dense foods filled with our essential vitamins and minerals will most definitely help protect us from illness and those unwanted “sick days”. It is essential to eat lots of dark leafy green vegetables filled with our essential B vitamins, alongside vitamin C rich foods such as fruits ( oranges, berries, grapefruits ). If you can eat organic, I highly recommend having them! Organic fruits and vegetables ensure that you are getting those essential vitamins and minerals. I also like to suggest getting in enough healthy fats, to reduce the inflammation in our body and to give us long-lasting energy! Reduce Sugar Consumption: Sugar consumption has been shown to suppress our immune system for up to 8 hours after ingesting it! When we consume a lot of sugar in our diets, it naturally decreases our immunity allowing the chance of viruses and bacteria to set it. This includes all sugars from sweets, candy, and alcohol. Wash your hands: We all have been told to wash our hands after the washroom before we eat etc. However, we should always try to wash our hands after we use door handles, sneeze, cough and shake hands with others! Germs spread so quickly, and in a large environment like a workplace, it can be even worse! Take your breaks & get fresh air: I can’t stress the importance of fresh air. Taking your breaks, re-grouping and getting out into the fresh air not only clears your mind, but it also helps relieve stress and purify your lungs! Supplement your immune system: I like to help my immune system during the cold & flu season by adding some additional supports! A few of my favourites are as follows: Probiotics: These help support the immune system with healthy bacteria that combat against various bad bacterias and support our immune system! They are essential in our Immunity. Vitamin C: Vitamin C has been known for years to keep our immune system boosted, help combat illness as well shorten the recovery time from colds! Pycnogenol: This powerhouse has remarkable healing properties in the body, as well as a powerful antioxidant! It binds to free radicals in the body, therefore reducing inflammation and oxidative stress! Bone Broth: There are many benefits to consuming bone broth especially when we are not feeling well! It has been shown to increase our immune function, shorten the time of Upper respiratory tract infections and help with immunity in our digestive tract. Sleep: Sleep is so critical when it comes to how we feel! Our bodies need up to 8 hours of sleep a night! When we don’t get enough sleep, it causes our body to decrease its immunity. Long-term sleep deprivation will eventually lead to illness and other diseases. Our body does all its healing while we sleep, so it is vital to maintain our sleep routine and get at least 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep.