The holidays bring us together around the table, yet the meals we share can quietly strain blood sugar and the heart.
I don’t know about you, but I’ve lost a lot of friends and family in the last few years, and I want to make sure that my meals and my cooking always support the health of my family and friends, even during the holidays.
There is new research and information coming out all the time regarding the best way to take care of our health. It has been proven that reversing heart disease holistically is possible.
In this article, I will expand on easy ways you can create healthier holiday food choices, that will support your heart and blood sugar health.
What is more comforting than a table filled with family, friends, laughter, and foods made using holiday recipes and ideas that have been passed down from generation to generation?
You don’t have to abandon these culinary legacies, even if you’re trying to eat healthy. Even though it is a little harder these days, we have long held the tradition of sharing a meal with family and friends during the holidays.
However, many of our holiday foods often involve a number of rich, savory foods, creamy dips and fried foods. These foods taste good, but they don’t always make our body feel its best. I have found that it is easier than you think to create healthy holiday food.
This matters especially for blood sugar and the heart. More than 100 million people today have diabetes or pre-diabetes. A recent study conducted by a team of American and Japanese researchers showed that people who have diabetes can vastly improve their health by eating an entirely plant-based diet. (1)
During my work with people who have diabetes, I have found that they show remarkable improvement in their health and well-being from consuming a plant-based and almost completely raw-food diet. (2)
Dr. James Anderson studied 25 Type 1 and 25 Type 2 diabetics. After three weeks on a vegetarian, whole-food, high-fiber diet, the Type 1 diabetics were able to lower their insulin medication by an average of 40%, their blood sugar profiles improved dramatically, and their cholesterol levels dropped by 30%.
Of the Type 2 diabetics, 24 of the 25 discontinued their insulin medication completely. The one Type 2 diabetic who wasn’t able to get
off his medication had been a 25-year diabetic taking 35 units per day. After three weeks of vegetarian food, his requirement dropped down to only eight units per day. As he continued the vegetarian eating plan at home, he was able to cut out all insulin shots after another eight weeks.(3)
A vegetarian diet has been proven to reverse heart disease holistically. The studies show that people on healthy vegetarian diets have lower risks of heart disease, colorectal, ovarian, and breast cancers, diabetes, obesity, and hypertension. This is because a healthy vegetarian diet is commonly high in organic, fresh, whole vegetables and fruits, low in unhealthy fat, and abundant in fiber and antioxidants.
Dr. Caldwell B. Esselstyn, Jr., former president of the medical staff at the Cleveland Clinic, writes that you can reverse heart disease with no drugs and only a plant-based diet. He bases this conclusion on the groundbreaking results of his 20-year nutritional study. Dr. Esselstyn recommends a plant-based, unhealthy-oil-free diet (avoiding canola, vegetable oils, cottonseed oil, and Crisco) that he says can prevent heart disease, stop its progress, and even reverse its effects. (4)
Dr. Dean Ornish and Dr. Esselstyn each separately initiated studies of plant-based nutrition as treatment for patients severely ill with coronary artery disease. In all compliant patients, results were prompt and enduring. Angina heart pain diminished and both physicians found that x-rays of the hearts’ arteries confirmed the disease could be reversed.
According to Dr. Bryan Ardis, make sure you are getting enough magnesium into your body every day. In addition to that, staying hydrated, making sure your Vitamin D level is optimum, and eating a lot of organic, fresh nutrient-rich foods (especially ones that contain Vitamin C) is recommended.
Some Simple Ways To Make Your Family Holiday Recipes A Little Healthier
1. Add Some Pizazz To Your Side Dishes!
Potatoes are nutrient-rich comfort foods, but most people have traditionally used white potatoes. May I suggest a great new conversation subject for your holiday table by adding one more potato dish in a different color!
A healthier choice of potato is sweet or purple potatoes. If you’re going for that traditional potato flavor, have the white ones, but in addition to that try making a purple potato dish and see if people want to do a taste comparison test. It could add some fun to the conversation. My children loved it when I made purple potatoes and thought it was great fun to surprise their guests with them at meals.
For extra health benefits, you can keep the peels on for added protein and fiber. The sweet potatoes are delicious and high in fiber and beta-carotene.
Kansas State University has studied the potential health benefits of the purple sweet potato and its anti-cancer properties. Purple sweet potatoes typically contain unusually high amounts of anthocyanin, a powerful anti-cancer pigment with anti-angiogenic properties. An American Chemical Society study found that eating purple potatoes may lower blood pressure. Use a high-quality organic butter, organic ghee, or coconut oil as the healthy fat for mashed potatoes or when baking fries. I think they make the meal more fun, as well as healthy.
For a healthy stuffing, try making one with organic sprouted whole-grain basmati rice or use sprouted organic bread (such as Ezekiel or Alvarado Bakery). Bake it in a separate dish instead of inside the turkey, and use organic vegetable broth in place of chicken broth. This lets everyone—including those focused on heart health, blood sugar, or plant-based eating—enjoy the dish.
When making cornbread stuffing, choose non-GMO, organic cornmeal. Blue cornmeal is about 30 percent higher in protein and has more zinc and iron than white or yellow corn. It is also higher in antioxidants.
Who says food has to be white? I think we all grew up with artificially dyed foods, but I learned many years ago to break free from that
conditioning and embark on a new course! I have been glad I did!
2. Make Meat Moister With Healthy Fats!
When preparing creature foods, try buying humanely raised, 100% grass-fed, hormone-free, antibiotic-free options. Use a little orange juice and pure organic coconut oil to add moisture, and bake instead of frying. Pure organic cold-pressed coconut oil handles heat well. (Avoid the always-liquid or fractionated coconut oils. They are molecularly changed and a trans-fat.)
After cooking, drizzle pure organic extra-virgin olive oil and top with lemon or lime juice. Some highly toxic oils to avoid are cottonseed oil, canola oil, and any avocado oil that is not truly pure.
I realize air fryers are very common now, so if you use one, please make certain it’s a non-toxic air fryer and cookware. Click here to find out more.
3. Prepare Desserts That Taste Great, And Also Make Everyone Feel Great As Well!
Try an organic pumpkin or fruit pie with a whole sprouted-grain crust and a cashew crème or coconut-milk whipped topping (in the freezer section).
A simple pitted date is also a healthier sweet treat.
For coffee creamer, blend unsweetened vanilla coconut or hemp milk with a little maple or vanilla extract and soaked pitted dates or a little honey, then top with freshly ground nutmeg or some cinnamon. It is delicious!
4. Add A Little Nutrition To Favorite Snacks!
Here is where you can add more organic, healthy, plant-based foods to the holiday festivities! Try high-protein organic hummus, nutritious guacamole, organic salsa with vegetables sliced as the dipping chips! I use sliced vegetables like cucumber, red, yellow, or orange bell pepper (never buy green, they are unripe bell peppers), carrots, green beans, or celery.
If you want to serve crackers or chips, try using a whole grain, sprouted, organic version or an organic sweet potato chip or cracker. (Late July is a good brand for chips and Mary’s Gone Crackers is my favorite cracker these days.)
There are also new organic pre-made popcorns cooked with healthy fats. One brand is: Lesser Evil Organic Himalayan Gold Popcorn. Try that!
For travel, pack organic sprouted nuts and seeds, pitted olives, pitted dates, raisins, peeled oranges or tangerines, apple slices with a touch of lemon, kale chips, and coconut chips.
Easy Substitutions
1 Always choose certified organic instead of non-organic!
2 Use pure cold-pressed coconut oil or organic 100% grass-fed butter instead of Crisco, vegetable oils, cottonseed, or canola.
3 Use organic whole-grain sprouted flour instead of white refined flour.
4 Use organic date or coconut sugar instead of white refined sugar.
5 Use honey or maple syrup in place of high-fructose corn syrup.
6 Use organic sprouted breads, crackers, or chips instead of white refined varieties.
7 Use unsweetened yogurt in place of sour cream, or hummus/mashed avocado instead of mayonnaise.
8 Use unsweetened vanilla coconut or hemp milk in place of dairy.
5. NEVER Use A Microwave!
My former husband, the environmental trial lawyer, researched studies on microwave ovens when they were first being introduced to the market. He would never allow a microwave in our home.
My research shows that microwaving food distorts and destroys the molecular structure of the water, and destroys much of the nutrients.
You might consider reading this article: Debunking the Myth That Microwave Ovens Are Harmless.
Rob Brown, MD, a radiologist, joined me on my radio show recently.
He shared some eye-opening and concerning insights about microwaves that support my former husband’s research.
Click here to listen to the episode.
6. Read The Ingredient Labels. Avoid Anything That Says “Contains A Bioengineered Food Ingredient”!
GMO crops have been modified to include genetic material from a bacterium, Bacillus thuringiensis, or Bt, because it acts as an insecticide. There is the possibility that these foods will contain Bt toxin, which may contribute to gluten-related health problems.
Jeffrey M. Smith, Executive Director of the Institute for Responsible Technology, writes:
Analysis of research shows that Bt toxin, glyphosate and other components of GMOs, are linked to five conditions that may either initiate or exacerbate gluten related disorders:
1 Intestinal permeability
2 Imbalanced gut bacteria
3 Immune activation and allergies
4 Impaired digestion
5 Damage to the intestinal wall (7)
7. Add A Few Healthy Supplements/Spices To Your Food.
Besides a plant-based emphasis, six helpful supplements for blood sugar and overall health are chromium, cinnamon (preferably Ceylon), omega-3 fatty acids, Vitamin D, zinc, and unrefined mineral-rich salt. (8–11)
With these ingredient substitutions, you can still enjoy all of the delicious flavors you love and increase your health benefits at the same time.
Eating this way, you can feel and look your very best as holiday activities continue into January. Instead of regretting what you ate, you will glow with radiant health as you welcome the New Year.
Let’s make these holidays the best! Support everyone’s health!
You don’t need to become 100% vegetarian, but just switching out a few meals a week can start to make a difference in your health and the health of your heart.
My award-winning books, How To Be A Healthy Vegetarian, 2nd edition, and Diabetes and Your Diet, include more nutrition, information, and recipes. They are in Audio also!
Please contact me if I can help you in any way.
I send wishes for you, your family, and your friends to have a Blessed, Joyful, Loving, and Healthy November and Holiday Season!
Love, Nancy
Sources:
1 Yokoyama Y, Barnard ND, Levin SM, Watanabe M. Vegetarian diets and glycemic control in diabetes: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Cardiovasc Diagn Ther. 2014;4(5):373-382.
2 Cousens G. There is a Cure for Diabetes. Berkeley, CA: North Atlantic Books; 2008.
3 Anderson JW. Dietary Fiber and Human Health. HortScience. 1990;25(12):1488-1495.
4 Esselstyn CB Jr. Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease. Avery; 2007.
5 Ornish D, et al. Intensive lifestyle changes for reversal of coronary heart disease. JAMA. 1998;280(23):2001-2007.
6 Teller M. Debunking the Myth That Microwave Ovens Are Harmless. Weston A. Price Foundation. November 5, 2019. https://www.westonaprice.org/health-topics/debunking-the-myth-that-microwave-ovens-are-harmless/
7 Smith JM. Can Genetically-Engineered Foods Explain the Exploding Gluten Sensitivity? Institute for Responsible Technology. http://responsibletechnology.org/media/images/content/Exploding-Gluten-Sensitivity_.pdf
8 National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements. Chromium: Dietary Supplement Fact Sheet.
9 Hendler SS, Rorvik D. PDR for Nutritional Supplements. 2nd ed. Thomson Reuters; 2008.
10 Brownstein D. Salt Your Way to Health. Medical Alternatives Press; 2012.
11 Additional support for magnesium, vitamin D, and mineral-rich salt drawn from clinical nutrition references and Dr. Bryan Ardis’s recommendations.
Copyright © Nancy Addison 2026.
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Medical Disclaimer:
Information provided in this podcast, blog, article, video is for informational purposes only. The information is a result of years of practice and experience by Nancy Addison CHC. However, this information is NOT intended as a substitute for the advice provided by your physician or other healthcare professional, or any information contained on or in any product label or packaging.
Do not use the information provided in this blog, audio podcast, article, video for diagnosing or treating a health problem or disease, or prescribing medication or other treatment. Always speak with your physician or other healthcare professional before taking any medication or nutritional, herbal or homeopathic supplement, or using any treatment for a health problem. If you have or suspect that you have a medical problem, contact your health care provider promptly. Do not disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking professional advice because of something you have read in this email.
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