As the holidays roll around it’s easy to worry about how much we eat and spend but don’t let this take away from the joy of slowing down and enjoying the bounty of the season with friends and family. Celebrations are even better with good, clean, fair food so here are a few simple suggestions for a healthy, happy, sustainable season:

Eat Local
By now I’m sure you are aware of the environmental, economic and community benefits of eating local. As winter sets in this becomes more difficult, but a few ideas include:

• Search out a source for local meat and invest with friends in a cow, pig, or lamb. It’s costly upfront, but the long-term savings are considerable. You get to know the farmer, you know what your cow has been eating, and you keep the money in the community. For local vendors near you, check out the Eat Well Guide.
• Support artisan bakeries
• Some items like honey are easy to buy local even in big grocery stores. Just check the label.
• Buy local microbrews. Specialty brewing is a unique American tradition that allows us to buy local all year round. Keep the local beer for everyday and buy imports for special treats.
• Practice virtuous globalization. Purchasing artisan and fair trade foods and wines from around the world helps guarantee the future of cultural traditions, quality, and diversity of taste. When making purchases simply consider whether the same product can be bought locally, or at least from the USA. If not, go for it! So, for example, buy that Spanish Manchego cheese, but choose domestic sparkling water over Italian imports.

Eat Seasonal

• Eating seasonal fruits and vegetables guarantees you save fossil fuels my limiting the distance your food travels. A quick glance at the labels in the produce section tells you what country your food comes from- anywhere out of the USA should be a rare indulgence (I draw the line with bananas, though!).
• Not only do seasonal foods cost less and lose fewer nutrients to travel time, but our physiology craves them. In fall, turn toward the more warming, autumn harvest foods, including carrot, sweet potato, onions, and garlic. Also emphasize the more warming spices and seasonings including ginger, peppercorns, and mustard seeds.

Gift Giving
Homemade gifts are one of the nicest ways to say I love you. They don’t have to be fattening, though! Some ideas include:

• Homemade baking mixes for pancakes, coffee cakes, quick breads: mix the dry ingredients for your favorite recipe and put in a pretty canning jar with a computer generated label with instructions for adding wet ingredients;
• Soup mixes can be done the same way, and in layers: beans, pasta, spices;
• Drink mixes like hot chocolate or mulling spices are another idea for canning jars;
• Biscotti or granolas are easy, beautiful, last a long time, and travel well. Wrap them in a pretty bag;
• Consider unique local gifts of food, handcrafts, candles, and jewelry.

The Family Table

• The holiday season is a great time to remind us to slow down and take the time to prepare and share meals with friends and family. It is important we do this year round, though, not just on special occasions. Eating on the fly is devastating our culture, traditions, health, and mental well being- especially of our children.
• Let the kids help choose recipes, shop, cook and set the table. Not only do you get to spend more time with them but they learn valuable math, science, and art skills. They are also more likely to eat what they help make.
• Studies show that kids who eat sit down meals with their families on a regular basis have fewer discipline problems, use less drugs and alcohol and get significantly better grades.

On Saying Grace

A loss of reverence for food is one of the great tragedies of modern society. Saying grace doesn’t have to be religious, and shouldn’t be a monotone memorized blah, blah, blah. Just a quick thank you for the bounty- take turns and you’ll be surprised and inspired to hear what your loved ones think. In our house we have no rules; sometimes it’s a toast, sometimes a silly song, sometimes serious, and it often comes at different times of the meal. Keeping it fun and spontaneous guarantees it is sincere.