The foods that you eat play a crucial role in your overall well-being as well as your ability to handle stress. Try incorporating these foods in your diet:

Cauliflower - Cauliflower and other cruciferous vegetables, such as broccoli, cabbage, and kale are chock full of stress-relieving B vitamins. Cauliflower is also one of the very best sources of vitamin B5 or pantothenic acid.

Pantothenic acid helps turn carbohydrates and fats into usable energy and improves your ability to respond to stress by supporting your adrenal glands. Fatigue, listlessness, numbness, and tingling or burning pain in the feet are all indications that you may need more vitamin B5 in your diet.

Salmon - Salmon is a healthy and delicious way to get your dose of B vitamins and omega-3 fatty acids. Vitamin B12 supports production of red blood cells, allows nerve cells to develop properly and is essential to the synthesis of the "happy" brain chemical serotonin.

Blackberries - Blackberries are jam packed with Vitamin C, calcium and magnesium. Vitamin C has shown to be a powerful stress reducer that can lower blood pressure and return cortisol levels to normal faster when taken during periods of stress.

Blackberries have more than double the amounts of vitamin C, calcium and magnesium than their popular cousin, the blueberry.

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Health Tips:  Winter is the Time to Replenish Energy

The ancient Chinese believed that human beings should live in harmony with the natural cycles of their environment. The cold and darkness of winter urges us to slow down. This is the time of year to reflect on health, replenish energy, and conserve strength.

Ruled by the water element, winter is associated with the kidneys, bladder and adrenal glands. The kidneys are considered the source of all energy within the body. They store all of the reserve energy in the body so that it can be used in times of stress and change, or to heal, prevent illness, and age gracefully.

While optimal health and well-being in the winter season calls for rest, energy conservation and the revitalization of body and spirit, your holiday activities may have a different agenda.  We would like to advise you to eat warm hearty soups, whole grains, and roasted nuts to help warm the body's core and to keep nourished.  Sleep early, rest well, stay warm, and expend minimum energy while enjoying the best you can during the holiday season.