December

Healthy Holidays

December’s theme is Healthy Holidays. While there are some tips and tricks to manage holiday stress and eat better, these tips can certainly be used year-round. See below for articles, recipes, and support from our wonderful community of holistic nutrition professionals.

When you have a busy holiday season ahead with even more cooking, errands, entertaining, and going than usual, make sure you don’t forget about your own health. Nourish yourself so you have energy for all the holiday activities. Here are some winter meal prep ideas from Laura Brining, R.H.N. to help make it easier.

Looking for some recipes for easy entertaining for friends and family? This vegan dip recipe is a crowd-pleasing appetizer. The balance of salty and sweet will complement any cheese board. Recipe from Amy Longard, R.H.N.

This is a challenge for many during the festive season. With holiday parties, indulging, entertaining, celebration, or even unwinding and dealing with stress with a drink or two, you might not be aware of the impact of alcohol. This post from Heidi MacAulay, R.H.N. helps unpack this issue and offers tips on how to find balance.

This is a delicious, cozy, and healthy dessert (or anytime snack!) with comforting flavours of gingerbread. It’s also a handy recipe since it can be made entirely in a blender! Recipe from Samantha Rempel-Wry, R.H.N.  

Routines may come undone and with the holiday stress, it’s easy to fall into bad habits and not feel so great. Prepare yourself with some tips and stay on top of your goals. Post from Bailey Fitzgerald, R.H.N.  

A Canadian twist on a classic holiday dish that is super simple to make and sure to please your family and guests. Recipe from Brittany Gordon, R.H.N.

The holiday season is a time for joy, celebration, and connection with loved ones. Yet, it also brings unique challenges for maintaining health and wellness. From packed schedules to social obligations, to indulgent meals and festive treats, it’s easy for healthy habits to fade and symptoms of imbalance to appear. But, don’t worry — it’s possible to enjoy healthy holidays.

Are you struggling to achieve lasting weight loss? Diet is not the only thing impacting your weight. From exercise to sleep, and stress to the microbes in your gut, when you take a holistic approach and consider the larger picture sustainable weight loss becomes easier. Let’s go beyond fad diets and see how holistic nutrition can help transform your life.

Time for reflection… Here’s our 2024 Round-Up: Here’s a selection of some of our top blog posts and recipes from this year on a variety of holistic nutrition topics. Thank you to our amazing graduates and all they’ve contributed to the growing holistic nutrition space.

Crisp crackling outside with a chewy and heavenly spiced inside, this is an amazing cold weather treat to enjoy and share. Recipe from Katie Chemij, R.H.N.

Here’s a healthier take on a classic holiday treat. These “turtles” are the perfect combination of salty, sweet, and chocolate with a pecan crunch. Because dates are used in the recipe, it naturally sweetens while being a great source of fibre, vitamins, and trace minerals.  Recipe from Stephanie Kay, R.H.N.

5 Nutrients You Need More Of in the Winter: Are you craving soups and stews and rich warm hearty meals? Let’s honour those natural cold weather cravings! Weather patterns affect what seasonal vegetables are available but also what we crave. Allison Tannis, R.H.N. talks about the science and what nutrients we need more of in the winter. Here are some ingredients to eat more of this winter.

What are areas in your life that you want to improve upon? Your healthy habits? What about mental wellness? Do you have career aspirations? Having been around for almost 30 years, CSNN has some insight on the most common reasons students come to holistic nutrition and the school. Here are some ways that CSNN can help you achieve your goals.

Do you need some help processing the diet culture around the holidays? Rigid rules rarely help and are not sustainable. Brittany Gordon, R.H.N. shares some insight on how you can adopt a more holistic approach and make the holidays healthful and joyous. 

This is a tasty holiday treat that is simple to make and will have everyone coming back for seconds. It’s gluten-free and packed with superfoods and made without any refined sugar. This is sure to be a hit all season long! Recipe from Bonnie Wisener, R.H.N.

Snack platters are hugely popular. It’s great way to satisfy lots of different tastes and are perfect for entertaining. Meaty, cheesy, salty, crispy, sweet, fruity, the combinations are endless! Here are some ideas on how to build a dairy-free charcuterie board for your next gathering.

Mint and chocolate are a classic holiday flavour pairing. This delicious cookie is the perfect balance between refreshing holiday peppermint and decadent chocolate. This recipe also freezes well so they’re perfect for when you need to quickly whip up a dessert for a party. Recipe from Joanna Brown, C.H.N.C.

When it’s cold, we all want heartwarming and soul-soothing meals. This is the perfect soup for that! There is a good amount of nutrients from the ingredients, like magnesium, B vitamins potassium, protein, and fiber, while delivering on smoky spicy flavours. Recipe from Ashleigh Grange, R.H.N.

Articles

  • 5 Ways to Achieve a Stress-Free Holiday Season – Joanna Brown, C.H.N.C. shares some simple tactics that can help you practice wellness throughout this hectic season.
  • Nourish Your Wellbeing to Beat Burnout – After a long year, it’s time to rest and reflect. Sharon K. Summerfield, R.H.N. explores the topic of burnout and some strategies we can incorporate to help us beat burnout. It’s important to take care of your mental wellness, all year round.
  • How to Stay Resilient in Difficult TimesResearch tells us that resilient individuals possess three important characteristics: an ability to understand and face reality, the capacity to find meaning in life, and the skill of improvisation.

What Happens After Graduation?

  • Feel Better Immunity Tea – Make a big pot of this “feel better” tea this winter; it’ll make you want to curl up on the sofa with a good book and be all cozy. It can help support your immune system and digestive system. Extra tip: this can also be enjoyed cold in the summer months. Recipe from Sisley Killam, R.H.N.

Holiday Wellness

  • The Benefits of Deep Breathing to Improve Overall Wellbeing – Take a moment this busy holiday season to practice some deep breathing. This has many benefits and can help you through stressful times and keep you going through the new year. This is a simple thing to do and a step to living more holistically and balanced. Article from Tamryn Burgess, R.H.N.
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Health is the gift that keeps on giving. CSNN enlightens students with awareness of, and self-responsibility for, the Body-Mind-Spirit connection, in order for them to help themselves and guide others to achieve optimal health, wellbeing, happiness, and balance. 

Learn more about hot topics in holistic nutrition, like fermentation or how your body systems communicate with one another. Virtual Open Houses are a great way to get a feel for holistic nutrition and learn about the Natural Nutrition Program, flexible schedules, curriculum, and more! Can’t make it? Schedule a 1-on-1 consultation with a branch manager. They will talk you through the program and see if it’s the right choice for you! Registration for Spring 2025 is open now!

Blend of crunchy fresh greens, roasted squash, and a touch of sweetness in the maple lemon tahini dressing. The roasted veggies add warmth and promotes diversity in your salad. It’s also nutrient-dense with fiber, complex carbs, and protein. Perfect for holiday meals, potlucks, and packed lunches. Recipe from Cindy Spratt, R.H.N.

Do you have lots of gatherings planned this holiday season? When spending time with friends and family, you may be tempted to overindulge. Healthy habits can easily go by the wayside. Here are some holistic tips and tricks from Brittany Nicholson, R.H.N. to help you feel your best.

Stressed out about gifts this year? Here are some healthy gift ideas that steer away from over consumption and commercialism. This is also an eco-friendly gift guide that can help your friends and family with their healthy habits. Michelle Gaetz, R.H.N. shares 5 ideas for DIY edible gifts that are thoughtful, budget-friendly, and inspire greater well-being and happiness.

As we gather with friends and eat and bake (maybe a little more than usual), we shouldn’t forget about our brain health. These holiday spices are not only delicious, but they can be a natural way to help strengthen your brain (help sharpen your memory, balance blood sugar levels, reduce stress, etc.).  Spice it up this holiday! Article from Kelly Aiello, R.H.N.

Rich and creamy holiday beverage made with fresh almond milk. This is simple to make and perfect for all your holiday entertaining. Recipe from Laura Brining, R.H.N.

A unique take on baked potatoes. Get inspired by this fun new twist on a classic side dish. This is a super healthy and balanced vegetarian meal with protein, carbs, fibre, and healthy fats. Yum! Recipe from Stephanie Kay, R.H.N.

There is room to indulge this holiday season, but do it with balance in mind. There are sweet and sugary things all around, from places you may not think about, so here are some alternatives you can try. Article from Ciara Morin, R.H.N. 

This is a beautiful way to incorporate roasted veggies into your meals. This salad has tons of flavour, nutrients, and it’s so colourful! We love this for a side dish this holiday season. Recipe from Nicole Kaumanns, R.H.N.

Are you confused by this interesting root? Ginger is warm, spicy, and full of nutritional benefits. Ashleigh Grange, R.H.N. shares a little ingredient 101 on fresh ginger and how you can incorporate it into sweet and savoury dishes. She also includes some great recipes to try!

Crispy and golden on top and tender in the middle, this is a warming delicious stuffing recipe that will be the perfect side dish to your holiday meal. Recipe from Stephanie Kay, R.H.N.

You’ll never guess the secret ingredient in these festive cookies. Laura Brining, R.H.N., shares her yummy recipe that is perfect for the holidays.

It seems like baking is everywhere this time of year. Baking can be a real comfort but “traditional” baking can contain inflammatory ingredients. But don’t despair! Ashleigh Grange, R.H.N. shares some easy swaps you can do so you can still enjoy delicious baked goods this season.

There are different approaches to a gut-healthy holiday meal, but for those interested in a paleo diet version of a Christmas dinner, CSNN Grad, Tracey Reed, shares her simple tips.