Issue #22: Our guide to a radically healthy holiday season (part 1)

Hey Radical Health Seekers 👋 

For many of us, October to January is a pretty intense holiday season…

With Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years Eve sandwiched into little more than two months.

Ideally, the holidays would help you on your health journey by providing the opportunity to:

🔋 Recharge your batteries;

🏠 Spend quality time with family and friends;

🥩And enjoy real nutritious home-cooked food;

But the reality is often quite different.

In fact, if you let them…

The holidays will completely derail your health goals

Because we’re bombarded with hyper-palatable processed foods during the holidays, often by loved ones attempting to do something nice.

But a taste of Halloween candy can quickly become a multi-week battle to get back on track…

Before you eventually throw in the towel and vow to start over on January 1st.

Then there’s expectations to entertain, travel, attend parties, and spend money…

Which can inflame already stressed schedules and budgets.

This is why in this special two-part edition of your Radical Health Newsletter we will share everything you need to know to have a radically healthy and stress-free holiday season…

You will learn how to navigate potential obstacles like:

✈️ Traveling during the holidays

🦃 Family feasts

🍷 Late night parties

🍪 And temptations to indulge in junk food

And don’t worry –  we’re not gonna’ pretend it’s as simple as refusing your Aunt Molly’s roast potatoes and pumpkin pie…

Or declining to party until 2am during Friendsgiving…

Because radical health isn’t as simple as that. 

Radical health is also about living a radical life, which can sometimes mean breaking actual bread with your friends and family…

And can also mean staying up past your bedtime every once in a while.

So how can we strike the right balance between enjoying the holidays and pursuing our health goals at the same time? 🤔

This week we’re sharing two pieces of advice from Dr. Paul to help you do just that!

First up:

Dr. Paul’s advice on eating animal-based while traveling

What is up Heart & Soil Tribe, Dr. Paul here!

I know many of you will be traveling through airports and taking road trips to visit friends and family…

So I wanted to share my advice on how you can travel while still eating an animal-based diet.

Because if you want to avoid seed oils and processed foods, then you will have no choice but to be intentional and prepare in advance before traveling.

Because almost all restaurants cook in seed oils…

And the snacks sold in gas stations and airports are also processed with sugars, grains and seed oils…

Okay, maybe you’ll get lucky and snag a piece of fruit…

But lets face it – your chances of getting an animal-based meal while traveling is about as likely as me becoming vegetarian.

Now my solution to this isn’t complicated…

It’s actually super simple. 

I just make a meal identical to what I eat at home and bring it with me.

Sure it takes a little discipline and preparation, but isn’t it worth it to kick butt in life?

I put my meal into glass containers that I can take on a plane…

(Yes, you can take food that you made yourself on a plane. It’s super easy)

Now you might get a few sideways glances from flight attendants or fellow passengers while eating this…

But this is the animal-based version of the “mile-high club!”

And when I arrive at my destination, my first stop is a grocery store to stock up on meat, fruit, honey and raw cheese.

Don’t let convenience sabotage your health goals.

Next time you travel, bring your own favorite foods, and you will see how simple and amazing it is to have genuinely nourishing food on the go!

Easy animal-based foods to travel with:

• Cold and cooked burgers & steak
• Fresh fruits
• Raw milk and yogurt
• Cheese!
• Heart & Soil Supplements

Pro tip:

Pick up an insulated cooler bag and iceblocks to keep your food chilled for longer!

This guide was originally featured in Dr. Paul’s weekly Fundamental Health newsletter, which you can sign up to here!

Our second tip for staying on track with your health goals during the holiday season is…

Dr. Paul’s Quality of Life Equation

(As featured in Dr. Paul’s book The Carnivore Code)

The Quality Of Life Equation is a decision-making tool to help you live your highest quality of life possible.

And your Quality Of Life Equation will be unique to you, and only you can decide the best decision for you based on your circumstances.

If you are trying to heal metabolic dysfunction or an autoimmune condition…

Then your highest quality of life will probably mean prioritizing your health above short-term pleasures.

But if you are already healthy, you may wish to strike a balance between optimal health and having your greatest experience possible in the here and now with your friends and family.

In which case, partaking in grandma’s sugar-laden pumpkin pie might be worth it to you.

And doing that won’t torpedo your health journey so long as you are intentional and return to your original goals afterward.

However, if you know eating everything in front of you on Thanksgiving Thursday will result in a week or more of suffering from digestive issues, then it’s probably not worth it…

Or if you know that staying up laughing and dancing til 2 am with your friends and a bottle of wine will fill your heart with joy, then it’s probably worth it. Maybe.

You get to decide if it’s worth it.

The Quality Of Life Equation isn’t a “get-out-of-jail-free card” or an excuse to eat cake… 

It’s a reminder to be aware of what nourishes your soul most in the moment. 

This is your life. This is your adventure. You decide what your goals are.

That’s all from us this week folks! 

Next week’s newsletter will contain our favorite practical tips for an amazing holiday season…

And instead of the usual Sunday afternoon, it will be in your inbox Thanksgiving Morning when you will benefit from it most!

Stay Radical!

The Heart & Soil Crew