1. Sour greats
Apple cider vinegar tonics are the new holiday must-have. Multiple studies have found that drinking vinegar while eating a carb-loaded meal (sounds a lot like Thanksgiving to us!) helps prevent blood sugar from soaring afterward. It may even help you feel more satiated. And ready-made “drinking vinegars” often contain herbs or spices for added benefits. Mix some drinking vinegar into a glass of water and sip away right before your next run-in with mashed potatoes and stuffing.
2. Pasta and present
Finding vegan ravioli or tortellini used to be tougher than an undercooked noodle. These days, makers of fresh pastas are offering more plant-based options, forgoing eggs and cheese in favor of some pretty creative fillings. Many use vegan ricotta (made of almonds or tofu, for example). Others use velvety squash. Additional ingredients like potato flakes and breadcrumbs give you stuffed pastas that are bursting with flavor and have the perfect mouthfeel.
3. The new popcorn?
Popped seeds from pond-dwelling flowers are shaping up
to be the next big snack food. It’s true: Lotus and water lily seeds are getting popped, seasoned, and packaged. Why? These seeds are gluten free and low in fat and have a decent amount of protein. Plus, in Ayurvedic teachings, lotus is believed to be good for the heart and reproductive system. No wonder this snack is popping.
4. Cannabis’s silver wave
As the number of states to legalize cannabis grows, so does cannabis’s use by older adults. In fact, this is the fastest growing group of people using cannabis. From 2006 to 2013, the past-year prevalence of cannabis use among people aged 50 and up in the US increased by 71.4 percent. This demographic often turns to cannabis to avoid adverse effects of harsher pharmaceutical medications—ideally under the guidance of a health care practitioner.
5. Sweet, chemical-free dreams
Organic mattresses are growing in a big way … because who wants to sleep on a bed full of formaldehyde and chemical flame retardants? If you’re interested, do your homework on organic mattress certifications.
For example, GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) organic certification guarantees 95 percent of the mattress’s materials are organic. GOTS also bans the use of highly hazardous chemicals, mandates living wages for workers, and ensures responsible wastewater treatment throughout the mattress’s creation.
