Happy New Year! I hope the start of 2026 has brought you moments of peace, reflection, and renewed hope. As we settle into January, I find myself appreciating the quiet rhythm of winter; the way darkness invites us inward and the cold encourages us to slow down and nurture ourselves, even though it has not been that cold here in Colorado yet.

The long dark days of winter can trigger feelings of loneliness and isolation in some people. The cold weather can lead to irritability and restlessness as we struggle to find warmth and comfort. For some, being forced indoors provides the security of a familiar environment and welcome solitude. For others, it means the constant presence of family members and the potential for discord.

Seasonal changes affect us all to some extent. Less light during our waking hours has a measurable impact on our bodies and manifests in many different ways. With its inherent darkness, the season of winter spawns all manner of discontent. Melancholia is not an uncommon feeling. Heartfelt sensations of loss and despair make this a prime time for heart attacks in both men and women.

For me, December 22nd is one of my favorite winter days – it’s the day when we slowly begin to add more light. The coming days will no longer get shorter and shorter; I will have to wake in the dark less and less as we move toward spring.

Practical Tips for January

Here are some simple ways to support your health:

• Get morning light: Even just 5-15 minutes of outdoor time each morning helps regulate your circadian rhythm, turning off melatonin and boosting serotonin for a better day.
• Focus on fiber: Aim for 40-60 grams of fiber daily from vegetables, fruits, legumes, and whole grains. This supports gut health and natural detoxification.
• Stay hydrated: Drink at least half your body weight in ounces of water daily. At altitude, aim for three-quarters of your body weight in ounces.
• Include fermented foods: Add sauerkraut, kimchi, kefir, or miso to your meals to support your microbiome.
• Move your body: Even indoor movement counts—yoga, dancing, or simply walking through your house helps maintain energy and mood during the darker months.

Breaking News: The 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines

I am excited to share that the USDA and HHS have just released the new Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2025-2030. I feel what I have been saying for years is finally acknowledged – Eat real food!

The new guidelines emphasize whole, nutrient-dense foods – fruits, vegetables, protein, dairy, healthy fats, and whole grains all while dramatically reducing highly processed foods laden with refined carbohydrates, added sugars, excess sodium, unhealthy fats, and chemical additives.

Key Highlights from the New Guidelines

Beans and Greens!…and fruit too: I feel that this part is being a little pushed down in the “protein and full fat dairy” hype but I can’t stress enough that the most important foods are foods high in fiber including beans, greens and fruits. Remember your goal should be 50 grams of fiber per day unless there is a medical reason you have been told NOT to do that.

Protein: The guidelines now recommend 1.2–1.6 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day from diverse sources including eggs, poultry, seafood, red meat, beans, peas, lentils, nuts, seeds, and soy. I think people will still be okay if they are at 1 gram of protein per kilogram of body weight per day, more is okay ONLY if you also get enough fiber in your diet.

Full-Fat Dairy Returns: The guidelines now recommend full-fat dairy with no added sugars as an excellent source of protein, healthy fats, vitamins, and minerals. If you tolerate dairy okay then this is fine to do, the fat will slow digestion and help you feel satisfied longer. Remember however, we have learned to overeat and so just make sure your calories don’t get too high – it is still true that if you overeat even if it is healthy the end result is not good. I will also add that for many people dairy is a mucous producer or digestive upsetter – if this is you, then you are still better to be dairy free.

Gut Health Matters: The guidelines now specifically address the microbiome, recommending vegetables, fruits, fermented foods (sauerkraut, kimchi, kefir, miso), and high-fiber foods to support a diverse microbiome.

Healthy Fats Emphasized: Olive oil is prioritized for cooking, with butter and beef tallow mentioned as acceptable options. The focus is on whole food sources of fats like avocados, nuts, seeds, and omega-3 rich seafood. Honestly when I am cooking I tend to water sauté or possibly sauté in a broth of some kind. This keeps the calories lower so there is more room for eating the yummy things.

Limit Processed Foods: The guidelines strongly recommend avoiding highly processed packaged foods, artificial flavors, petroleum-based dyes, artificial preservatives, and non-nutritive sweeteners. This, I have been saying for my entire career!

No Added Sugars: While acknowledging that no amount of added sugars is recommended, the guidelines set a practical limit of no more than 10 grams of added sugars per meal.

None of this is new for you who have been working with me. As I said above, my only caution is that people may eat only protein and healthy fats and STILL leave out the beans, greens and fruits. I still highly promote plant-based eating – this is not the same as vegan. I have eaten plant-based for years and will continue to do so and still recommend it for the most part.

In light of the new guidelines (and things I have long said), here’s a reminder of foods that you should keep out of your home:

• Sugar-sweetened beverages (soda, juice drinks, iced tea, lemonade, energy drinks)
• TV dinners and prepackaged lunches (high sodium, high fat, minimal nutrition)
• Packaged breakfast pastries (high sugar, minimal fiber)
• Sweetened and artificially colored cereals
• Canned pasta meals
• Fruit cups in syrup (opt for those packed in water or juice)
• Chips of all varieties
• Store-bought packaged desserts (often contain trans fats and excessive sugar)

Remember, it is susceptibility, not the external challenge, that determines our health outcomes. Our goal is to address your susceptibility toward disease. Our lifestyle is what sets the stage for health, then we will use homeopathy for a speedy recovery should you get sick or have something happen.

If you’re struggling with nutritional needs, the winter blues, fatigue, or any health concerns, please don’t hesitate to reach out. I’m here for you.

In Health,

Dr. Lisa Amerine, ND DHANP

Homeopathy ER

Homeopathic Support for Winter

If you find yourself struggling emotionally this winter, there are wonderful homeopathic remedies that can help. Whether you’re experiencing grief, irritability, anxiety, or sleeplessness from overstimulation, please reach out and we can find the right support for you.”

Arsenicum album: The person who is anxious, critical, or curt may be experiencing anticipatory anxiety. They may be a bit miserly or fear financial loss. Although they are averse to company, being alone makes them feel worse. Darkness also aggravates their state, making them sad, but they suffer their grief in silence. Their restless irritability is a big clue—if this sounds like you or someone you know, Arsenicum album may help restore balance.

Ignatia amara: Those who need Ignatia also tend toward anticipatory anxiety, because they see the season through the lens of their grief. They may be suffering from an ailment that began after the death of a parent or friend. They like company and can be very cheerful while busy making preparations. However, all the excitement and mental exertion can cause them to become hysterical and impatient at trifles.

Natrum muriaticum: The person sitting rigidly, looking as though a smile would crack their face, is probably also suffering from grief. They anticipate the season with dread because they recall all the unhappy memories. They dwell on past offenses and therefore desire solitude. Holding in all these emotions is a great effort. The emotional excitement of gatherings causes great weariness and headaches.

Nux vomica: The typical Nux vomica person is irritable, jealous, and tends to overindulge in both food and alcohol. They are nervous, oversensitive, and talk about work a lot. Their sensitivities to noise and crowds aggravate them, and the heightened excitement of social gatherings makes them irritable, impatient, and quarrelsome.

Coffea cruda: Those who react to the season with wide-eyed exhilaration, anticipate it with unbridled joy, and can’t seem to come down from the high may benefit from Coffea. They may be oversensitive to emotions like joy and pleasurable surprise, and this can lead to severe insomnia. This is often the remedy for children who literally bounce off the walls with excitement and can’t sleep at night.

January Blog Feature

Reduce Stress with Mindfulness

Can mindfulness really enhance your health and wellbeing?

Nearly 4.3 million U.S. adults think so. That’s how many engage in ‘mindful practices.’

Popular media refers to mindfulness as any generic process of paying attention in life (mindfully doing the laundry.) True mindfulness is more precisely defined as “being fully aware of one’s own mind, body, and surroundings by paying attention on purpose, in the present moment nonjudgmentally and without attachment.”

Mindfulness as a practice to improve health originated with research by Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn. He demystified the traditional Buddhist form of meditation and founded the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Program (MBSR) at the University of Massachusetts Medical School in 1979. Today, MBSR is used in hospitals, wellness centers, senior centers, inner city schools, colleges, elite sports programs, and rehabilitation clinics around the world. It’s proven to be beneficial for various health concerns, often as good as, or better than, medication for:

• lowering blood pressure
• managing chronic pain and illness
• enhancing decision-making
• improving depression and anxiety
• recovering from surgery, trauma, and injury.

The MBSR Program helps people learn to be non-reactive to stress, pain or other triggers, and to decentralize it from the focus of their lives. This results in a cascade of hormonal effects that take the body out of high-alert mode. When the body and mind are relaxed, immune function is enhanced and healing can take place.

An 8-week MBSR program is led by a certified teacher experienced in related practices, such as mindful eating, breath awareness, gentle movement, and walking. Programs can also be designed for specific concerns such as post-traumatic stress, grief, addiction, cancer or back pain. In addition to a mini-retreat, small, weekly classes meet for 90 minutes. The course is designed to help participants establish an at-home practice that becomes habitual.

While in-person programs are ideal, there also are excellent online programs. Verify that the instructor is certified in MBSR.

Recipe

Mediterranean Spaghetti Squash

Spaghetti squash is a great choice for incorporating a tasty, meatless meal into your weekly menu. Although it has a mild nutty flavor on its own, when you combine spaghetti squash with sautéed onions, olives, feta, and juicy tomatoes, it absorbs those flavors, resulting in a Mediterranean dish everyone will enjoy. This recipe makes a hearty, lunch or dinner. If going meatless isn’t your preference, pair this dish with fish or chicken.

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 3-4 pound spaghetti squash, halved lengthwise and seeded
• 2 tablespoons sunflower oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 1/2 cups halved grape tomatoes
• 3/4 cup crumbled organic feta cheese
• 1/2 cup sliced organic black olives
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
• Salt and pepper

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a baking sheet.
• Place spaghetti squash on the baking sheet, cut sides down. Bake until you can poke a sharp knife into the squash with little resistance, about 35-45 minutes. Remove squash from oven; set aside to cool.
• Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Sauté onion in oil until tender. Add garlic and sauté for 30 seconds. Stir in the tomatoes and cook briefly, about 1 minute. You only want to warm the tomatoes.
• Use a large fork to shred the “spaghetti” from the squash and place the strands in a large bowl. Toss with the sautéed vegetables, feta cheese, olives, and basil. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm.

Interested in Become a Patient?

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Are you interested in becoming a patient? Book a complimentary call with one of our doctors. You can do this by calling 303-665-2423. Our team will answer all your questions and get you scheduled for the service that makes sense to you. We can’t wait to support you with natural approaches that address the root cause and get you to feel better and stay there.

We can’t wait to help get you whole healthcare for life!

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