Holistic and Herbal Helpers for the Holiday Season
The festive season is wonderful, but it can also be a time for catching a bug unless you have been hitting the supplements and boosting your natural immunity.
We’ve found some handy and healthy helpers to get you through this frantic, fun, and family-filled time of year. All of these supplements have been tried, tasted and tested, and come with the Vacationer stamp of approval!
Live It Up
After moving to New York, founder Haim Nigri was astonished to see how hard it was to source fresh, whole foods compared to his native country, Brazil. This realization inspired him to found Live it Up in 2021 with a mission to make nutritious superfoods more accessible. Now that it’s Winter in the Northern Hemisphere, we all become a little bit like New Yorkers: scavenging for healthy greens that disappear from supermarket shelves before the first snow! Plus, as much as we know we should love kale and leafy greens, buying and cooking them is another story.
Here’s a very simple and affordable solution: Invest in a bag of all-natural powdered Live It Up Super Greens. No more droopy kale and withered spinach in the bottom of your fridge! Get everything you need from a serving of Chlorella, Spirulina, Wheatgrass, Kale, Broccoli, Spinach, Barley Grass, Moringa, and Parsley mixed into juice, water or milk. While some of these green ingredients are commonplace veges, others are not—and they’re game changers, as anyone who’s tried high quality moringa or spirulina will tell you! Crafted with organic ingredients and nutrient-dense superfoods to support energy, immunity, and gut health, these greens have no artificial additives or fillers. They contain naturally-occurring probiotics and enzymes that will give you more energy, immune support, and even contribute to anti-aging. Enjoy the natural ‘green’ taste or try new Wild Berry flavor. Packed with vitamins and minerals, now you won’t have to feel guilty about skipping that salad! Each bag is a 30-day supply. Shop the Amazon store here.
Beekeeper’s Naturals
No-one likes losing their voice from tiredness, cold, or germs, especially if you’re traveling to see family and friends and intend to be social. Beekeeper’s Naturals to the rescue, with honey-driven naturopathy!
The first sign of a cold or cough is often felt at the back of the throat. Nip it in the bud with some propolis, honey, slippery elm and menthol Throat Soother. Feel like you’re coming down with a bug? Chug a liposomal Vitamic C sachet. Scratchy, dry throat from too much talking, alcohol, flying or the like? Suck on some Soothing Lozenges, and give yourself a squirt of the Throat Soother.
Made with high quality ingredients backed by science, they are also delicious and taste like a teaspoon of raw honey and herbs. Plus, they’re all purse-sized and perfect for trips.
The magic, active ingredient of Beekeeper’s Naturals is propolis. Propolis, or bee glue, is a resinous substance that honeybees produce to seal and protect their hives. Bees collect it from tree sap, beeswax, and their own enzymes, then use it to seal cracks, smooth walls, and create a sterile environment. Due to its natural antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties, propolis is also used by humans in various health products as a supplement or topical treatment. Shop the Amazon store here.
Asher House Wellness
What a great idea: A company that sources supplements for humans and animals. Asher House Wellness was founded by lifelong animal rescuer and wellness advocate Lee Asher, whose mission to inspire people to live better through compassion and connection has reached millions around the world. What began as a movement to rescue and rehabilitate animals has evolved into a broader vision of wellness—one that unites pets and their people through daily rituals of care.
Grounded in the belief that wellness within creates greatness without, Asher House Wellness is dedicated to helping people and pets thrive together. How did this mission come about? When his beloved dog Lillie began suffering from severe seizures, Lee turned to CBD as a last resort—and was amazed to find that it stopped them. That moment sparked a journey of discovery and purpose. He began asking bigger questions about pet wellness: Why are so many pet products filled with fillers and additives? Why isn’t wellness for pets held to the same standard as for humans? Determined to find answers, Lee set out to create a trusted line of wellness essentials built on purity, transparency, and care—the same standards that are applied to humans.
Every product is part of Lee and his dogs’ own daily routine, shared authentically with over 12 million followers across his social channels, where customers see his dogs—and Lee himself—using the products they love. For canines and felines there is a range of wonderful products with premium ingredients and various holistic benefits for pets of all ages.
And humans can get in on the wellness, too, with multivitamins, enzymes, probiotics, and more. We’re currently improving our own productivity and mood with Asher House Wellness Mushroom Complex. Shop the Amazon store here.
PYM (Prepare Your Mind)
Speaking of human moods, amino acids can come to the rescue in times of stress and we can rave about this brand enough. PYM is easy to pack and travel with, like a tin of Altoids, only far more useful! When your to-do list is longer than your patience, or you have to be social and enthused after a long day of travel, these little helpers work wonders.
Help manage stress and anxiety with all-natural PYM Mood Chews. They’re made with amino acids that target the body’s hormone levels to manage stress and anxiety. These little chewy, textured cubes are quite tasty, easy to eat, and give you a head start on your day. If you anticipate that it’s going to be one of those days, or you’ve woken up on the wrong side of the bed, pop one or two of these cubes and 20 minutes later you will feel centered, positive, capable, neutral and possibly even good! These work, but not in a way that will give you side effects.
We also tried and loved the Attention Chews! Now, these are made for those of us who are easily distracted or have self-diagnosed ADHD. These turn a distracted mind into a productive mind and after about 20 minutes, instead of procrastinating you will notice you are starting to get stuff done! Why? A safe and effective blend of amino acid chews to increase dopamine levels and mental performance, and the magic ingredients are L-Carnitine to increase energy, plus mental performance; Tyrosine to enhance focus and dopamine levels; and L-Taurine to reduce stress and balance mood.
PYM chews are tasty with natural flavors, and they’re effective! Great for sharing with a partner if you tend to mirror each other’s moods. Visit the Amazon store here.
Copina Co.
A wellness supplement that also serves as a beauty glow up? This is a terrific idea when you want to look your best during and after a trip. Carolyn Yachanin founded Copina Co. after her own health journey and healing through holistic medicine. What she found was that plants can heal and nourish from within, especially when seamlessly incorporated into daily routine.
“Copina” comes from the French “copine” or “friend,” “girlfriend”. And so think of this female-founded, plant-forward company as your beverage girlfriend in the superfood hydration boom. These products are formulated by herbalists with potent doses of best-in-class ingredients that give real benefits with a great taste.
Copina Co’s Plant Collagen Supports help your body synthesize more of its own collagen through powders that contain collagen-supporting botanicals. And the Sea Moss Refreshers take a mineral-rich ocean superfood and transform it into a fruity, hydrating drink you actually want to sip every day.
The creamer goes easily into smoothies and coffees. The sea moss comes in a sachet great for travel and sipped as a refresher from your water bottle. Both deliver benefits for your hair, skin, nails, joints, immune system, brain function, and gut health. Packed with powerful plant botanicals like biotin, hyaluronic acid, bamboo leaf extract, and organic tremella mushroom, these expertly crafted blends have no artificial ingredients or ingredient fillers. Sugar-free, seed oil-free, vegan and great tasting. We love the Matcha Beauty as an afternoon treat. Sip your way to radiance even when you are on the go or in an unfamiliar environment and need a “copine”! Shop the Amazon store here.
KAL Vitamins
Sometimes when you travel you need two speed: rev up and get to where you’re going; and unwind and get some rest. KAL is a trusted brand of nutritional supplements that has been around since 1932. The brand offers a wide range of products, including vitamins, minerals, and multivitamins, and focuses on quality, purity, and potency. If you want something that you can trust, and that you know will work, look no further than KAL.
To get going and make sure you’re on time for your flight, and get the most out of every hour of your travel, tour, or event, mix a teaspoon of KAL’s Energy Magnesium Powder into a glass of water instead of a cup of coffee. We like the Pineapple flavor. It’s a non-GMO, gluten-free, vegan, energy support drink boosted with the caffeine of green tea. No crash, just hours of energy! Now, during your satisfying and stimulating day of travel, where anxiety might bite, especially if you’re adjusting to a new environment or activities, KAL’s L-Theanine ActivMelt micro tablets are perfect. If you’re out and about and feeling testy, snapping at your partner, feeling anti-social with that tour group, just pop one of these small chewable tablets for guaranteed and convenient mood and stress support. And when it’s time to fall asleep in a different time zone and in an unfamiliar bed, pop a KAL 5mg Melatonin in Vanilla Mint. There are many KAL vitamins and supplements that make travel and recovery easier. Shop the Amazon store here.
