Hello everyone this is Monica Reinagle the nutrition diva here with your quick and dirty tips for eating well and feeling fabulous

although the sun is going down earlier these days and temperatures are getting frigid,

it always lifts my spirits to see all the houses and gardens in my neighborhood

lit up with festive lights and holiday decorations.

No matter which winter holidays you celebrate, seasonal decor is a nice way to brighten up the darkest

days of the year, and it can even be nutritious.

Those traditional garlands made from popcorn and fresh cranberries

are not only lovely, in a homespun kind of way,

but they're also very high in antioxidants. Popcorn has always been of your way through a giant bowl of this stuff for the same number of calories as you'd get in a small

handful of potato chips. Plus, it's a surprisingly good source of antioxidants, providing twice

as many polyphenols per serving as many common fruits.

Now I want you to skip the prepackaged microwave popcorn, because most are made with harmful chemicals,

artificial colors and flavors, and an excessive amount of salt.

It's cheaper, healthier, and more delicious to make your own, using my recipe for healthy microwave

popcorn, and you'll find a link to that in the transcript for

today's show which is at nutrition diva dot quick and dirty tips.com.

When shopping for popcorn kernels look for the yellow. They're higher in antioxidants than white, and if you can

find blue or purple popcorn, you have hit the polyphenol jackpot. Cranberries are another seasonal

superstar, ranking near the top of the list in terms of high antioxidant fruits.

In particular, cranberries are rich in anthocyanins, the same pigments that make blueberries and other berries so good for you.

And cranberries are also extremely low in sugar.

Normally, this would be a good thing, but with cranberries, it's a bit of a catch. Cranberries are usually prepared

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