By Phillip Tomlinson
NYC Personal Trainer & Martial Arts Instructor

Cartier.

Oh, Santa Baby!

Hey, ‘tis The Season To Be Jolly when the images can be pretty heartening.

And if you’re thinking French this Holiday Season, well there’s nothing wrong with reaching for the finer things in life.

Cartier if you please or, should I say, if you can. And, then again, who’s to say that if Santa climbs down your chimney with one of these super-sparklers from Louis Francois Cartier you wouldn’t instantly feel like a million dollars when you step out.

But — before getting ahead of ourselves here — you know there’s only one thing that can really keep you feeling your best, and it’s at the top of the list of the finer things in life.

Yup, you guessed it, your health. And since it’s the Holiday Season and you may be dead set on Cartier, let me add another Cartier to your list:

Jacques Cartier, another Frenchman. The one who brought an-oft-overlooked nutrition jewel to the Americas back in 1536.

Yes, cabbage — the other Cartier — is a-jewel-of-a-powerhouse that, according to research, can improve your health and add years to your life. To put things into perspective, just consider these key links to this cruciferous vegetable which has long been used as food as well as medicine:

It is a potent source of natural antioxidants which can help minimize oxidation, thereby limiting cell damage and inflammation.

It has been found to play a significant role in lowering cholesterol and triglycerides.

Can help steel us against cardiovascular illnesses.

Red cabbage in particular was found to contain some 36 anthocyanins — phytonutrients that are believed to help fight various cancers. Among them, cancer of the prostate, bladder, breast and colon.

A pretty good bargain for food on the cheap which, as one story has it, was fed to laborers to keep them healthy as they built the Great Wall of China.

If you are averse to eating this nutritious vegetable, you can avail yourself of its healthful benefits by taking cabbage pills which have been shown to be effective.

May the Cartier tradition — Louise’s and Jacques’s be yours in good health this Holiday Season and beyond.