How to Survive Festive Excesses

No doubt you’re familiar with the situation: you’ve promised yourself that you’ll drink less/eat less/have more self-control this time, whether it’s one meal, night out or even the whole month of December!

But then things don’t go quite to plan – you were distracted and the nibbles were so moreish that you have no idea how many you tucked into. Someone has been topping up your drink and as a result you drank way more than you planned to! Or maybe you had the best intentions, you got to the party, meal or went to the kitchen for an evening snack and as if some switch went off in your head you suddenly thought “I’m going to make the most of this!”.

We’ve all fallen into traps like these, it’s so easily done. But to then feel like we’ve failed in some way or be self-critical of ourselves for being human takes away from what otherwise might have been quite an enjoyable time. Having less of an all or nothing approach to food can be a way of changing our mindset so that we don’t feel the need to go all out when we’ve let ourselves “off” for any given duration. This is something that I will explore in future blogs.

In this blog, let’s look at some ways to mitigate against the festive overindulgence so that you don’t end up feeling so much worse for it in the New Year! Firstly, you can take some steps to curb your intake of food or alcohol.

5 Ways to Prevent Overindulgence

1. Have a snack an hour or so before you go out. A good quality snack with some protein and possibly fibre too, will take the edge off your hunger so that you are not ravenous when food comes within sniffing distance! Good choices include nuts, fruit such as an apple, berries or banana, vegetable sticks, houmous, a small green smoothie with some added protein powder, oat cakes, a boiled egg, or some fish such as smoked salmon.

2. If you’re at a meal and there are vegetables available, aim to fill at least half the plate with them.

3. Drink plenty of water before you go out because we often mistake dehydration for hunger. Drinking glasses of water alongside your alcoholic drinks and before you go to bed will also help you to keep hydrated.

4. If you’re drinking spirits, ask for singles rather than doubles. If you’re drinking wine, go with smaller glasses as overall you are likely to drink less.

5. Slow down your eating. Really try to taste and enjoy your food and as much as possible be present in the moment so that you are mindful of what you are eating. You may find that by doing this, less is more satisfying and you won’t look down at an empty plate with no recall of eating the food on it! The second way to mitigate against overindulgence is to support your body’s natural processes of detoxifying and eliminating toxins. Not being able to safely get rid of the waste products from our food, especially alcohol, can also put a stress on our immune system which is why we often get under the weather after a few heavy nights or too much sugar.

10 Ways to Support Detox and Immunity through the Festive Season

1. Leafy greens - full of nutrients and antioxidants to support digestion and detoxification. Great cooked or try a fresh green smoothie or juice. Cruciferous vegetables are especially useful to increase the level of detoxification enzymes and protect the liver from damage. Try rocket, pak choi, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, horseradish, kale, radishes, spring greens, swede, turnips, watercress and wasabi. Eat cooked rather than raw if you have thyroid issues. Broccoli sprouts and broccoli sprout extract are known to be especially potent.

2. Rehydrate – it’s probably no surprise that increasing your water intake will help you feel better. If you need some inspiration, check out my guest blog with Backstobasics Osteopathy about creative ways to increase your water intake.

3. Good fats – All of the following help to normalise liver enzyme levels and prevent fat storage: Omega 3 essential fats help to reduce inflammation, find in oily fish such as salmon, mackerel, anchovies, sardines and herring. If you aren’t keen on fish, you can try a good quality fish oil supplement or a vegan source such as algae-based Omega

4. Nuts provide other good fats and vitamin E. Olive oil – as little as 1 teaspoon per day has been found to have a beneficial effect. Antioxidants – found in many everyday foods, these help to neutralise harmful free radicals, protect cells, improve liver detoxification enzyme levels and lower inflammation. Great choices include grapes, grape juice, coffee, black tea, green tea, beetroot juice, blueberries, cranberries and dark chocolate.

5. Foods containing Zinc – because overindulgence can give your immune system more work to do, it is likely to power through more zinc. Animal foods sources tend to be higher, especially shellfish, oysters, pork beef and chicken. If you are vegetarian try firm tofu, lentils, pumpkin seeds, yogurt, shiitake mushrooms and oats.

6. Vitamin C Rich Foods – vitamin C is a natural antioxidant so it is vital for immunity and supporting liver detoxification. Stock up on these great sources: kiwi fruit, guava, red peppers, blackberries, strawberries, oranges, broccoli, papaya, kale and tomatoes.

7. Citrus – as well as being a great source of vitamin C, lemon and water has long been known to support your liver and is great as your first drink of the day. Grapefruit contains antioxidants naringenin and naringin, known to reduce inflammation and protect cells.

8. Eggs – the yolks contain lecithin and choline, which is essential for your liver to break down and remove fat from the body. Choline is also needed for an antioxidant called glutathione. If you’re vegan, get plenty of quinoa, soybeans, peanuts, tofu and broccoli to get your choline.

9. Dandelion – a bitter herb which supports healthy digestion and is rich in vit A, C, D and B complex, iron, potassium and zinc. Try drinking the tea, dandelion coffee or dandelion greens.

10. Fibre helps to support healthy digestion and removal of waste products. Avocados, fennel, artichoke and onions are especially good for aiding detoxification. Apples contain pectin which helps to remove food additives and metals.

Would you like some expert advice for your team in the form of a nutrition talk in your workplace? You can find out more by contacting me at info@victoriabellnutrition.co.uk.