The festive season is always a time when overindulgence seems to become the norm. Whether it’s rich foods, sweets, or even alcohol, we all seem to have a tendency to overdo it a bit when it comes to the holiday season. We’ve all been there, getting wrapped up in the joys of Christmas, eating and drinking merrily with friends, co-workers, and family. But before you know it, you’ve overindulged and the whole thing can leave you feeling less than your best. But fret not, here’s what’ll help get you through.
How To Cope When You’ve Overindulged
When you’ve had too much sugar
With the holiday season comes a lot of sugary treats. There seems to be sugar in one form or another absolutely everywhere you look. It isn’t only in sweets and chocolates, either. It’s in unexpected places. Sauces, bread, and even breakfast cereals are often full of the stuff. But why does sugar make us feel so awful when we’ve had too much?
Essentially, it affects your blood sugar levels, and they go on a rollercoaster. This happens as the metabolism tries to process the excess sugar. This gives us
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highs and lows as the blood sugar rockets up and then dips. This is typically both physical and emotional. So what can you do?
- Drink water: Flush the excess sugar and any other toxins out of the body more quickly by drinking water
- Go for a walk: getting your body moving helps you to use the sugar. This will likely leave you feeling a lot better later.
- Eat a balanced meal: If you have eaten a lot of sugar, make sure that the next time you eat, you have something balanced. Ideally, your meal needs to contain protein, good fats, and vegetables (in particular, leafy greens).
- Try adding some cinnamon: Cinnamon helps to regulate blood sugar levels and contains antioxidants. It’s also great at reducing inflammation.
- Magnesium: It helps with blood sugar sensitivity in the body. Eating too much sugar tends to deplete magnesium levels. Taking a magnesium supplement over the festive season might be a good idea as it’ll help the body to stabilize blood sugar levels.
When you’ve eaten too much
It’s easy to overdo it when it comes to food during the festive season. There are often so many delicious options. It’s hard to choose which to eat and so, you end up taking a bit of everything. Unfortunately, it all adds up, and before you know it, you’ve eaten too much and are feeling over-full and unwell.
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Look, eating too much salad or too many green vegetables is unlikely to have the same effect. It’s the richness of festive food that really impacts so negatively. Greasy and salty foods are particularly problematic as they tend to sit in the stomach for much longer. This tends to cause bloating and water retention. But eating too much, in general, leads to nausea, an upset stomach, bloating, and generally, feeling unwell. But what can you do to help your body through it?
Drink water: Water seems to be the answer to everything and there’s a good reason. Drinking water helps the body to flush out toxins. This is particularly important when you’ve had salty food as it also dehydrates the body.
Eat protein: Ideally, the next meal you eat should be full of protein. It’s best to opt for proteins high in branched-chain amino acids (BCAA’s). This includes chicken, fish, dairy products, or eggs. This is because the BCAA’s fight tryptophan which is what causes you to feel sleepy after a carb-rich meal.
Eat a balanced meal: Once again, as with sugar, If you have overindulged, make sure that the next time you eat, you have something balanced. Ideally, your meal needs to contain protein, good fats, and vegetables (in particular, leafy greens).
Go for a walk: Not only is it just plain good for you, getting moving will also aid digestion and help to get your bowels moving. It’s also likely to make you feel better as it stimulates the production of endorphins
Other good things to do during the holidays to support your body
To support your liver
- Turmeric is a powerful antioxidant that helps the body digest fats and control blood sugar.
- Milk Thistle helps nourish the liver and lift it out of stagnation. It can also improve the quality of bile production and aid in the removal of toxins.
- Lemon water is known to deeply nourish and remove toxins from the body. It can also help lower blood pressure and improve the digestion of fats.
To aid digestion
- Ginger is a great natural remedy for gas, nausea, and diarrhea. It can also improve the production of hydrochloric acid. Drinking ginger tea is a great way to get some ginger into your system without having to eat it.
- Fennel tea is a great choice for people with indigestion. It can help lower the acidity in the digestive tract and prevent gas formation. It can also help treat various digestive disorders.
- Peppermint tea helps digestion and calms the nerves as well as supports the liver.
References
https://www.naturalgrocers.com/health-hotline-article/easy-way-cure-your-overindulgence
http://umm.edu/health/medical/altmed/herb/gingerExternal link 324
