The holidays are a hard time of year to stick to any eating regime, so it’s important to not be too hard on yourself. Cyndi O’Meara, Health Expert and Lifestyle Coach knows that no one is perfect and so a little cheating now and then is to be expected! The key is not undoing all the wonderful work you’ve done throughout the year by making poor food and alcohol choices.
Not only do we get hangovers from too much alcohol, over-eating can leave us feeling sluggish and lethargic too. Even though you may have slept after eating, the sleep would have been very restless as your body was trying to digest all the different types of foods.
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The best thing for a food hangover is to consume a bunch of fresh fruit and vegetables with greens (herbs and leafy greens), in order to help in digestion and drag out as many of the toxins as possible. Throw into the blender spinach, parsley, cucumber and freshly squeezed orange juice – blend till smooth. Drinking ginger tea will also help. The hair of the dog does not work in this instance!
The best cure for a hangover is to simply not drink too much but when you’ve overindulged on alcohol, chances are you’ll wake up feeling peaky. Typical symptoms include nausea, lack of motor skills, headache, sensitivity to light and diarrhoea – all caused by changes in our body’s chemistry caused by alcohol. While everyone seems to have their own patented hangover cure, there are some top foods to eat to get over a hangover that will lessen your symptoms and get you back on your feet:
Water
Number one rule for hangovers is to rehydrate. Try to drink alternate glasses of water during your drinking session, have a big glass before bed and continue to drink throughout the morning after. The dreaded hangover headache is caused by dehydration and simple steps will avoid this! If water isn’t doing it for you, try coconut water – it’s full of electrolytes and will restore your moisture levels. Never opt for fizzy, sugary drinks as they won’t help give you the hydration you need.
Bananas
This fruit is loaded with potassium and will be a much-needed electrolyte source for your dehydrated body. If you don’t fancy having it by itself, mix in a smoothie with some natural yoghurt as a refreshing drink.
Eggs
Eggs are not only rich in protein, which can settle upset stomachs, but they contain cysteine, which can actively fight alcohol-created toxins in your body. They’re hugely versatile too!
Ginger
This is particularly good for nausea, try some ginger tea or add some fresh ginger to your stir fry or into a smoothie.
Tomatoes
High in Vitamin C and glutathione, the substance our bodies produce to help counter-act hangover toxins, tomatoes can be a great helper for cleansing the body – try juices, whole or cooked, just not in Bloody Mary form.
So have a wonderful New Year’s Eve and be kind to your body, it is the only one you have and if you ruin it, it won’t take you far into this life.
For recipes and information on healthy eating habits visit changinghabits.com
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