Tips For Surviving The Silly Season

 

Well, it’s here again….Christmas! Yep somehow in the blink of an eye it’s landed on our door step once again!  Like many of you, I for one cannot believe how fast this year has gone past. But aside from shopping for endless presents for the Chris Cringle and bon’s bon’s, it’s also the season to be jolly’…….and this means that time of year when the party invitations come out thick and fast and so to can the expansion of our waist line!

Over indulging in the party platter and stretching our liver to the limits with one too many champagne’s, is why this time of year is aptly known as ‘The silly season!’So rather than go into denial and kid ourselves over the reality of this time of year, I’d rather offer you some sound advice to help you come out the other side,  feeling and looking a little less like Santa Claus himself.
My Top 5 Silly Season Survival Tips

1.   NEVER drink on an empty stomach
I see plenty of girls who go out and avoid eating to maintain a flat tummy, but in actual fact, drinking on an empty stomach will only increase the absorption of alcohol into your blood stream and could even damage (or at least irritate) the delicate lining of your stomach and intestine. So avoid getting too tipsy, too fast and eat a nutritious, low fat meal, high in easy to digest protein such as fresh fish and salad.

If you are snacking then try fresh hummus dip with rice crackers or carrot and celery sticks, fresh olives, or dolmades. Even some fresh seafood such as prawns are easier to eat at a party if you can’t sit down to a meal.
2.    Alternate your alcoholic drinks with water
When drinking alcohol, be sure to alternate with still / sparkling water or soda. Try adding some fresh lemon and or bitters to aid digestion, stimulate production of liver enzymes and help emulsify fats.

One of the main causes of a hangover is dehydration so alternating one alcoholic beverage with water, will ensure you not only stay hydrated and aid detoxification of the alcohol, but also slow your alcohol consumption down by 50%!
3.    Limit your intake of alcohol
Without a doubt limiting your alcohol intake and avoiding binge drinking really is the key to surviving the silly season, so ideally stick to no more than one standard drink per hour as this is how long it takes the liver to detoxify one glass of alcohol.  Try to limit your maximum intake of alcohol to 1 -2 standard drinks in a session to avoid any major effects on your health and wellbeing.

Alcohol is a powerful toxin, so really there is no substitute for ‘less is more’.  Consuming excess alcohol is one of the fastest ways to age the body prematurely, not to mention being extremely fattening, thanks to the effect it has on the liver. So try being the life of the party without the need for alcohol to enjoy yourself and feel socially confident.

Want to avoid fluid retention and cellulite? Avoid drinking too much alcohol.
4.    Take a Nutritional supplement to support the liver in detoxifying alcohol and digesting excess food

• St Marys Thistle & Tumeric – herbs renowned for their  liverprotectant and anti-inflammatory  properties.

• Magnesium and potassium – One of the major causes of a hangover is dehydration and inflammation.  Magnesium and potassium are two essential minerals that are easily depleted from the body with the consumption of alcohol so by replacing them you will reduce the effects of a hangover dramatically.

• B vitamin complex – B vitamins protect against hangovers  and provide energy, so be sure to take 1 to 2 before consuming alcohol and another dose on waking.
• Digestive Enzyme – Because the body will preference processing alcohol for elimination over digesting food, you can improve your digestion when drinking alcohol with a meal by taking digestive enzymes. This will help prevent weight gain and improve elimination.

5.    How to survive the morning after….
The day after a few drinks I recommend you avoid the traditional fatty meal or even solid foods at least for the first half of the day and go for my Green Goddess vege juice.

Taking the pressure off your digestive system by eating difficult to digest proteins or fatty foods, will enable your liver to focus on processing and eliminating the alcohol more efficiently.

You can also start your day with half a fresh grapefruit, followed by a litre of warm water and fresh lemon juice to assist in alkalising your body from the acidic effects of alcohol. Throw in natures natural electrolyte drink and crack a fresh coconut water to restore the lost electrolytes,  By lunch time you can tuck into a big salad loaded with salad veges, a few raw nuts and seeds, some freshly grated carrot and beetroot, with a light dressing of fresh lemon and olive oil and a little avocado. By evening you should be right to throw in a piece of grilled white fish with salad or veges or a hearty bowel of vegetable soup.

Continue this regime for a few days if you have really given the party scene a good nudge!

So that brings us to the last blog post for 2012! I want to send a big thank you to all of you who have taken the time to read my posts and support my blog and hope that it has brought a little bit of enlightenment and new knowledge when it comes to looking after your body and feeling your best!

I’ll be back in the NY with some really exciting news that I think many of you will love, so be sure to stay tuned and have a very Merry Christmas and take care over the  holiday season.

For more health tips and delicious recipes, checkout my e-book, Eat Yourself Healthy. It's not just a healthy diet, but a way of life, so you can feel better than you have ever felt before .