Remember
the morning after the vacation, when you tend to go: Ugh! I blew my diet! Now
what? Despite trying to be virtuous, you lost your diet halo in a wave of
overindulgence. You wake up the next day feeling overstuffed, bloated, and
nauseated.
There’s
no doubt about it, during the vacation, even though short weekend, there are
one or more occasions when you do eat a little more than you should. Even if you are watching your food choices
and trying to aim to choose healthier, with so many options available, if you
have a little bit of this and a little bit of that, it will add up. So how can you undo the damage done by a
holiday meal so that it doesn’t have such a negative impact on your body
weight?
HANDY TIPS TO DO SOME DAMAGE CONTROL
I.
Drink it up:
Mineral water, filtered water, water with lemon and
mint, all are very good for you. Drink a lot of water to flush toxins from your
system. Try juices that contain lemons, carrots, cucumber, celery, lettuce and
coriander as they should be great for flushing out toxins.
Recipe
for Detoxifying Juice:
INGREDIENTS
•
¼ medium Red
Capsicum chopped coarsely
•
1 medium Tomato,
chopped coarsely
•
1 medium Carrot,
chopped coarsely
•
2 stems of
Celery
•
½ cup Parsley
Leaves
•
½ cup (150ml)
Water
METHOD
1.
Blend or process
all the ingredients with water until pureed.
2.
Strain through a
coarse sieve into a large jug.
3.
Add ice and
serve.
II.
Go green:
Green teas are great as antioxidants; drink one to two
cups, and even better choose naturally decaffeinated green tea. It also
significantly reduces water retention after a heavily salted diet. Eating out
almost always guarantees salt bloat and having green tea considerably helps!
But remember; avoid caffeine as it can cause adrenal damage.
Recipe
for Flavoured Ice Tea:
•
3 Ginger Tea
Bags
•
1 ltr. 4 cups
boiling Water
•
2 tbsp
Honey/Palm Sugar, grated
•
10 cm stick fresh
Lemon Grass, chopped finely
•
1 small Orange,
sliced thinly or ½ cup Strawberries, finely chopped or ½ cup Kiwi, finely
chopped.
•
½ Lime, sliced
thinly
•
½ cup Mint
Leaves, torn
METHOD
1.
Place the tea
bags and the boiling water in a large heat proof jug; allow it to stand for 5
minutes.
2.
Discard the tea
bags. Add sugar or honey, lemon grass, orange or strawberries or kiwi and lime
to the jug; stir to combine. Refrigerate for 5 hours and cover.
3.
Stir mint into
the cold tea.
4.
Serve with ice.
III.
Miracle Juice:
Speaking of removing toxins, what better way to do it
than by drinking- wheat grass. You can get the benefits even without a daily
dose of it. A few times a week is great too, especially after a vacation. It is
a sure fire way to help speed up your energy, your vibrancy and your
metabolism. It’s very powerful stuff and its potency takes getting used
to.
Recipe
for Magical Wheat Grass Juice:
INGREDIENTS
•
2 tbsp Wheat
Grass, dried
•
1 glass/200ml
Water
•
1 Gooseberry
(Amla), grated
•
3 tsp Coriander
Leaves, chopped
•
Few Mint Leaves
•
2 Springs
Parsley
•
4-5 Tulsi Leaves
METHOD
1.
Grind all the
ingredients with 1 glass of water.
2.
Pass through a
fine sieve.
3.
Serve at room
temperature.
IV.
Delightful Yoghurt:
Bypass the sugary fruit-bottomed yoghurt and reach for
plain yoghurt and stir in a bit of your favorite fresh fruit. The probiotics in
yoghurt can help get your digestive system back on track while the combination
of protein, carbohydrates, and fat can keep your blood sugar levels in check.
Recipe
for Yoghurt Smoothie:
INGREDIENTS
•
1 cup (approx.
20 slices) unpeeled Cucumber, grate
•
½ cup Yoghurt
•
¼ tsp Cumin
Seeds (Jeera) powder
•
Salt to taste
•
Pepper powder to
taste
•
Mint Leaves (for
garnishing)
METHOD
1.
Combine yoghurt,
salt and pepper.
2.
Grate cucumber
and mix with yoghurt mixture.
3.
Garnish with
mint leaves.
4.
Chill in the
refrigerator.
5.
Serve cold.
V.
Chew on Green:
One of the most concentrated sources of nutrients,
dark leafy greens, are low in calories and ultra-versatile in the kitchen.
Include leafy greens in every meal of the day, they are rich in phytonutrients
which will remove oxidative stress of holiday food. Leafy greens are also
loaded with fiber, which will stabilize your blood sugar and keep you full
longer.
Recipe for Rejuvenating Salad:
•
½ cup Celery,
chopped
•
1 cup loosely
torn Iceberg Lettuce
•
3 tbsp Hung Curd
•
½ tsp
Flaxseeds[roasted]
•
Oregano to taste
•
Few sprigs of
Parsley (for garnishing)
METHOD
1.
In a bowl, put
iceberg lettuce, add celery.
2.
Toss with hung
curd, flaxseed, white pepper and oregano.
3.
Add a few sprigs
of Parsley as garnish.
4.
Refrigerate for
30 minutes and serve.
Other important tips would include:
•
Go Wholesome:
Simple carbohydrates like white rice, bread and pasta are basically devoid of
nutrients, vitamins or any substances that are good for your body. They raise
the blood sugar and have a high glycemic index. They are also often filled with
preservatives, which can build up in your system, leading to the development of
toxins. To overcome this problem, switch to eating more high-fiber wholegrain
foods and complex carbohydrates, such as those found in starchy vegetables like
potatoes, wholegrain breads, pastas and cereals, brown rice and legumes.
Complex carbohydrates are much more beneficial for the digestive system and
will help to clear out the build-up of preservatives and toxins left behind by
simple carbohydrates.
•
Recharge! Take a
break: The morning after overindulging, give your stomach a break. Wait until
you're hungry and then start with an antioxidant rich juice like coriander mint
juice. Follow it up with fiber-rich breakfast like oatmeal to get your
digestive system in gear!
•
Drink plenty of
fluids: Mineral water, filtered water, water with lemon and mint, water with
apple cider vinegar- all are very good for you. Make sure you drink a lot of
water before eating and drinking. This will fill you up, and you’re less likely
to eat/drink as much. Many folks think they are hungry when actually they are
thirsty.
•
Exercise: 30 min
of brisk walking will undo some of that holiday damage. Exercise is always a
great tool to control weight gain. The holidays mean we are going to be eating
with friends and family more than usual with all the get-together. So, adding
some extra workout time can help with the extra calories you will be consuming.
The best
method to help you recover better from a holiday indulgence is by ensuring that
you aren't starving yourself for days straight! If you all of a sudden drop
your calorie intake way down and keep it there, this may also signal to the
body to start using up muscle mass as a fuel source. This is precisely what you
don’t want, so use a more gradual approach.
Bring your calorie intake much lower for two to three days and then
adopt a more moderate calorie intake after that.
Remember,
your body is able to reverse most of the damage. That’s how we are built, our
liver, skin pores and our kidneys are all responsible for doing so. With these
great damage control strategies in place, a holiday binge doesn't have to set
you back for long (or at all)!
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