Feel Fresh and Focused to Drive Good Nutrition Habits into the New Year!
I love Christmas cookies.
In early December, my sister-in-law, Theresa, gets into her baking zone and pumps out dozens of holiday cookies using age-old family recipes from Eastern Europe. With great care, Theresa tenderly boxes the goodies and ships them to us in time for Christmas. I do not open the package until Christmas Eve and from then until around January 2, it is game on. I eat my weight in cookies.
By January 2, however, I am sick of cookies, I feel slow, bloated, and walk around with brain fog from all the white flour, sugar, candied nuts, and chocolate that I have ingested for a week.
Not only do I feel bad, I LOOK BAD. I can see the excess sugar on my face! Yikes!
Everyone overindulges now and then, and if this scenario sounds familiar to you, take these 5 steps to let go of “Christmas Past,” and feel primed to start the new year with energy and clarity.
#1. Opt for a fast flush.
Push plain water through your tank- at least 64 oz. (And I know, this is not always convenient when you are at work or running errands.)
Water is the simplest, easiest tool to clean out the kidneys, liver and colon. Water also helps our brain cells to function efficiently and stay sharp at work and at play.
Start the day with 8 oz. of warm or cold water immediately after waking. Chug that water to push it through your tummy so it floods and replenishes your cells. (Sip wine, chug water!)
Try to consume at least 64 oz. of water or better yet, divide your body weight in half and use this number as your goal for H20 consumption. If drinking plain water is difficult for you, add a splash of cranberry juice for flavor and to help rinse your kidneys. Also, drinking alcohol dehydrates us causing headaches and feelings of misery, so rehydrate ASAP.
There are foods that flush your system and act as natural diuretics that are easy to find at your grocery store:
⦁ Black or green tea
⦁ Dandelion tea
⦁ Coffee
⦁ Nuts- almonds and cashews are rich in magnesium. (unsalted)
⦁ Asparagus.
Your body’s engine will come clean on its own, there is no need to spend money on commercial detox products that could have dangerous side effects.
#2. Fruit is your friend during a detox.
Apples, pineapple, grapes, and watermelon not only contain fluid to replenish fluids in your body, they also provide plenty of potassium, vitamins, and minerals to balance your gut. The easy solution is a bowl of cut up fruit from the grocery store or travel plaza.
#3. Oh, those green vegetables!
They are wonderful to re-calibrate and cleanse your system. If hot vegetables are not an option to heat up in your workplace, remember raw carrots, celery and green, red, or yellow peppers will work too. How about a nice pre-made salad with spinach or romaine lettuce?
Consider buying some prepared green juices from the grocery store. Suja brand is a good one, I have seen it at Walmart and a few convenience stores. Make sure the drink contains more vegetables than fruit and has no added sugar.
#4. Avoid salt.
Stay away, AWAY from salty and processed foods. Fast food is easy for lunch and dinner, but to clean your body’s engine, it’s a big NO because of the salt. If you increase water intake and reduce salt to 1,500 mg. for a few days, the puffiness and swelling in your hands, ankles and face will dissolve. Your blood pressure will thank you too!
#5 Get moving
Exercise ignites the kidneys and liver into a natural detox, so walk, pick up some weights, squeeze in some old school calisthenics, it does not matter. Do something to break a sweat! The color will return to your cheeks and your complexion will thank you too.
In the yoga tradition, twisting at the waist massages our inner digestive organs. Imagine your torso is a washcloth and twist gently from one side to the other a few times.
The holidays are hard! Are you ready to bounce back and start feeling like yourself again?
Follow these 5 steps and you will feel fresh and focused to drive good nutrition habits into the new year!
Bonus! If you want to continue a shift towards better health, click and choose this free e-booklet, “7 Ways to Lower Blood Pressure and Drive Good Nutrition Habits”
Click here to access the booklet at no cost. https://www.welldrivennutrition.com/e-booklet
Sometimes people need more guidance managing nutrition and diabetes and they want to work with someone like me, a Registered Dietitian, who can provide customized solutions that suit their busy lives.
To get started, click here, and book a Discovery Call with me to discuss how I might help you.
