Every Christmas season, we all have a tendency to endure celebratory indulgences: the inordinate eating, drinking and sleep loss brought on by all those holiday gatherings. While the merriment may be fantastic, it also brings on indigestion, gas, bloating, headaches and swollen eyes.
Here’s what you can do to combat holiday indulgences:
Give Your Body Needed Hydration
Salty food choices contribute to fluid retention and swollen eyes; foods laced with refined sugar drive spikes in blood sugar and, thus, cravings. Alcohol and caffeine cause dehydration. Alcohol acutally dehydrates your blood. For the body’s regenerative system to work, toxins must be flushed from your blood, cells and tissues. The regular suggestion of 8 glasses of water per day is not sufficient to detox. In order to detox your system while likewise rejuvenating key vitamins and minerals, we propose that you include, for at least four days, additional fruit juices in the morning and vegetable juices in the afternoon in addition to your regular diet.
During the first two days, and before you consume or drink anything, drink 1 cup hot water combined with the juice of one-half lemon, 1/16 teaspoon cayenne pepper and one tablespoon maple syrup. Lemons are full of bioflavonoids, which are excellent detoxifiers. Cayenne pepper is an anti-inflammatory. Maple syrup gives this potent drink sweetness.
About one-half an hour after drinking the hot water and lemon, blend up a smoothy of fruit and ground flax seeds. Acceptable options are apples, peaches, berries, pears, kiwis, pineapple and oranges. Add a tablespoonful of flax seeds and one-half a teaspoon of ground ginger. Do not put protein powder or yogurt in your smoothie.
Make a very light and simple breakfast only if you are hungry. Ideal choices are yogurt, a protein powder shake, eggs, or oatmeal. For lunchtime have a small meat like fish or chicken and a large vegetable salad with a simple dressing made with olive oil and lemon.
A few hours before dinner drink vegetable juice made with carrots, beets, celery, cucumber, parsley and spinach. If it’s an option, wheat grass juice is a superior nourisher and cleanser. For dinner, make a cleansing soup with a slim amount of meat or tofu, along with noodles or rice. Make the soup broth from real vegetables, not a mix or can.
There’s an interesting connection between weight loss puffy eyes and there are foods that help your lymphatic system that will reduce bloating and digestive problems.