Ate too many Christmas cookies, candy, and cheer? Good on you! It’s important to find joy in life and indulge occasionally, so don’t beat yourself up.
But you might be feeling you have Christmas belly – bloating, symptoms of sluggishness and brain fog. Let’s get back on track and reboot your health goals!
Your food should be your first pit stop. Many of the Christmas foods we have indulged in are loaded with sugar and flours that can unbalance the gut. However, the right food can also help you heal any damage caused; it’s your natural medicine cabinet!
Here’s 5 easy detox tips for healing Christmas belly.
- Shelve the bubbly – alcohol causes inflammation in the body and can contribute to candida in the gut due to the high amount of sugar in alcohol. Research shows that it‘s also a significant contributor to cognitive decline.
- Drink more water – start flushing out those toxins by ramping up your water intake. Throw in some fresh lemon slices to really get that water working for you.
- Load up the greens – nutrient dense greens will help to heal the gut by balancing your microbiome. Think spinach, kale, rocket and broccoli etc.
- Cut the sugar – no more sweet treats for you! Sugar is highly addictive and contributes to inflammation which is the cause of most chronic diseases. Swap sugar out for healthier options like Stevia or Monk fruit sweetener.
- Eat fermented foods – have beneficial lactic acid bacteria that can have a probiotic effect on the gut. Sugar free fermented foods like sauerkraut, kimchi, kefir and miso are anti-oxidant, anti-microbial, and anti-inflammatory.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed by the challenge of getting back on track, just take it one step at a time. Try swapping alcohol out one day for a Kombucha, or add more greens to your plate than carbs. Remember to be kind to yourself, smaller goals are easier to achieve and encourage you to take that next step.
Good luck!
Azra xx
References
Gut Microbiota at the Intersection of Alcohol, Brain, and the Liver (Journal of Clinical Medicine)
Significance of Fermented Food in Nutrition and Food Science (Journal of Scientific Research)
High Intake of Sugar and the Balance between Pro- and Anti-Inflammatory Gut Bacteria (Nutrients)
Achieve Better Health With Nutrient-Rich Foods (Nutrition Today)