Eat well this festive season
We all look forward to sharing special meals with friends and family during the festive season. Over eating can be a problem because it’s hard to enjoy ourselves if we’re feeling stuffed and bloated. It’s an all too common problem!
Eating overly processed foods and eating too much can make us feel sluggish and, in some cases, it can disrupt our hunger signals and make it harder for our body to digest food.
Here’s the good news! It’s possible to enjoy our festive feasts while taking care of our bodies and maintaining our health. And we’ll feel much better for it. We’ve shared our top tips to help you eat well over the festive season.
Start your day with a healthy juice
Drinking a fresh juice in the morning is a great way to cleanse your liver and give your body the nutrients it needs. It’s an easy way to get your fruit and vegetables in and some even believe juicing can help with the absorption of nutrients.
Find healthy alternatives
We’re often tempted with lots of unhealthy treats and snacks over the festive period and sometimes it can be hard to say no. Rather than restricting yourself from enjoying your favourite treats, you can find a healthy alternative. If you enjoy crunchy potato chips, you could make baked zucchini chips or enjoy some raw nuts. If you enjoy ice cream, you could substitute it for a real fruit sorbet or frozen yoghurt. If you enjoy cakes, you could buy or make one that only uses natural sugars such as honey.
Don’t drink while you’re eating
Drinking fluids with your meal can hinder your digestion. It can dilute the digestive juices which break down your food and as such can reduce the absorption of nutrients. Instead, drink half an hour before or half an hour after your meal.
Start with the salads
Sometimes we get so excited by all of our favourite holiday dishes that we forget to add salads to our plate. And then we become too full to eat them! This can mean we’re missing out on a lot of great nutrients. Take a different approach this year and enjoy the salads first. They’re light and refreshing which means you’ll still have room to enjoy other dishes. It can help to prevent bloating and will reduce the temptation to overeat.