Detoxing: 5 Tips for Compensating for Vacation Overdose
On the occasion of the end of the year festivities, Dietitian Dr. Nina Cohen-Kobe advises to eat everything while maintaining a reasonable level of health. For those with a very good fork, don't panic: Here are 5 tips for making up for the excesses.
Appetizers, appetizers, main course, cheese plate, desserts, glasses of wine... For most of us, year-end festivities descend into a food marathon. "It's as if our bodies have been overwhelmed with fats and sugars," says Dr. Nina Cohen-Kobe, a registered dietitian.
“The intestines, liver and stomach will stretch beyond its capacity, which will lead to fatigue of the body,” continues the specialist, who advises to eat everything, but to monitor the quantities. A dietitian gives ways to rest your body and make up for holiday excesses.
Lighten up dinner a week before D-Day
"We can prepare the body a week before the end of the year celebrations by trying to eat dinner at least," suggests Dr. Nina Cohen-Kobe. To do this, we eat light during dinner, and early: before 9 pm. On the menu: soup, fish or even white meat with vegetables, keeping a balanced dish for lunch. "It will allow you to get used to it: to be less hungry at dinnertime and less inclined to overeat during holiday meals," she says.
Focus on fruits and vegetables
The body will have absorbed more sugars and fats than normal. That is why, the day after the holiday, the specialist advises to give our bodies a day or two to rest, which she calls a “day of rest”. "I don't recommend a detox day, because going from eating a lot to eating nothing at all can be painful for the body," she says.
“On the other hand, we can allow ourselves a day when we eat cooked vegetables and raw fruits and vegetables” “We avoid consuming proteins that tire an already stressed organism. At lunch, for example, you can prepare a nice whole salad, and soup in the evening, with cooked vegetables such as Ratatouille and fruit compote.
Reproduce the proteins afterwards
After a few days of vacation, we continue this diet rich in vegetables and fruits, but add proteins. “We bet on lean meat or fish,” Dr. Cohen-Kobe suggests.
Back to a balanced diet
The body is then reset by introducing starchy foods. "If you haven't overindulged during your holiday meals, you can also eat well the next day and the next day without starchy foods but always with animal and/or plant proteins," notes the specialist, who sees the new year as an opportunity to review how you eat .
Stay hydrated
Dr. Nina Cohen advises Kobe to drink water and herbal tea. “The benefit of drinking a lot after the holidays is to hydrate your body to cool it down, but also to fill up more quickly because you reduce your calorie consumption in the following days.” Be careful, however, not to consume too much tea, which raises when the body needs rest.