Fat, sugar, alcohol … We often have trouble recovering from holiday excesses. Rather effective, the detox should help you quickly regain balance. Here are our tips to start the year in good shape!
Christmas is the time of all overeating! Foie gras, salmon, bûche pâtissière, alcohol, chocolates … Even if they are good for morale, these high-calorie foods harm the body. To compensate for the excess fat, alcohol and sugar, a little detox should help you quickly regain balance. But is it really effective? And what should we eat to feel the benefits? We give you many tips to eliminate toxins accumulated during holiday meals and start the year in good shape.
Why is our intestinal transit disrupted after the holidays?
During the holidays, our diet changes and that's completely normal! Christmas is the one time of the year when we all get together as a family, so we indulge ourselves by sharing delicious meals that are usually very high in sugars and fats. Result: intestinal transit is expensive. "Transit is upset because the food balance is sometimes compromised during the holidays: less vegetables and therefore less fiber, more fatty products (cold meats, foie gras, chocolates), more proteins, etc. If our diet changes, intestinal transit is not necessarily the same …», Explains Laëtitia Proust-Millon, dietician-nutritionist.
As our meals are richer than usual, digestion can sometimes become very complicated. Involved are the intestine and the liver. "When the liver is overloaded, we store more and our intestines in turn suffer. Excesses modify and unbalance the intestinal flora. This difficult digestion will then lead to intestinal spasms, nausea and headaches. Let's not forget, the combination of fats + sugars + alcohol reinforces this phenomenon. In fact, alcohol abuse alone can lead to poor digestion.», Also tells us Isabelle Descamps, dietician-nutritionist.
How do you regain balance after the holidays?
After the holidays, we inevitably feel a little heavier than usual, but it's no big deal! The main thing is that you had fun. "Festive meals have existed since the dawn of time, but naturally man has always restricted himself thereafter to rebalance his health in the immediate and long term. These festive meals are especially very important for their pleasure and conviviality aspect. These exceptional deviations are an integral part of maintaining the figure and the physical and moral form.», Continues Isabelle Descamps.
To recover from all these excesses, first take the time to rest. Read, get some fresh air, breathe. Your body and your organism will thank you! On the nutrition side, let's take it easy. "You will feel much better by finding a more balanced and “lighter” diet based on vegetables and fruits. The "winning" plate is ½ vegetables and fruit, ¼ protein (meat, fish, eggs, tofu or pulses for vegetarians), ¼ starches or bread.», Advises Laëtitia Proust-Millon.
Our tips for deflating after the holidays
To deflate and feel less heavy after the holidays, Isabelle Descamps has several tips for you:
- If you're not hungry after the holidays, don't eat, listen to yourself. Feel your "no hunger" and stick to it.
- Take advantage of the following days to rehydrate your body well and rest your kidneys: drink water, herbal teas, broths, eat soup. 1L to 1.5L is more than enough if you eat vegetables and fruits with each meal.
- Eat balanced meals that are relatively light in sugars, fats and proteins to rest your liver. Grilled meat or fish, no sauces, no gratins, etc.
- Try to eat one or two vegetarian meals a day after the holidays, this will help put your liver to rest.
What is detox?
According to Laëtitia Proust-Millon, detox is the short form of “detoxification”. This allows:
- Avoid as much as possible pollutants, those that we breathe, those that we drink, those that we eat; tobacco, alcohol, various addictions to toxic substances.
- Get rid of as much as possible of what clutters the body (and often the mind): sugar, salt, fat, extra pounds, residues of pesticides and additives, heavy metals (lead …), microbes. More symbolically, to get a new look and to drive away bulky thoughts.
For the dietician-nutritionist, “we can therefore take advantage of the start of the year to try to cleanse our body and mind".
Your body needs to get rid of toxins
Is detox effective after the holidays?
After holiday meals, our bodies need a break. The detox will allow him to compensate for all these excesses and eliminate all the toxins. "Your body is constantly detoxifying. It needs to get rid of all toxins: poisons, heavy metals, chemical additives, allergens and other toxins in our food, in the water, and even in the air we breathe. Even if you eat healthy and exercise regularly, you are not in control of all of your surroundings. Supporting your liver by carrying out detox cures is essential. These should be practiced ideally two to four times a year, at the changes of season since our food changes, our bacterial flora also changes.», Explains Isabelle Descamps.
Detox: what foods to favor and avoid?
- Favor vegetables that have purifying and diuretic properties such as black radish, leek, fennel, broccoli, celery, etc.
- Choose gluten-free whole starches such as brown rice, quinoa, legumes and buckwheat.
- Avoid all wheat-based foods: bread, pasta, flour etc. over a few days.
- Instead, eat fish and white meats (one serving per day).
- Consume fruit without moderation.
- Drink green tea and herbal teas to drain your body and flush out toxins.
- Avoid consuming raw vegetables. It is better to rest the digestive system with cooked foods, which are easier to digest.
- In the morning, drink lemon with lukewarm water. Lemon contains soluble fiber, vitamin C, calcium and is an excellent antioxidant for the liver. It also has beneficial effects on blood sugar and fat breakdown.
Sport and sleep also have a role to play
While food helps restore inner well-being after the holidays, sport and sleep also have their role to play! "Sleep is the basis of the body's balance and homeostasis. Poor sleep does not allow the body to regenerate as it should. As for physical activity, it is also another factor that regulates the body. The body is not designed to be static. Moving and walking daily (more than 6000 steps per day) is therefore essential for health!», Concludes Laëtitia Proust-Millon.
Thanks to the dietitians-nutritionists Laëtitia Proust-Millon and Isabelle Descamps
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