With Christmas almost upon us, the following ten tips can help get you through the silly season relatively unscathed!
- Moderation is the Key! Look for areas where you can scale back chances to over-indulge. Assess you invitations and make some decisions: which parties do you want to go to? Choose the ones that you wish to drink alcohol at and keep the others alcohol free.
- Drink a glass of warm water with 1/4 lemon squeezed into it every morning—your liver loves this!
- Take a specific liver-protecting supplement that contains St. Mary’s Thistle. This herb is specific for protecting liver cells.
- Take a good quality B vitamin or multi before drinking alcohol. The B vitamins help your liver process and detoxify alcohol. There is also some research to show that they lessen/ prevent a hangover.
- Alternate an alcoholic drink with a glass of water.
- Fresh is best! Avoid deep fried and processed canapés and starters – go for ones that have vegetables or fresh foods as their base.
- Increase your exercise to off-set your extra calorie intake: 1 standard drink is roughly equivalent to the carbohydrates in 1 piece of bread and it takes at least 20 minutes of fast-paced walking to burn it off!
- Never turn up to an event ravenous! Make sure you maintain your protein intake throughout the day. If this has been a challenge for you, make sure you have a protein rich snack before heading out.
- Go for weight maintenance rather than focusing on weight loss – be kind to yourself. Set yourself realistic and achievable goals around your health and weight.
- Practice “Hara Hashi Bu” – A Japanese saying that translates to: ’Eat only until you are 80% full’. While it can take some practice, it will prevent you from consuming unnecessary calories. It’s the ultimate practice of moderation!
