Has Christmas come around again and you haven’t quite recovered from the last festive season?
Didn’t quite get around to losing those few extra kilos and giving your liver a bit of love?
One of the issues of annual indulgences is overlooking the need for hitting the re set button. Consider how many annual events you attend that include lots of foods, lots of desserts and alcohol etc. On average there will be; Christmas, Easter, Australia Day, Cup day, Anniversaries, Birthdays, work events. Weddings, Christenings, Funerals, Hens nights, bucks nights, that’s just to name a few!
Generally in the midst of a hangover or feeling bloated, heavy and unmotivated it might cross your mind that you should review your state of health, but life goes on and you pick up the pace, settle in to being ok (ish), not recognizing that bit by bit you re not the weight you were last year, breathing is not as easy as last year, you’re not as fit and energetic. Multiply that by a few years!!
For the men, unchecked over indulgences can lead to increased weight, increased blood sugar levels, reduced liver function, low testosterone levels, increased cholesterol, decreased cardiac fitness. Aside from the obvious reduction in ability to meet the demands of work and family life etc, it also impacts relationship. Less energy and fitness leads to lowered tolerance and patience and less virility in the bedroom. All negatives for sustainable healthy love life!
For the Ladies, it’s a similar deal. In the majority of cases, the effect of over indulging without doing some inner house cleaning results in the liver beingless effective in dealing with hormonal metabolites. When this occurs,’ bad oestrogens circulate, altering the all essential oestrogen/progesterone balance. In most cases the ‘bad’ oestrogen dominates over good oestrogen resulting in increased weight, mood changes, tiredness, low libido and increase in susceptibility to breast, uterine and ovarian disorders.
Gut and liver health are the essence of being able to enjoy the culinary delights of any celebrated event.
Enzymes, herbs, amino acids, probiotics, dietary considerations and exercise all contribute positively to gut and liver health.
High carb foods, fried foods, processed wheat, dairy and sugar foods and food additives etc combined with alcohol and poor exercise habits contribute negatively to gut and liver health.
Some rules:
- Choose the least processed options!
- Choose smaller portions.
- Eat slowly and have breaks between courses. (This way your appetite can pace itself)
- Should you feel full, STOP EATING!
- Choose drinks with the least additives. If you know you react badly to dioxides or Sulphites etc, avoid them.
- Desserts, try them all but in small amounts. It is more often the combination of deserts and alcohol that causes the whole business to fall apart.
- KEEP HYDRATED! Alcohol, sugar, salt, food additives etc dehydrate you.
And:
Before and after Christmas indulgences, do a low load diet or even a detox, but make sure you are under the guidance of a capable practitioner with sound knowledge on the subject!
Words by John Burchell – Integrative Health Practitioner @ The Medical Sanctuary