Food Hangover! 4 Holiday Remedies

The signs are all there. You keep nodding off, your head is hurting a bit, you are feeling dizzy, your eyes are glazed over and the button to your pants are undone. It’s official, you have it. A food hangover.  

And then it starts…What have I done? Of all of the dining rooms you had to come into mine you turkey!  When you even hear birds you cringe. Let’s face it, we have all had a food hangover. Each of us has beaten ourselves up for falling prey to the turkey, dressing, taters and pie of it all at some point. A food hangover is easy to get during this time of year.

Here’s the good news. It’s not as bad as it seems. You can minimize the damage by addressing it head on. Typically we should eat about 2,000 calories per day. During holiday feasts such as Thanksgiving and Christmas, people tend to eat over 3,000 calories and may even it push it to 4,000. One pound of weight equates to about 3,500 calories. So even if you over did it we are only talking about a half pound of weight from this meal.

Holiday Food Hangover Remedies (Hint:  Eat, Drink, Shop and Be Merry!)

Drink

First you need to handle the immediate side effects from overeating.  Time for a hot toddy. Tea can settle an upset stomach and relieve acid indigestion. Another option is Ginger Ale. Drinking plenty of water will also help flush out the body.

Shop

Not that you needed an excuse to go out and shop this time of year, but all of the walking that comes with it is a plus. Stepping up your workout over the next few weeks is in order, as well. But complimenting that work out by moving more throughout the day should be a goal. Your workout doesn't have to include the gym. Start by simply walking 20-30 minutes which you can actually do after a big meal as well. Walking will help relieve stomach bloating and is great for your overall health.

Eat

Eat PaPa (& Mama) Eat! It seems too good to be true but you actually need to eat. Right now, starving yourself for a few days may seem like a good plan since you feel you may not be hungry again until next Thanksgiving but it actually will undermine your efforts to get back on track. Skipping meals is a set up to overeating later. Start with a healthy breakfast that is full of fiber such as your favorite high fiber, low sugar cereal and top with your favorite fruit. For lunch you can even have some left over turkey breast on a whole wheat tortilla loaded with veggies. If you need a snack before dinner go for fruit or a handful of raw nuts. You may need a switch from turkey by dinner time so go for salmon with a vegetable side. Fruits and vegetables packed with fiber and protein from lean meats are what you should look to have in your diet.

Be Merry

Beating yourself up will not make your stomach flat. So don’t. You came, you saw, you ate. It’s true. But feeling blue over it will not get you back on track. Address it head on by making some changes and continue to Eat (healthy) , Drink (ahh…water) and Be Merry this holiday season.