Two months until Christmas. Really? Wow! It comes around so fast! Some of you will be groaning and some of you will secretly be a teeny weeny bit excited...
However Christmas will turn out this year in terms of Covid, most of us will, in all likelihood, still indulge in general cheer with food and drink taking center stage as always! First of all, for those of you who don’t know me very well yet, I am not a miser or one who likes to justify denial in terms of good nutrition... life is for living and I am all in favour of embracing traditions and celebrating when we can – just you try to keep me away from those mince pies! And if there is no extra thick double cream to be had alongside that Christmas pudding, well...
We all know that the over-indulgence and richness of food around the festive season is a huge strain on our bodies. This period before the festive activities kick in is often a bit of a non-descript ‘down-time’ for a lot of us, so it makes total sense to do a little self-nurturing now to give our livers the best chance of coping with what is to come. You’ll thank yourself (and maybe me!) in a month or two if you devote a little of this time to your your hard working organs.
However, this is not the time to do anything too drastic! I believe in working with the seasons which our bodies naturally respond to so I’m not talking a big detox – that is best left until the warmer months.
But there are several things you can do which are simple and effective for this time of year:
1) DRINK MORE WATER - things you maybe didn't know The liver and kidneys work in conjunction with each other to a certain degree, so by supporting one, you’ll support the other. There is no better way to support the kidneys by drinking more water – yawn yawn! Ok, ok, you've heard that before but here are the things you may not have thought of: Drink room temperature to hot (not scalding!) water – our bodies find it easier to utilise water in these colder months if the water is a warmer temperature. Drink lots of water (or non-caffeinated herbal teas) between 3pm-7pm – the energy of your kidneys and bladder is at its most effective at this time of the day so it’s a good idea to drink plenty between these hours to help flush out the kidneys and bladder.
2) REDUCE THE ALCOHOL - tricks of the trade! If you can’t manage an alcohol free month or simply don’t want to, here are a few Tricks of the Trade to let you enjoy your tipple but support your liver as best possible: Try to have your alcoholic drink 3 hours before you go to sleep, this will assist in your body having metabolised the alcohol content before you fall into sleep and you will sleep better for it, meaning the liver will have a better chance of repairing itself overall. Try drinking your alcoholic choice of beverage from a long, slender glass instead of a short, fat glass - Take a look at the image below. Is the horizontal or vertical line longer? Like the lines in this photo, glasses that are vertical will look bigger than ones that are horizontal and will therefore naturally help you drink less.
Both lines are actually the same length, but our brain has a tendency to overestimate vertical lines. And because height makes things look bigger than width, you'll actually drink less from taller glasses. This works well with reducing soda or any other sugar-based drink.
3) SUBSTITUTE THE SUGAR - have a clear intention! The liver is involved in sugar metabolism and the more sugar we throw at it, the more overwhelmed it will be! - Identify your weakness. Is it the cans of coca-cola? Is it the biscuits at tea-time? Is it the lumps of sugar in your tea? - give yourself a realistic goal for the next two months in terms of reducing your concentrated sugar intake and substituting for a healthier option. - TELL SOMEONE! Tell someone who you know will support you decision of your goal. Telling someone makes us more accountable and we are more likely to carry out our declaration! Haven’t got anyone you want to tell? Not sure what to reduce or what you, personally, should substitute it with? Tell me! Drop me a message and I’ll check in with you and be there for you...
Making small changes at this point of the year will ensure you enjoy the festivities when they arrive and you’ll look and feel better through them too – why would you deny yourself this?
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