Stay happy and healthy
December 14, 2004
By Sarah Drew Jones
Are you planning a chocfest this Yuletide? Oodles
of meat, cake and party food, washed down with alcohol
by the bucket-load? Might seem fun at the time, but
how do you feel next day? Here's how to keep it all
under control this Christmas...and have fun at the same
time
THE average Briton puts on five pounds over Christmas
and most admit to including a promise - often broken
- to diet among their New Year resolutions.
Scientists have even calculated that it takes the average
woman a gruelling 24 mile trek to defeat the fattening
effects of festive fare.
Hardly surprising then that we may be half-hearted
in our enjoyment of what should be a happy, relaxed
time. At last, however, there is seasonal good news.
According to some diet and exercise experts, indulgence
- within reason - can actually do you good.
Not only that, all secret guilt and worry is counter-productive
because it can make us more unhealthy and gain weight.
Nutritional therapist Alison Cullen supports that view
and says, "Guiltily counting every calorie or sitting
there desperately trying to find the resolve to refuse
the Christmas pudding or chocolates is highly stressful.
"All that worry really achieves is to put a brake
on our digestive system, which actually prevents the
body from dealing with the food we've eaten in a healthy,
normal way and getting rid of the toxins and fats. That
means its effect on you will be worse than if you just
sat back and enjoyed it."
"Frankly, if you are uptight and tense, even eating
the most pure organic food won't do you any good."
Instead Cullen advises, "Relax, go ahead and enjoy
some of the things you love in moderation rather than
totally denying yourself. That will make you feel more
in control and if your willpower lets you down, you
are far less likely to indulge to excess."
She also has a plan to help minimise the effect of
all that fatty food and booze.
"So many people start the season defeated and
believe they're bound to put on loads of weight. They
see it as a stark choice of either total deprivation
or pigging out on fatty foods.
"A balance between the two is the answer and is
easy to achieve. All it needs is a few simple steps,
and making some sensible choices to offset the indulgent
choices. It's about damage limitation."
n Chew food properly. "Far too many gulp their
food down. If food is chewed - at least a couple of
times - you will feel full faster and it will be easier
for your body to deal with what you've eaten, helping
to minimise the effect of the fat in your system."
Recent research revealed that the French eat their food
more slowly than the Americans and it's believed this
may be linked to their lower rate of coronary disease.
n If your addiction is chocolate, intersperse portions
of it with fruit which has fibre, takes longer to digest
and so is more filling. She suggests dates or dried
fruit to satisfy sweet cravings.
n Alternate alcoholic drinks with water or fruit juices,
which will help dilute the effect of alcohol and the
juices have vitamins. If abstaining is embarrassing,
opt for mineral waters such as Ame or Aqua Libre which
look identical to sparkling wine.
n Minimise caffeine effects by drinking decaffeinated
versions, such as Bambu. Caffeine speeds up the system,
making digestion more difficult. It can also raises
stress and anxiety levels, leading you to drink more
in a misguided attempt to feel more relaxed.
n Herbal Remedies: She advises taking 20 drops of Milk
Thistle Complex in a small amount of water twice a day.
"It can help the body to process alcohol more effectively
and metabolise fats more easily."
n Start taking echinacea to raise your immunity to
germs you may encounter at parties or family gatherings.
If you feel fit, you may have less craving for mood
boosters like sugar and alcohol.
n Book a massage. Lymphatic massage is a great way
to purge toxins from the body. The lymph system is the
body's waste disposal system, and with the festive season
just over it's bound to be overloaded. Lymphatic drainage
aims to help it flow faster and more efficiently, with
light massage clearing blockages and eliminating metabolic
wastes and toxins. It's great for relieving toxic build-up,
fluid retention, excess weight and cellulite, it can
also calm the nervous system and relieve stress and
tension. Externally, it gives a clearer complexion.
Try the Clarins Proactive massage, from £45, available
nationwide. Call 0800 036 3558 for your nearest salon.
n Reduce your alcohol intake day by day. There is no
internationally agreed definition of binge drinking,
according to the Institute of Alcohol Studies, but in
the UK, drinking surveys normally define binge drinkers
as men consuming eight, and women at least six standard
units of alcohol a day.
The Department of Health advises that men should stick
to three to four units of alcohol a day, and women should
drink two to three units of alcohol per day.
These daily benchmarks apply whether you drink every
day, once or twice a week, or occasionally.
A single unit is 10ml of pure alcohol. Counting units
of alcohol can help keep track of the amount you drink
- and drinks can contain more units than you think.
n A 175ml glass of red or white wine - around two units
n A pint of ordinary strength lager (Heineken, Carling
Black Label, Fosters) - two units
n A pint of strong lager (Stella Artois, Kronenbourg
1664) - three units
n A pint of bitter (John Smith's, Boddingtons) - two
units
n A pint of ordinary strength cider (Dry Blackthorn,
Strongbow) - two units
n A pub measure of spirits - one unit
n An alcopop (eg Smirnoff Ice, Bacardi Breezer, WKD)
- around one and a half units.
n Keep it in perspective. If you do enjoy the occasional
drink over Christmas, the good news is that some alcohol
actually has health benefits -when drunk in moderation.
Red wine is high in antioxidants and protects the heart
by lowering cholesterol levels.
Food expert Elizabeth Jefferson says, "Antioxidants
literally stop us rusting. Every day we are exposed
to oxygen and a wide range of other substances which
basically cause us to rust internally.
"Taken in moderation - one or two pub units per
day - it has benefits in terms of heart disease for
middle-aged women and men.
"The bad news is that drinking red grape juice
is just as good as drinking wine!"
Scientists in Spain have recently discovered sherry
contains a similar level of antioxidants to cider and
red wine. And Jefferson says there is merit to Guinness's
age-old claim that it's good for you. "It is a
good source of energy, it does have some iron and some
calcium," she says. "It is quite a nutritious
drink but don't rely on it."
Source:http://icwales.icnetwork.co.uk
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