If, like me, you are one of those who sit down at the table to enjoy family recipes, here are 3 infallible tips that will help you balance excesses and take care of your body from an integrative perspective.
TIP 1: Apple cider vinegar: a simple but powerful ally
Including unpasteurized apple cider vinegar in your holiday meals can make a huge difference in how your body processes food. This simple habit helps keep your gut microbiota in check and regulates blood glucose levels, which is key when eating meals high in carbohydrates and sugars. In addition, constant glucose spikes promote the appearance of many metabolic disorders that manifest themselves through fatigue, a sudden feeling of lack of energy, lack of concentration and skin problems.
If you incorporate apple cider vinegar into your routine, you will obtain benefits that you will immediately notice, and that is that its consumption:
- It helps reduce blood glucose spikes after carbohydrate-rich meals. Apple cider vinegar slows down the breakdown of starches (a type of carbohydrate) into glucose. That is, as the process is slower, your body absorbs sugar more slowly, which helps prevent glucose spikes.
- Promotes the diversity of intestinal microbiota, supporting digestion and reducing inflammation.
How do I recommend you take it?
Mix 1-2 tablespoons of unpasteurized apple cider vinegar (make sure it contains the “mother” cider) into a glass of water about 20 minutes before eating. This small gesture can make a big difference in how you feel after a heavy meal and how your body burns off excess.
Find out more about the benefits of Apple Cider Vinegar > link
TIP 2: Intermittent fasting: digestive rest for days of excess
Intermittent fasting not only regulates glucose levels, but also allows our digestive system to regenerate. Digestive rest can improve inflammation, promote microbiota regeneration and help the brain detoxify. This is especially important after heavy meals.
Short periods of fasting can be a wonderful tool to activate your natural ability to increase metabolism, improve body composition, and take care of your overall health. It is an especially interesting strategy for those looking to maintain intestinal health and a balanced metabolism.
It allows us to give our body the rest it needs. By not eating, our body invests the energy it spends on digestion (which is no small thing!) in cleansing and regenerating other organs and tissues, oxygenating the entire body, and therefore you quickly notice it in the increase in your energy, improved sleep, emotions, and SKIN!
How to implement it in parties?
If your meal was very large, consider skipping dinner and drinking only water or herbal teas until the next day.
Another option is to extend your fast to 12, 14, or even 16 hours, depending on how you feel. For example, if you had an early dinner, wait until lunch the next day to eat again.
For women, although it is better to avoid prolonged fasts that involve skipping breakfast, after a Christmas dinner the next day my advice is to break the fast with a celery juice and a teaspoon of olive or coconut oil.
Celery can also be effective in taking care of stomach health. It is often recommended to promote better digestion, even combat possible peptic ulcers.
It helps a lot at the digestive level, even as an antacid. I'll leave you a study here.
https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1755-1315/421/3/032043/pdf
Thanks to its multiple antioxidants, phytonutrients, vitamin C, vitamin K and fiber content, celery helps to purify the body. It also acts as a natural diuretic to reduce swelling and fluid retention.
Why do I recommend taking it with oil? Celery, like most vegetables, is rich in polyphenols that, in order to be absorbed by the body, must always be accompanied by saturated fat. With this simple shake you will oxygenate your liver, cleanse your blood and nourish your skin with polyphenols, which are the most powerful antioxidants that exist.
For the rest of the morning, you will drink filtered water of the highest quality possible until lunchtime. Remember to drink the glass of apple cider vinegar before eating.
What to take during fasting?
Water, infusions, smoothies or vegetable broths (not fruit ones) well filtered or black coffee without sweeteners are your allies during this time.
However, if you decide to drink coffee during the fast, remember that for every cup of coffee to compensate for the dehydration it causes in the body, you will need three cups of water.
How to break the fast?
Start with proteins, quality fats and vegetables. If the Christmas table includes options such as shrimp, ham or seafood, prioritize them over carbohydrates. You will avoid a new glucose spike and help your body recover.
Don't overindulge in the kilos of sweets that flood the tables these days, you can enjoy them without harming yourself.
If once you have the sweet in front of you, you can't stop, this would be another issue to review, since perhaps you are covering with sugar some emotion that is emerging either during dinner, or that you have been dragging around for some time. These are usually emotions such as anxiety, stress and fatigue, which incite us to eat too much sugar.
TIP 3: Introduce fulvic acid: the natural ally that drains and detoxifies your body.
Fulvic acid is much more than just a supplement; it is a gift from nature that acts as a powerful regulator and restorer of internal balance. This compound, which is formed naturally during the decomposition of organic matter, is a unique source of bioavailable minerals and nutrients that your body can absorb and use immediately.
During times like the Christmas holidays, when excesses in carbohydrates and sugars tend to predominate in our diet, fulvic acid becomes a great ally to counteract their effects. Its ability to improve the absorption of essential nutrients, regulate intestinal microbiota and promote cellular detoxification makes it essential in our daily lives, but especially at times when we subject our body to greater metabolic stress.
Why is it so important during the holidays?
Facilitates the absorption of nutrients
During celebrations, we tend to prioritize less nutritionally dense foods. Fulvic acid acts as a facilitator, helping the essential vitamins and minerals we consume to be absorbed more efficiently, even in a context of excess .
Supports cellular detoxification
This compound has the ability to bind to toxins and heavy metals, facilitating their elimination from the body. This is especially relevant at this time of year, when the liver and kidneys are working overtime to deal with excess food, drink and processed products.
Reduces inflammation
One of the main reasons why fulvic acid is so highly regarded in the world of integrative medicine is its ability to minimize systemic inflammation. This silent, yet constant, process is to blame for many long-term health issues, including those affecting our skin, energy, and overall well-being.
How to incorporate it into your Christmas routine? If you already use it regularly, I recommend increasing the dose to 15 drops in the morning on an empty stomach, mixed in a glass of water. This will enhance its detoxifying and anti-inflammatory effect, preparing you to better face the excesses of the day. If, on the other hand, it is your first time, start with 10 drops to see how your body responds. It is important to listen to your feelings and adapt the dose to your needs.
Fulvic acid will not only help you recover from the holiday meals, but it can also become an essential ally in your daily life to help you eliminate the toxic load to which we are exposed through food, environmental pollution, etc. As always, my advice is to take the time to observe how this small change impacts your body, from digestion to your energy level.
The brand I use because of the confidence I have in it because of how they extract it and where it comes from (that's the most important thing, if you want it to be effective) is Bionobo's fulvic acid. You also get a 15% discount with the code: LAURAPUGA1
Get your supplement > link
If you have any further questions about taking this supplement, please do not hesitate to write to me.
A conscious and pleasurable approach
These holidays are also an opportunity to practice conscious pleasure. Instead of depriving yourself, prioritize the foods you really like and reduce those you know are bad for you, such as desserts. You can bring a healthy dessert to share, like this creamy chocolate dessert I shared with you a while ago on my Instagram.
We also know that family gatherings can be emotionally overwhelming. In these cases, I turn to essential oils as they are a great refuge to help me relieve or support certain emotions. At this time, my essential oils are frankincense, lavender and sweet orange. You can find them here:
If you are new to using essential oils, I will explain in a very simple way how to introduce them into your routine.
For sweet orange oil, apply it at night because it is photosensitive. Add a drop to the palms of your hands and another to your chest before going to sleep and inhale it several times.
You can use lavender or incense oil throughout the day, a drop two or three times a day will be enough to discover its power.
If you prefer to have all its benefits in a single roll-on, fill the jar with jojoba oil, leave a finger free from the bottle and add 10 drops of lavender, 7 of incense and two of sweet orange.
I hope these tips inspire you to enjoy a more conscious, balanced and healthy holiday season. Remember that the Christmas spirit goes far beyond what we see; it is a powerful time to connect with our essence and with others.
We are together on this journey, learning to live from pleasure, health and freedom.
Merry Christmas and a prosperous life.
With love,
Laura
