Tips for Indulging and Recovering this Holiday Season

This time of year is filled with family gatherings, delicious, indulgent meals, and for many, more alcohol than usual. Food is a source of pleasure that brings people together and is a foundation to make life more enjoyable. However, the holidays can be a trigger for many to over-indulge in sugary treats, glutenous pastries, and too many drinks. Five pounds can be gained surprisingly quickly if you aren’t paying attention.

If you’re anything like us, you will do anything to avoid the holiday sugar and alcohol hangovers. But the answer isn’t always skipping the parties or hiding out all season in your house. Life is enjoying, living well, and socializing - studies show how much social events have a positive impact on our mental health which translates into all areas of our overall health.

That’s why we’ve come up with a list of ways you can indulge (responsibly!) without completely wrecking your health, lowering your immunity,  gaining weight, or sabotaging your long-term goals. These practices minimize not only indigestion, bloating, inflammation, and weight gain, but will help prevent negative health consequences that can pop up after even just one evening of over-indulgence.

Before

• Meditation. This one may seem strange to do before a holiday party, but it's one of our favorite ways to get into a healthy mindset. Family, holidays, and parties, like we mentioned, can be major triggers for unhealthy habits to creep back in. Using meditation to help regulate your nervous system before stepping into these situations can help you make decisions that support your highest outcome. We love the meditation app Insight Timer.
• Hydrate! Don’t wait until the evening to get your body hydrated. This will be key to mitigating any ‘hungover’ sensations from dehydration. Your skin and physique will also thank you! We like to use filtered or spring water and add some electrolytes to our water daily. 
• Eat a big salad or a meal high in minerals and nutrition before the evening festivities. We love having herb-rich dressings over lots of greens. Feeling satiated before being around sugar and carb-loaded party foods is your best bet in staving off temptation. If you arrive “starving,” you are likely to be scarfing down everything in sight and/or overeating. 
• Keep the carbs and sugar at a minimum. If you know you are going to be indulging more than usual, skip the carbs and opt for a high-fat and protein-rich meal. This will keep you satiated longer and may even deter you from grabbing dessert at the party or gathering. 
• Bring your own dish. This is our favorite way to indulge healthfully when we know we can munch on our own healthy (and still delicious dish). We strongly advise showing up at any gathering involving food with your own dish to share. There are plenty of delicious, crowd-pleasing options for healthy holiday eating. We have many video classes on this, like our Low-Carb Thanksgiving Class or our Vegetarian Comfort Foods Class. Need a holiday dessert? Give your favorite desserts a makeover. Check out our Pumpkin and Chocolate Dessert Class, Holiday Pies Class, or our Gluten-Free Baking Workshop for upgraded dessert options!

During

• If you chose to have alcohol, skip sugary drinks and opt for sugar-free, organic options like Dry Farm Wines. Dry Farm Wines are independently lab-tested for purity, and they are also completely sugar-free, making them both keto and paleo-friendly. Perhaps most importantly, Dry Farm Wines are completely free of any toxic additives, with no aroma, color, flavor, or texture enhancements and minimal addition of SO2 (sulfites). It is possible for us to have more than one drink of Dry Farm Wines and not feel the hangover effects of other wines. Use our link and code PUREJOY to get an extra bottle of wine for just a penny! 
• Drink a glass of water between each glass of wine or alcohol. You could even add in some electrolytes (like these) to keep your organs and cells happy. Also, remember that drinking alcohol will lower your inhibitions which includes your willpower. How many times have you had a drink and then said, “What the heck, that cake looks good!” only to wake up the next day after a fitful sleep feeling racked with guilt or regret? 
• Supplement with digestive enzymes to give your body what it needs to break down any foods you're not used to consuming. We love these ones. 
• Supplement with this to help balance blood sugar. It's not the magic pill, but it sure does help the body process excess carbs and sugars when needed!

After Indulging

• Take 1 NAC before bed and another 1 in the morning. NAC is a precursor to glutathione which is your master antioxidant and liver detoxifier. Without adequate glutathione, the liver becomes sluggish, and headaches, inflammation, skin issues, and fatigue can set in. NAC is easily absorbed and gives the liver a boost to help combat overindulgence. *Especially important if you are over 50 or are experiencing hormonal imbalance. The body produces much less glutathione as we age and those with hormonal issues typically have less than optimal glutathione levels to begin with.
• Take three pumps of Vitamin C like this one to help flush your system and boost your immunity. Vitamin C is also a wonderful antioxidant to help combat any oxidative stress caused by rancid oils and alcohol.
• Double up on Magnesium (take two before bed and 1 in the morning). Not only does magnesium help with sleep (which we know can be disturbed during the holidays), but alcohol and other indulgences can significantly reduce magnesium in the body leading to joint pain, cramping, blood sugar imbalances (leading to weight gain), inflammation, and headaches.
• Take 20-30 tabs of Chlorella. This is truly a game-changer when it comes to indulging responsibility. Chlorella is what we call a ‘smart detoxer’ as it helps pull toxins (from heavy food and alcohol) out of the body. It’s because chlorella algae bind to toxins, including alcohol, and removes them from your body. So enjoy your party and let algae be your clean-up crew and then enjoy sweet dreams! Use the code PURE JOY for 20% off your first order.
• Take liver-supporting herbs like milk thistle, dandelion, and burdock root. Drink teas throughout the day, or get a tincture like this one.
• Movement! Don’t underestimate the power of a 30-minute walk or 15-minute power sweat session. Getting the lymph moving and the skin sweating is a great (and free!) way to combat cell damage and sluggish bowels. Bonus...get into an infrared sauna and really sweat out those excess toxins or take a hot Epsom Salts bath!

Other Recovery Tips

• Break up the holiday parties with 1-day water or juice fast or a 3 to 5-day water fast. This is the quickest way for us to get back on track and keep feeling energized and ready to mingle! Start with an intermittent fasting protocol of 12-14 hours between meals (from dinner until breakfast) or jump into a 24-36 hour fast on just liquids. Listen to our podcast about how to do a short fast, or check out our How to Do A Juice Cleanse OR our Water Fasting Program for more support. Your stomach needs a break too!
• Sweat it out! Get in an infrared sauna for 20-30 minutes post-holiday festivities. Take a few chlorella tabs before you get in to help the body detox more efficiently.
• Schedule your next detox like our  30-Day Whole-Food Detox. Having a plan on the horizon will keep you motivated to make healthy decisions. There is an added bonus to detox if it’s community-driven and has the built-in support and accountability you need.