Get rid of the festive hangover

Mona

If you are still slightly disoriented, worry not...a flurry of events with a high dose of sweets and nuts; meeting and greeting, and some binge eating; drinking coupled with the effort to put together how much had been lost or won in the card parties, we are all in the same boat!

We ask the revellers how best to get back into the working mode...

‘Sleep it off’ is Ananya Anand’s simple mantra. While her hubby banks on  water therapy to sail it through. “The food, hectic pace, socialising—take its toll. I sip warm water through the day to balance out,” says this entrepreneur. 

Saloni Nanda decides to hit it back to gym almost immediately post the festive high. This HR professional advocates getting back to routine immediately to mitigate the harm we do to our body in the name of the festivity.  

Going by the old wisdom, treat yourself to a bowl of saag. The elderly swear by its benefits. Given the high fibrous content of good old saag, it helps clear the excesses we subject our stomach to hosting and attending parties and breaking free from all restraints when it comes to healthy eating.

Dietician Pallavi Jassal makes a strong case for everything alkaline. “Start with water with 10 ml of raw, unfiltered apple cider vinegar in a glass of water.” The dirty-looking bits of the vinegar hold the maximum benefits, she says. Those who find apple cider vinegar pungent, can opt for lemon water sans salt, sugar or honey.

The next is to include fibre in food. Make most of the brightly coloured vegetables of the season – carrots, broccoli and spinach. Eat them or make a soup, both ways it is beneficial.

A salt-free meal works like magic, says nutritionist Aradhana Sharma. All the junk that one has eaten gets a decent break with a low-salt or preferably a no-salt meal. “All the fatty and fried, salty and overtly sweet food make the body puffy. Restricting salt intake helps reducing water retention.”

Then there is this answer for all the worries of the world – ginger, tulsi tea. Ginger’s anti-inflammatory properties, coupled with digestive enzymes boosting benefits, and tulsi a remedy to reduce water retention. A simple cuppa is good to put you back on track!

Water your way through the detox

Detox drinks or meals work only if you couple it with light but regular exercise. Here are some variations that work wonders:

• Fresh coconut water early morning works as an elixir. 
• Soak a tablespoon of fenugreek seeds (methre) in a litre of water. Have it in the morning empty stomach.
• Boil black pepper, ginger and turmeric and sip it slightly warm.
• Put a tablespoon of jeera and another of ajwain in a litre of water. Boil it and have it through the day post every meal.
• Boil saunf, kalaunji and kala jiri in water and sip it. —Dietician Lavleen