Weekends are fun. Enjoying yourself is nice. Indulging is bittersweet. It’s good in the beginning, but you soon feel the after effects of your indulgence. An extreme example would be alcohol – I’m sure we’ve all been there. One drink too many can have you feeling like you got hit by a bus the next day. The same can be true for over indulging in food. Heavy meals, sugary desserts, and not enough nutrient-dense food can leave you feeling depleted, tired, and bloated.
If there is a special occasion or a holiday, I always let myself enjoy it. And I love every minute of it. I’m the type of person that doesn’t believe in “cheat days” because I believe in balance. Practice the 80/20 lifestyle so you can live in freedom without feeling restricted with your food choices. I eat really well 80% of the time, well usually it’s 90%, but that’s because I’ve been living this lifestyle for a while now! That other 10-20% I enjoy life because life is way too short to feel guilty for eating a darn cookie. Let yourself go once in awhile – or as a friend used to say, “let your hair down!” It’s okay to indulge from time to time. And for those times that you do, I have some tips to help you deal with the food hangover.
- Start the next day with a large glass of warm lemon water. 16 ounces of water with the juice of ½ lemon. This stimulates your body to produce hydrochloric acid, which helps break down food. If you want to take it a step further try out my morning cocktail.
- Drink fresh green juice to flood your body with enzymes and nutrients. Juice requires no digestion and since your metabolism is already sluggish from the weekend, you don’t need to overload the system. If you don’t have a juicer, you can make it in a blender and strain the mixture through a cheesecloth to remove the fiber. A good recipe to try is my Cleansing Green Juice.
- Superfoods for super powers! If you’re really struggling with your energy levels after your weekend or day of indulgence, wheat grass powder
and/or spirulina powder both work like magic. I love to add one or both of those to my smoothies. I even make an energy drink with orange juice and spirulina powder! - Raw, raw, and more raw. Raw food (especially greens) have enzymes to get your body back to an alkaline state. Crappy food = acidic residue. Acidic residue = fatigue and sickness. Bringing your body back into balance will allow you to beat that food hangover. Snack on celery sticks, carrot sticks, apples, bananas, and lots of salad!
- Eat light to heavy. Let your digestive system have a break during the first half of the day so it can deal with yesterday’s food before you overload it again. Juice and/or a smoothie for breakfast, a vegetable-heavy salad for lunch (go light on the dressing), and some roasted veggies with quinoa for dinner would be a great option.
and/or 
both work like magic. I love to add one or both of those to my smoothies. I even make an The few days after you indulge is super important to get back on track. You can either help your body efficiently deal with everything or you can overload it more by continuing to indulge. That’s the difference. An occasional indulgence will be no problem for your body to deal with if you live your healthy lifestyle 80% of the time. When indulgence continues day after day that’s when you experience the weight gain, fatigue, brain fog, and end up needing to buy new clothes because ‘they just don’t fit right anymore’. Toxins in the body = weight on the body. Treat your body well the majority of the time and it will treat you well when you want to have some fun 🙂 Balance is the only way to maintain a healthy lifestyle with freedom!
If you are sick of dieting and want to discover how to fuel your unique body so you can indulge from time to time without it impacting your health or your waistline, apply for a free Start Up Session with me HERE. I can’t wait to help you live a lifestyle free of deprivation and restriction 🙂
With joy and health,
Hi, I’m Lauren! I’m a Clinical Nutritionist and Personal Chef for motivated men and women who are struggling with their overall health. I help my clients utilize the healing powers of food in a way that is simple and effective so they can increase their energy and thrive! You can learn more about me here.
