Christmas presents are great. Spending time with loved ones is better. But one of the main attractions of Christmas is also the food. Christmas party time is well known as a time for over-indulge, but we don't always realize that what we do to our bodies outside can affect us on the inside.
Three registered nutritionist experts shared their secrets to a flatter and friendly tum.
According to Ramona Braganza, a celebrity personal trainer known for sculpting of Hollywood's hottest bodies, including actresses Zoe Saldana, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Alba and Scarlett Johansson.
A child's pose, also known as a yoga pose is the best way to compress your intestinal tract and can help push gases through the digestive system.
Christmas Day is all about enjoying good food and drink, Angela Dowden said. She's a registered Nutritionist with eight years’ experience in the food industry and a degree in food science from Nottingham University. She shared that to avoid too many windy vegetables like brussels sprouts and broccoli.
An etiquette expert from TV series Ladette to Lady and author of two books on social behaviour and etiquette, Liz Brewer shared that wearing loose fitting clothing to wear on Christmas day is another way to help you feel great. Tight belts and jeans will make you feel uncomfortable and you’ll only end up having to unbutton them!
The three experts have enlisted their personal tips to help us beat the bloat this Christmas.
- Be careful with carbs such as rice, potatoes and pasta that are served reheated of chilled.
Most of the carbohydrates in the diet are starches. Reheating and cooling the carbs results in "resistant starch" forming - which passes undigested into the bowel where bacteria can act on it.
- Avoid too much fructose although they have lots of healthy benefits, mango, apple and pears, in particular, have an excess of fructose compared with glucose.
- Squeeze a little lemon juice on your turkey as it helps start the breakdown of the protein.
- Have an herbal tea after your meal such as ginger or peppermint.
- Too much salt causes your body to retain excess fluid and cutting down can rapidly rid you of a couple of pounds. Foods to cut down on include pizza, sauces, seasonings, bacon, cheese, ham, stock cubes, anchovies and pickles.
