by Author & Nutritional Therapist, Jackie Lynch December can be a bit of an endurance test as you try to juggle work, Christmas planning and enough social engagements to keep you busy for a year! If you’re already starting to flag, here are my five nutrition tips to help you cruise through the party season without feeling exhausted, and still be smiling by Christmas Day.
Jackie Lynch by John Godwin of London Headshots
Maximise magnesium – if you feel that everything is starting to spiral out of control and you’re only just clinging on by your fingertips, then an Epsom salts (magnesium sulphate) bath could be just what you need. Not only does magnesium kick-start the energy production process in the body, it also helps to calm the nervous system and relieve muscle tension. After a busy and stressful day, 2-3 handfuls of salts in the bath could make you feel like a whole new woman.
Boost the B’s – B vitamins act as vital links in the chain reaction of energy production, so if you’re running low you’ll find it hard to keep going. They’re in lots of different foods, so it might be easy enough to have all the B vitamins you need by eating a balanced diet, as a general rule, but December is probably the exception. B vitamins are depleted by alcohol and stress, so you could be burning through the B’s at the very time you need them most. A B complex supplement might be a good move to help you keep on top of things during the party season.
C is for cleansing – if you’ve overdone the bubbly at the office Christmas party, vitamin C could help to make sure you’re still ready for work the morning after the night before. It’s a highly powerful antioxidant which supports around 60% of the detoxification pathways in the liver. Taking 1-2g of vitamin C with water before you got to bed may help the liver to deal more effectively with the toxins generated by the alcohol, which could help to reduce the symptoms of a hangover.
Brilliant breakfasts – a busy night out and only a few hours’ sleep can cause mayhem with the hormones that regulate appetite, which means you’re more likely to crave something sweet and carby, like a muffin, to kick-start the day. You might not feel like it, but the smart move would actually be a green vegetable juice. It’s a potent combination of magnesium, B vitamins and vitamin C, making it a glass of pure energy which will help to put the spring back in your step. An egg would be another great breakfast option – the yolk is rich in B vitamins and contains cysteine, an antioxidant used by the liver to break down toxins.
Vitamin D for vitality – as we move towards the shortest day of the year, the loss of light and sunshine can easily make us feel like hibernating. If you regularly struggle with lethargy and low mood over the winter months, a deficiency in vitamin D could be a factor. There’s also a strong association between Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) and low levels of vitamin D. Even if this isn’t an issue for you, Public Health England now recommend that everyone should be taking vitamin D over the winter months. It could make a huge difference to how you feel.
Jackie’s new book, Va Va Voom: the 10-Day Energy Diet (Headline £14.99), will be available from 28th December. Pre-order your copy here: http://amzn.to/2BHZJtN