A Holistic Remedy to Combat Your Holiday Hangover

You did it. You indulged a bit. Maybe you overindulged a few nights. Maybe it’s been weeks. Maybe even months…
Or maybe you stayed away from the pre-made confections and whipped up a bunch of homemade treats instead. And still, maybe (just maybe) you’re finding that even that healthier route led to eating more sweets, resulting in more sugar cravings that you just can’t quit. 

There’s something important to know… It’s OK! We all do it.‘Tis the season!

That’s why it’s key to know when to come back to your center—your path, as I like to call it—where you can tap into the factors that ultimately impact your hormonal equanimity, health, and happiness. (And have no fear, your path does not need to be as narrow as a tight-rope. Give yourself some wiggle room on that path!)

The important part is right now. Going forward, from this very moment. It’s a brand new day. It’s the dawn where you recognize that your so-called over-indulgence might not be serving your best interests, leaving you feeling less than your self-defined ideal.

I know firsthand that holiday indulgence doesn’t always end with a period. Nope. It can become one of those run-on sentences that goes on and on, never seeming to end! That’s why I’m sharing my holistic remedy to combat your holiday hangover and put a period on that run-on sentence before the spiking blood sugar invites more long-term problems like “adrenal fatigue” or inflammation.

My top 3 holistic tips to combat your holiday hangover

1) Extraction

Even if you had to be a superhero for the holidays, you don’t need to be a superhero today. Throw down the cape and admit your limitations. Those might be that you cannot leap tall buildings or be the perfect host. They might be that you can’t resist the assortment of baked goods or desserts (especially the family favorites). You might find that having sweet treats within reach makes it challenging to ‘just say no’. For many of us, those goodies call our names, beckoning continued sugar cravings.

When you find yourself indulging a bit too much, it might be time for pure extraction.Take the leftover sweet treat to the office, bring them to school, or throw them in the trash! Remember, you’re not superhuman and sugar has its way of taking hold of us all. If you need to, ask for help in your household.

2) Equilibrium

Today is the day to return to your good intentions and the regularity of your self-defined balanced eating patterns. You can do it! This will allow you to find the inner equilibrium that keeps you from looking for balance outside of yourself–in the treat that can ultimately make you feel more off kilter. Welcome that seasonal shift inward that beckons this time of year, while also staying grounded and connected to what truly supports you.

Go back to basics. Your #1 food rule is to consider the fat, fiber & protein you’re ingesting at every meal. Play with it. Have fun. Make little mental checkboxes. Go for healthy satiety. Aim to have solid meals that allow you to feel pleasantly full and satisfied with your choices. Consider lots of veggies, some quality protein, and be sure to include ample good fat such as coconut oil, olive oil or ghee mixed into to your meal.

The dynamic trio of fat, fiber & protein will invite the equilibrium of your blood sugar. That internal composure leaves you more poised and empowered to ‘just say no’!

3) Empathy

When it comes to empathy, remember to have it first and foremost for yourself. Treat yourself like you might anyone else who has overindulged. Be kind. Be gentle. Be understanding. Help them get up!

Sometimes the holiday hangover begins with a sense of wanting to make things right, to seek solace, to allow indulgence, to just have some fun! It starts with a moment of wanting empathy—for your hard day, for the stresses of your life, for not overindulging since this time last year! And that makes sense. We all deserve to be heard, held and rewarded for our valiant efforts to truck through the myriad realities of our lives with such accomplishment and aplomb!

Turning to others for empathy is also key. And knowing you have a safe place to go for that soulful rapport is what helps each of us to make change and move forward with our most challenging and our simplest objectives.

Consider the mere importance of empathy. Take a moment to think where you can reliably turn for compassion and camaraderie, not just in turning away from the sugar cravings that led to the holiday hangover, but also in contemplating why we got there. And most importantly, remember that everything in life ebbs and flows. There’s no need to go to extremes. It just takes a gentle hand to guide you back to your self-defined path.

By: Andrea Nakayama, FxNA Founder & Functional Medicine Nutritionist

Functional Nutrition Alliance provides the comprehensive online Functional Nutrition training in the Science & Art of the Functional Nutrition practice. Learn to address the roots of your clients’ suffering with client education, diet & lifestyle modifications.