If last night left your feeling a little over-indulged, there are a few things you can do to feel a better. Excessive sugar or too much salty or fatty foods are a sure-fire ways to wake up the next next morning feeling sluggish or bloated.What's more, eating too much the day before can really throw off any "rebound dieting" you want to do the next day.
Ashley Solomon, PsyD., founder of Nourishing the Soul says that excessive eating the day before can cause "changes in blood sugar that can lead to increased cravings and further binge eating. Specifically, what happens when we eat a large meal or binge is that our blood sugar levels rise to dangerous levels, prompting our pancreases to produce insulin to reduce this level. The result is low blood sugar that can cause someone to feel shaky and irritable and to experience intense cravings due to brain signals indicating one needs. Eating protein and fiber the next day can be helpful in regulating the blood sugar levels and reducing cravings."
There are few additional things you can do the day after a you eat a king-size feast. Get on the fast track to feeling somewhat normal by picking up on the following tips:
1) Water with Lemon Juice: Absolutely positively start your day off with water. You should do this every morning anyway, but if you're not, today's the day to start. Shoot for at least 12 to 16 ounces. Add about one or two tablespoons of lemon juice to a tall glass of room temperature water. Lemon juice has been touted for its natural, yet effective detoxifying qualities.
2) Raw Veggies: Eating any vegetables is good, but here are a few vegetables that make the list : broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, cabbage and carrots. If you're not a fan of raw vegetables, lightly steam the vegetables. If you over cook, you loose a lot of the nutrients that make these vegetables so great in the first place.
3) Watch the Salt: If you rolled out of bed feeling like a water balloon, and want to get rid of that bloated feeling...put down the salt shaker. Sodium causes fluid retention. Chances are, you're likely to get enough naturally-occurring salt in the foods you eat without having to add more.
4) Exercise: Push up your heart rate a little and work up a sweat - get moving. Exercise helps to increase circulation, and get blood flow to the muscles. It's also important to note that every minute exercise makes you sweat, you're releasing some of the built up toxins in your body.
5) Eat Right: Eat several small meals throughout the day. As Dr. Solomon mentioned above, include protein and fiber in the foods you eat. Oatmeal with low fat milk, grilled chicken with vegetables, or black beans and tomato wrapped inside of a whole wheat tortilla are a few easy meals.
