On holiday, don’t forget to follow your gut

HILIT MILNER

Many feel that December is the pinnacle of all that they have worked for in terms of their health and wellness. At the end of the year, I tend to hear anxious quivers of, “I have worked so hard the whole year on my body, what am I going to do in December?”

The answer is simple. Live a little.

Your health – body and mind – should be a lifetime investment, not a sporadic, short-lived purchase, and letting loose over the holidays is an understandable concern. Here are some tips for feeling your best and staying on track.

Eat mindfully

Eating in a mindful way and understanding your hunger levels is a healthy way to prevent the holiday’s bottomless-stomach syndrome. It’s all about assessing how hungry you are before you reach for that juicy braaied food, and then dishing up according to your hunger and not your deceiving eyes. Try to tune into your body as much as possible, and when you reach the point of being 80% full, put your plate away. This not only prevents you from feeling overfull and uncomfortable when you should be feeling glitzed and glammed up to socialise, it helps keep your weight under control. Holidays are a great opportunity to notice the colours, textures, and flavours on your plate, and enjoy your food. It’s all about honouring your hunger, and respecting your fullness.

Beyond gut feelings

There’s nothing worse than feeling tired, bloated, and having an unsettled tummy while you are on holiday. Don’t underestimate the effect that gut health can have on feeling your best. Gut health is important for many functions such as mood stabilisation, inflammation, and detoxification. Appetite control is connected to gut-brain signalling, with the gut’s bacteria contributing to the messages being sent to your satiety and hunger centres in your brain. Evidence shows a key link between the bacteria that makes up your gut and obesity. Research also shows that your mood and anxiety levels hinge on that gut-brain connection.

Wherever you are this holiday, keep a lookout for natural sources of probiotics (fermented or pickled products such as kefir, sauerkraut, pickled vegetables, and kombucha) which naturally “plant” healthy bacteria into your gut. Also include prebiotics such as whole-grain products, asparagus, garlic, artichoke, leeks, onions, and shallots, which serve to “feed” the healthy bacteria. Lastly, it’s always an option to use apple cider vinegar as a base for your dressings to decrease the acidity building up from festive indulgences.

Stay hydrated

In between your champagne or wine sipping, be sure to stay hydrated. This is important in summer and winter. The adult body is made up of up to 60% water, and it is involved in every reaction that takes place in your body. If you don’t remain hydrated, you will deprive your body of what it needs to keep you energised, promote digestion, and keep your metabolism ticking. Water is also a key component in the natural excretion of toxins that build-up over the holidays from our kidneys and liver, preventing headaches and hangovers after a big night, as well as keeping hunger cues at bay, as often, we are thirsty not hungry.

Keep moving

What better way to explore a place than by foot. Holidays are a great opportunity to get active, whether it be hiking, swimming, biking, exploring a city, or walking on a beach. Those extra steps aren’t only an enjoyable adventure, but you will feel more energised, promote gut motility, and help keep your calories in check. Moderate exercise protects you from developing chronic diseases and regulates your metabolism.

Promote natural detoxification

There is no denying that cocktails will be drunk, braais will be enjoyed, coffee dates will be made, and overindulgence might occur. In fact, your exposure to environmental toxins might increase depending on where you go on holiday. Unfortunately, although enjoyable, these things put pressure on your innate detoxification system. This acts like a cleaning service that spruces up your Airbnb after the previous night’s mess. Just like a cleaning service needs its equipment, so too does your liver.

Although long-term impaired detoxification can result in the development of chronic diseases, over the short term, it can affect energy levels, cause headaches, and affect mood, skin, sleep, and weight regulation. Supporting your natural detoxification system doesn’t mean juice cleanses, but rather including foods that help “switch on” the genes involved in detoxing your liver as well as optimising your gut health. Try to keep coffee down to a maximum of two cups per day. Put cruciferous vegetables such as bok choy, broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, kale, and other green leafy vegetables into the spotlight. Pile up on those raw summer salads or pop them into a vegetable juice or smoothie.

Variety

Variety is key to providing your body with all the nutrients it needs for the holiday period. By choosing a variety of food items, you aren’t only keeping your meals interesting, you are also feeding your body with different nutrients. Every food group has different health benefits, while varying foods within each group provides different key nutrients needed for optimal health and wellness.

Plate up those vegetables

Try to have one vegetable-heavy meal a day. Alternatively, always ensure you have a side of vegetables included in a meal, and make sure some of them are raw. Vegetables are loaded with antioxidants, minerals, and vitamins. They also provide the fibre needed to keep your gut healthy and stabilise blood sugar, keeping you fuller for longer.

Review your restaurants

Eating out often is a holiday fact. Slowly but surely, those restaurant meals add up. Don’t forget to re-think your drink, choosing ones that are lower in sugar. Check out the menu, and weigh up your options. Try choosing a grilled piece of protein with a low GI starch and/or a side salad. Tread lightly with creamy dishes, dressings and rich, fried food choices. Going for the pasta or a dessert? That’s great. Remember that it’s always an option to share these dishes with someone else, and when you do enjoy them, which you should, eat mindfully, whole-heartedly, and without guilt.

Oh wait, I forgot one thing. Enjoy. Relax. Recharge. Isn’t that what holidays are for?

• Hilit Milner is a registered clinical dietitian who runs a private practice, works in a top private hospital, and has founded a wellness blog called ‘Sunrise by HM’. She views health holistically, starting from a cellular level and working her way out.