How to enjoy the festivities, prepare your liver and avoid the difficult day after

 This festive period is the occasion of long and very rich meals. With these excesses our digestive system can struggle and it may results in nausea, bloating, spasms, head aches, deep fatigue, weigh gain etc…

 

Before:

¯  A week before: 30 drops of milk thistle tincture 3 times a day: protect the liver and help the digestion.

¯  Mono diets (optional): 1 or 2 evenings per week: homemade thick vegetable soup or stock, or whole grain rice, or large plate of cooked vegetables or a warm homemade apple sauce (no sugar or sweetener)

¯  Before the big meal: 3 capsules of activated vegetable charcoal: absorbs toxic substances, avoids bloating and discomfort from excess.

¯  Avoid mixing alcohol

¯  Drink slowly. Alternate a glass of water between the glasses of wine.

¯  Eat slowly: take the time to chew well and enjoy your food. Stop to eat when you don’t enjoy the taste anymore.

¯  Hot bottle on the liver: after lunch or during the night, an excellent remedy for your digestion!

The day after:

Give some rest to your digestive system:

¯  First thing: A large glass of warm/hot water to re-hydrate your body, add some lemon juice.

¯  Break fast: fresh fruits, fruit compote and whole grain toast

¯  Lunch: salads, fish and steamed vegetables

¯  Dinner: you can choose to eat only vegetables, fresh vegetables juices or soups. A bowl of wholemeal rice can be added to the meal.

Your liver will be at rest during the night, and this will help you to have a strong immune system and to feel more energetic.

¯  It is indispensable to provide a proper hydration to your body by drinking lots of warm drinks as herbal infusion (rosemary, fennel, lime blossom, nettle, peppermint, green tea…) and water.

 

* These recommendation doesn’t apply for children and you must consult a specialist if you on a specific treatment.

 

Merry Christmas and happy New Year!

 

Florence McVeigh

Naturopath

Get ready for the exams

Get ready for the exams

The dead line for the exams is very close. Eating and sleeping better is an important asset to succeed this important passage:

Help for the memory, learning and concentration:

Invite to your table the vitamins from B group: particularly B1 and B12 improve concentration and memory. Also allowing a good functioning of the nervous system, as stress (the good stress!) can increase energy and enthusiasm when we don’t let emotions taking over.

So, top up with wholegrain cereals, oleaginous (nuts, walnuts, almonds…) etc.

Food rich in vitamins, oligo-elements (element traces) and minerals (fresh fruits and vegetables, seafood, oleaginous…) are great allies for the good functioning of the body.

Don’t forget the oily fish and cold pressed oils for the brain.

Improve the concentration and clear mind

A blend of essential oils in a little bottle to use different way

Essential oil of Thyme (thujanol) – 20 drops

Essential oil of peppermint – 10 drops

Essential oil of Basil – 10 drops

Virgin oil of Apricot – 50 drops

- Use in a essential oil diffuser

- Put 4 drops of the blend on the solar plexus (on the stomach between the last ribs), morning and evening

- put 3 drops on the inside of the wrist 2 to 3 times/day and breathe deeply

If you tend to have a hard time to concentrate and focussed: a drop of Spruce Black (Picea Marianna) on the inside of you wrists when studying or during exam will ground your energy and you will keep focussed.

Keep calm, cut short fear

Avoid coffee, alcohol, sodas, tobacco… stimulants will not boost, but perturb your faculties, make you having agitated sleep and irritable mood.

You can not afford to be on edge and cut off you sleeping time, it is better to be in good form on the Day.

Try herb teas of passiflora, hop, hawthorn, valerian, orange blossom… all of these plants have sedative and relaxing aiming in the end of the day.

With essential oils, few drops of good quality lavender, mandarin or ylang ylang (on the pillow, on the plexus or in the diffuser) are a great help to calm the stress.

To free tensions, improve confidence in you capacity to succeed

Do sport: when we need all our mental power, nothing is better than getting some air and do sport. It is an excellent way to give a rest to your brain and change your mind. Enjoy some ray of sun to go for a walk, running, cycling, play ball… do you favourite activity to free your tensions. Breath deeply to relax and to give you a new impulse of energy.

Don’t forget - relaxation + sport + revising will be the recipe for success!