Holi is all about having fun. We eat, drink, play with colours and water, and let out the child in us. The problem is that most of us need to go for work the next day and with our bodies totally feeling the opposite, we drag ourselves through the whole week exhausted and tired. It doesn’t need to be so; we can recharge ourselves by following simple diet tips to help lift up our spirits and energise our bodies post the high-octane festival.
First and foremost, please understand that our body has a fabulous, efficient detox process. All it needs is our conscious support so that its various processes function optimally. To do so, keep in mind the following.
Diet Tips For Post Holi Detox
. Hydrate yourself: Drink lots of non-alcoholic, non-sugary fluids. Festivals usually have us drinking alcohol or sweet drinks, both of which dehydrate as they induce frequent urination. While passing urine, one also loses electrolytes which are a major cause of tiredness.
What to have:
Plain water is the best hydration fluid that your body needs. Adding some salty drinks also help you recover faster as they build up the lost electrolytes. Fresh lemon water with a little salt, fresh coconut water, clear soup, kanji are other good choices as they also help getting over hangover symptoms. Fluids also help flush out end products of metabolism, which may have accumulated with all the food bingeing.
2. Eat normal fresh homemade food:
Not only drinks but all the fried, spicy treats from the Holi parties have a tendency to throw your digestion out of order. Eating fresh light food helps settle the system while energising you with nutrients your body is craving.
What to have:
Light meals consisting of fresh seasonal vegetables, dals with minimal tadka; khichri would be a great choice and so would a light pulao with spices like jeera and ajwain, both of which will help alleviate gas and bloating. These meals also give your body the much-needed energy to start afresh.
3. Feed the gut:
The first thing that affects our mood and feeling of wellness is our gut health. If the digestion isn’t working well then one feels low because our body may not be able to absorb nutrients or because of symptoms like gas, bloating, loose motions etc.
What to have:
Lots of soft fibers from seasonal fruits, soft vegetables, whole grains that work by bulking up our stools, make our bowel movement easier. Fibers also help by providing food for the healthy bacteria to flourish. They are prebiotic in nature. Dahi or curd is another superb food for replenishing our bacteria; a potent probiotic, curd helps get the gut back on its feet. Drinks like carrot kanji provide both pre and pro biotics along with electrolytes.
4. Work out:
Exercise those muscles so that they get your heart beating faster and a better blood aka oxygen and nutrient supply reaches the cells. Exercise helps relieve cramped and tired muscles. Exercise also results in the release of ‘happy hormone and endorphin, helping wash away the post-festival blues.
What to do:
Nothing strenuous, just a gentle walk, breathing exercises, warm ups, stretching are all good enough to get going. Build on it gently and do it 5 days a week. It will also help you be ready for the next round of festivities at a better level.
5. Take rest:
Sleep, sleep and sleep. The one thing that revives the entire system is a good rest. Quality is better than quantity. Science tells us that the cycle of sleep is related to light and darkness. Light stimulates the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) of the brain that starts our body in day mode; it also regulates melatonin hormone, which starts releasing as darkness sets in.
Tips for a good sleep:
Find a nice cosy dark corner and bunk down. A glass of hot milk will give you tryptophan that triggers melatonin and serotonin, both of which induce sleep. Other things that you could try are soft music, chanting or meditating to calm down the mind.
