How To Feel Great At Christmas

Have a glass of water with every alcoholic drink – two if it’s a large glass of wine. Have a glass of water for every coffee you drink.

Before you go to bed have a heaped teaspoon of glutamine powder (available from health food shops) and 1 gram of vitamin C. This heals the gut from the damage caused by alcohol, and helps the liver detoxify.

Whatever you eat load up on the veg. Cruciferous vegetables (Brussels sprouts, broccoli, kale, cabbage) are the best liver detoxifiers. Onions and garlic are good too.

If you are making desserts with sugar in them switch to xylitol (best value is Xylobrit, available from www.healthproductsforlife.com). Nine teaspoons has the same effect on your blood sugar as one teaspoon of sugar.

Load up on berries. Any berry is good for you. Buy frozen berries, defrost and add to cereal (great with porridge), make smoothies, or an apple and berry crumble.

Eat more oats, less wheat, as oat flakes, cold or hot as in porridge. Oat cakes instead of bread.

The best hangover cure is half a pint of watermelon juice. Blend the flesh and seeds. The outer husk cracks and sinks to the bottom. The flesh and seeds are full of anti-ageing antioxidants. You’ll feel better in minutes.

Go for a walk after a heavy meal. It helps you digest.

Forget diamonds. Your liver is your best friend. Last year over 350,000 people were admitted to hospital with alcohol-related conditions. If you’re a bit of a ‘vino’, knocking baxk a drink or two every night, and feeling tired and sluggish a lot of the time, love your liver by following my 9 Day Liver Detox (Piatkus, £10.99). Check out if you need to Detox with a simple test at www.ninedayliverdetox.com. Here’s what two volunteers reported after 9 days. “I have so much more energy and getting up in the mornings is far less painful. Digestion feels better and bowel movements are daily as opposed to twice weekly!” Jo. “My energy levels are much improved. I feel more refreshed in the morning; consequently I feel more alert. The bloatedness has gone too, and, whilst I didn’t do the programme to lose weight, I’ve lost 3lbs.” Sophia.

FIVE HABITS TO BREAK

Less alcohol – max a drink every other day.
Less caffeine – max one coffee a day. Switch to green tea or herb teas.
Less wheat – oats and brown rice are much better for your digestion and weight. They make you feel fuller for longer.
Less dairy products – many people are allergic. Try alternatives such as soya and rice milk.
Less fried and processed foods – avoid anything with ‘hydrogenated’ fat in it, or deep fried foods.

FIVE HABITS TO MAKE

Drink eight glasses of water a day. Have a glass of water when you wake up and one with each meal. Always have a glass of water with a coffee or alcoholic drink.

Load up on fruit and veg. The ideal is 7 servings a day. Eg a piece of fruit with breakfast, two as snacks, plus two servings of veg, twice a day with your main meals. Make your own New Years resolution.

Load up on superfoods. These include berries, broccoli, asparagus, plums, oily fish such as salmon, pumpkin seeds.

Take supplements every day. The basics we all need is an optimum nutrition multivitamin and mineral, plus extra vitamin C and essential fats. Try Biocare’s Optimum Nutrition Pack, formulated by Patrick (www.healthproductsforlife.com)

Exercise. Even a brisk walk gets your metabolism going. You need to exercise every other day. It helps burn fat and detoxify your body.

Patrick Holford is founder of the Institute for Optimum Nutrition in London. He is the author of over twenty health books, including The Holford Low-GL Diet and the blockbuster Patrick Holford’s New Optimum Nutrition Bible, which has sold over 1 million copies in 30 countries.