The turkey has been picked clean and the leftovers are long gone. Maybe you overdid it this holiday season, maybe you didn’t. (But come on, we know you went all out on the Piecaken.) Luckily for you, NOW has a host of health-focused foods that have the collective power to shock the eggnog out of your system with probiotics, high fibre, antioxidants and other gastrointestinal magic.
Try incorporating these ideas into your post-holiday eating, and you’ll likely notice a big difference in how you feel by the time the New Year arrives.
Kefir
Yoghurt’s big, smelly brother will do more than your average tub of Greek-style to manage the effects of holiday gluttony. Kefir is a fermented milk drink that tastes sour but packs in way more probiotics than you can likely get elsewhere. It’s pretty easy to make – all you have to do is add kefir grains to milk from a cow, goat or sheep. (Okay, there are one or two more steps after that.)
Kimchi
Sticking with fermented foods, kimchi is a staple for many Torontonians – but did you know the health benefits of this low-fat, high-fibre cabbage dish? The fermentation process brings out a variety of good bacteria and vitamins that your body needs after you’ve been stuffing yourself with dark meat like a taxidermy experiment. The best part about kimchi is that you can add it to pretty much any meal.
Dark Chocolate
No, you’re not crazy for hoarding dark chocolate in the basement. It really is as healthy as you’ve been reading about on blogs. Assuming that you keep your portion sizes reasonable, dark chocolate has been linked to a healthier heart, weight loss, reduced stress and even higher intelligence. A lot of that has to do with the lower sugar content and the fact that dark chocolate is delicious and you’re smart for agreeing with this.
Bone Broth
Don’t throw out that turkey carcass just yet. Old world wisdom says that a well-made bone broth can help heal your gut lining with natural gelatin, detoxify your liver (which you know it needs by now) and reduce your body’s craving for more protein. You can make this as a simple broth for sipping between meals or use it as the base for a hearty soup.
Fibre-Focused Rewards
Injecting these new foods into your diet all at once may be a little challenging, but you’ll probably find it a little easier if you reward yourself along the way with tasty-but-healthy snacks like Fibre 1 brownies and bars. There are a whole host of indulgent, yet healthy, recipes to create. And the 90 Calorie Chocolate Fudge Brownies are only – you guessed it – 90 calories each and they provide you with 20% of your daily value of fibre. Now that’s a recovery food we can get behind.
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