Christmas is over, but the holiday still hasn’t ended. There are more parties and family gatherings ahead in the next few days. Not to mention the stress of traveling back and forth to visit relatives in other cities. By the time Christmas is over, you may be drained and exhausted from all the ways you deviated from your normal routines and eating patterns. Here are 10 ways to take a time out tomorrow or the next day.

1. Sleep late.

2. Don’t plan to shop. Eat a healthy breakfast of fruit and whole grain cereal. Then go back to bed or find a comfortable chair, and simply relax with a cup of coffee or tea.

3. Hide the sweet treats. All the candy, cookies, and desserts can give you a “sugar high.” But when it starts to wear off, you feel jittery and nervous, and maybe depressed. Too much sugar is bad for you.

4. Ditch the salty snacks, ham, & sausage. When you take in more sodium than you need, your body starts to retain fluid. This excess make you feel bloated and sluggish. A fresh fruit smoothie for lunch will provide potassium to flush the salt from your system.

5. Eliminate alcohol. While you wouldn’t ordinarily drink in the afternoon, it’s likely that you’ll be offered wine, beer, or another alcoholic beverage at holiday gatherings. It makes the day more relaxing and festive. But it can also lead to lethargy the next day. Instead of alcoholic drinks today, have a glass of ice water, orange juice or a cup of hot tea.

A breath of fresh air will be invigorating — If you’re feeling sluggish, take a walk outside and fill your lungs with oxygen.

6. Go outside for a short walk, and fill your lungs with fresh air. Come back in and take a nap, If you can’t sleep during the day, try meditation and deep breathing exercises.

7. Settle down with a magazine like the Smithsonian, or read Tolstoy.

8. Don’t fix a big evening meal. Skip the evening cocktail. Make a bowl of fresh potato soup, minus the salt shaker.

9. Forget the evening news. Don’t leave the house to go anywhere. Relax with a Hallmark movie on TV.

10. Take a warm bath. Go to bed early.

Wake up the next day renewed and refreshed, ready for that big New Year’s Eve party.

Do you ever check the content of other people’s shopping carts? As a retired dietitian, I have to admit that old habits die hard. As I stand in line at the supermarket, I sometimes see warning signs of sugar addiction. Today, when I observed what a man bought, I felt like saying: ” Stop! Don’t eat so much sugar.”

Eating too much sugar and candy is bad for your health

Too much candy may be hazardous to your health

Here’s what this sugar lover had in his cart. One apple pie. Five pounds sugar. One package doughnuts. Ten packages of assorted candies. A carton of regular cola. One pound of bacon. One loaf of bread. Did I see a single piece of fresh fruit? Nope, not even a bag of grapes, which might have satisfied his sweet tooth. Salad makings? Again, nothing. No fresh tomatoes, lettuce, cucumbers or celery.

My checkout went fast, so I ended up following the sugar lover to the parking lot. Health professionals say it’s mostly low income folks–living in a food desert– who have such an unhealthy diet. Not true, in this case. The well dressed man with a sweet tooth drove a late model, upscale vehicle. His face was flushed. Small purplish bruises on his arms indicated some type of disease or medical procedure. If I had to guess, I’d say he might be a diabetic, or has some type of circulatory problem. Could be anything.. I tried to envision his next meal. A bacon sandwich, maybe? Along with a big glass of cola? Dessert, perhaps, a piece of apple pie. Later in the day, snacks: candy, candy, candy. How nutritious is that?

I guess you can get addicted to sugar. Apparently, it can give you a “sugar high,” followed by a drop in blood sugar that leaves you tired and maybe even depressed. There are at least 10 bad side effects that come from consuming too much sugar.

If your sweet tooth affects your health, it’s time to change your eating habits, and head for the grocery store produce department. .

Tag: sugar high

10 WAYS TO TAKE A TIME OUT

STOP! DON’T EAT SO MUCH SUGAR

I guess you can get addicted to sugar. Apparently, it can give you a “sugar high,” followed by a drop in blood sugar that leaves you tired and maybe even depressed. There are at least 10 bad side effects that come from consuming too much sugar.