I hope you had a very Happy Christmas and spent plenty of quality time with loved ones over the past few days.
I really enjoyed Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Stephen’s Day with my family, with plenty of eating delicious food, jokes, laughter and fun. That’s what it’s all about!
But if you’re feeling the festive pinch in your jeans (and not just your wallet!), then I recommend that you focus on drinking plenty of water, reduce alcohol and caffeine, limit refined sugar and processed carbs as much as you can, and try adding these two superstar foods to your diet this week to help reduce water retention and get you feeling back to normal in no time š
1. Celery:
This is a rather divisive vegetable as not everybody likes the flavour of celery. I don’t love it, so I just sneak it into smoothies where the flavour is masked but all of the beauty-boosting goodness of celery remains, including alkalising minerals like calcium, magnesium and potassium. Lightly steaming celery also helps to preserve its nutrients.
Thanks to the balanced quantities of potassium and natural sodium in it, stored-up bodily fluids are flushed out via your kidneys, really helping to reduce water retention especially in your abdomen, ankles and under the eyes. I find celery especially helpful when I’m suffering with PMS bloating for a few days each month and the waistband of my jeans is tighter!
Celery (and parsley too) contains a bioactive compound called polyacetylene, which studies have found to be anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial, and this helps to balance your system. It also protects our digestive system from inflammation, with a unique compound called apiuman, responsible for producing these benefits.
The antioxidants like vitamin C and flavonoids in celery help to preserve youthful skin, especially around your eyes, and research has found at least twelve other types of antioxidants in celery, which help protect your cells, blood and organs from damage.
Another category of phytonutrients found in celery are called phthalates, which are one of the main reasons for its unique taste. Phthalates can work to relax your smooth muscles and nervous system, and they also act as diuretics, further lowering blood pressure and reducing swelling.
Celery supports your liver and kidneys by processing and removing toxins.
2. Asparagus:
One of the best diuretic veggies there is, have you ever noticed how eating asparagus can make your pee smell?! This is nothing to worry about, as it’s simply caused by an acid in asparagus reacting to cause the odour.
As a powerful detoxifying vegetable, it can help alleviate painful kidney and urinary tract infections. But it’s extremely effective in diminishing bloating in your body as well as puffiness under your eyes, which can sometimes be caused from consuming too much salt.
Asparagus contains 288 milligrams of potassium per cup and is naturally low in salt, which balances out your blood electrolytes, boosts kidney function and banishes the bloat. The high levels of fibre found in asparagus also helps detoxification by keeping your digestive tract cleansed, and is a good source of vitamin A for tissue repair and healthy skin.
But if you’re not a fan of either of these veggies, then try my tasty Bloat-Banishing Smoothie to really cleanse your system and expel uncomfortable stored fluid š
