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"Christmas For One: Mental Health Over the Holidays"
My dear friend, poet Dessa Byrd Reed, often spends holidays alone as a widow. However, she doesn’t see this, as many people often do, as a depressing circumstance. In a November 2000 POETIC VOICES interview, she said, "Because I am single and...

Christmas Recipes: Cakes & Tarts. No.5 of 7 - Old Mince Pies
Christmas recipe makes: 24 pies calories per serving: 105 preparation time: 30 minutes cooking time: 25 minutes suitable for freezing Christmas recipe ingredients: * butter, 125 g (4 oz) * white flour, plain 225 g (8 oz) * mincemeat,...

Enjoy your Christmas! Backup your data files!
Hello all, and merry Christmas! You may wonder what backup has to deal with Christmas..and yet, there is something you can benefit from here, too. As the only way to enjoy your Christmas thoroughly is to spend your time as you want...

How Not To Be Disappointed This Christmas - A Practical Tip
Many years ago, when I was living in circumstances not quite like today, I invented something in the spur of the moment which is fascinating and has significantly improved my life. It actually started four months earlier, for my birthday...

Make your Christmas Shopping Hassle-free
We all know that e-commerce has improved and changed a lot especially that the Christmas season is coming. People are shopping from right to left. Say goodbye to the hassle of the good old days spent in the crowded malls. Imagine the long...

 
Beat the Bloat to look Great at Christmas

If you want to look good in your Christmas party dress the last thing you need is a swollen tummy. Plan ahead with these tips so that you look the best you can on the night

1. Avoid salt

Salty food causes you to retain water which often concentrates around your mid-section. If you want your tummy to be as flat as possible avoid salty snacks and meals for a few days before the event. Chinese food is especially heavy in sodium (the key ingredient in salt which causes you to swell) so avoid that if you want to look your best. Look out too for processed foods and ready meals which tend to be high in salt (to make up for the lack of taste). Stay well away from fast food, family restaurants and pizza places too which salt food like it was going out of fashion. Eliminate salt completely on the day of the party for best results.

2. Choose low GI foods with some protein

Starchy foods like bread and pasta tend to puff you up because they cause you to produce excess insulin. Eat only small quantities of carbohydrate foods and choose those which release energy more slowly into the body, the so-called low GI foods. These tend to be whole grains rather than white processed products. Eat some protein with each meal to keep your insulin levels steady.

3. Don't swallow air

Drinking through a straw and chewing gum introduce a lot of air into your system which ends up in your tummy causing you to bloat up. So leave them well alone. And avoid foods which you know cause you to feel "gassy".

4. Drink Water

All fizzy drinks, even diet soda will cause you to swell up due to the amount of sodium and air they contain. Instead, drink lots of water to help flush out your system - about 8 glasses a day.




5. Eat fresh Fruit and Vegetables

Fresh foods (which contain a lot of fibre) will help sweep your system clean ready for your big night out. They tend to be high in potassium too which helps regulate water balance in the body.

6. Keep your digestion healthy

Ensure you are digesting your food properly by eating your food slowly and chewing it well. Don't eat too much at one meal - smaller more regular meals are easier to digest. Also avoid drinking with your meals - drink water half an hour before or an hour afterwards. Peppermint tea may help your digestion if you have problems.

7. Help from your wardrobe

Once you've done everything you can from the inside, get all the help you can from your clothes. You can get great tummy controlling undies these days and they don't have to look like something your granny would wear. Also make sure your clothes fit your properly and skim rather than cling if you have more curves than you would like.

8. It's a wrap

If you want to look your very best, you could try a body wrap treatment at your local spa or beauty salon. They can work magic. Unfortunately these treatments are expensive and the results are only temporary. So save this one for a really special night out.

Copyright 2005, Janice Elizabeth Small

About the author:

Janice Elizabeth is a weight loss coach and author of "The Diet Exit Plan", the system that promotes permanent healthy and AUTOMATIC weight loss through making small changes to your everyday habits. Visit http://www.SimplySlimming.com/Christmas today to get the Simply Slimming FREE ezine full of tips and recipes and a 24 page special report "How to have a Great Christmas without piling on the pounds".