Prepare for New Year’s Eve with a Mid-Tox

In January, women (and some men, too) go on diets to shake off the weight they gain over the winter holidays. To avoid unhealthy detoxes and crash diets, a new, 100-hour mini-detox called mid-tox is being touted as the best thing.

One shouldn’t indulge for more than 48 hours over Christmas and almost immediately start paying attention to what one eats, in anticipation of another round of celebrations and dinner parties.

This is precisely what the mid-tox is: a way to ensure the body is cleansed and prepared for another round of excess, both culinary and in terms of alcohol consumption.

Of course, that doesn’t mean you should starve yourself the days left before New Year’s Eve. Nutritionists recommend balanced meals, lots of vegetables and, clearly, plenty of exercise, the Daily Mail writes.

“Over Christmas, one huge m­eal tends to slide into another, via ­endless snacks. Get back into the habit of eating three sensible meals a day. Set yourself some rules,” the tab writes.

“Drop all snacks until the New Year. Take a break from alcohol – which is nothing but empty calories that play havoc with your blood-sugar levels — and junk food,” the Mail further says.

Make sure you don’t deprive yourself, or your body will know it and automatically slow down its metabolism to compensate. You’re looking to receive a boost, not have your body shut down.

“Refined carbohydrates — that’s sugar, cake, biscuits and white pasta — do you no favors. Everytime you eat them, insulin is released by the body to process it, which switches on your body’s fat-storing mechanism,” says the Mail.

“Eat protein with every meal; it will help you to feel fuller for longer. That means eggs or nuts with your breakfast, a salad with chicken at lunchtime, and fish or meat for supper,” the same publication writes.

Also, don’t forget to eat your vegetables – lots of them over this period – and, of course, to work out. Holidays may mean a break in your workout routine, so you should make sure you get started on it again, there’s no use waiting for the new year to do so.