We’ve all been there—it’s the first week of the new year, and you’ve just spent the past two months flip-flopping between trying to eat healthy and indulging in all the sweet and savory dishes of the season (including a cocktail or two… or three…). Whether you’re just feeling a little out of sorts after the holidays or you’ve come to the realization that your diet needs an entire overhaul, you’re in the right place! We called on two of our go-to nutritionists to give us some sage advice on how to reset our routine post-holiday, and their tips did not disappoint.

We know it can be intimidating to face much-needed changes to your diet, but trust us—there’s no need to get cold feet just yet! If there’s one thing we’ve learned from working with nutritionists over the years, it’s that small changes can make the biggest difference. So if one of your New Year’s resolutions is to make meaningful (but do-able) changes to your diet, then keep scrolling to read a few tips from our personal nutritionists, Kelly LeVeque of Be Well By Kelly, and Kara Griffin of Feel This With Kara. These post-holiday changes will reset your healthy routine in no time…

Sip yourself back into balance!

“Opt to shut down lingering cravings post-holiday with a protein, fat and fiber-based green smoothie! Protein, fat, and fiber all support blood sugar balance by slowing the absorption rate of glucose. They also calm over 6 hunger-related hormones. Unfortunately, one of the side effects of high blood glucose is increased hunger, so a protein, fat and fiber-based meal will not only lower cravings but it also satisfies craving burn, calming over 8 hunger hormones in the body.

“Don't blend up a smoothie loaded with fruit and dates along with the protein, or you will be defeating the purpose of it. The goal is to go low sugar and low starch to bring elevated glucose down.” – Kelly LeVeque

Spa Smoothie

Here’s our go-to smoothie recipe, straight from Kelly to get your post-holiday reset kicked into gear…

Ingredients:

• 1/4 avocado
• 2 Tbsp. chia or flax seeds
• 1 small Persian cucumber
• 1/4 cup fresh mint leaves
• 1 handful of spinach
• 1 lemon, freshly juiced
• 1 scoop vanilla protein powder
• 2 cups unsweetened nut milk

Directions:

Add all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Enjoy!

Wake up and hydrate.

“Wake up and drink two large glasses of water to help flush out your system and lower blood glucose levels. It’s especially important if you have been drinking alcohol and might be dehydrated. When you’re dehydrated the volume of blood decreases and the blood glucose remains the same meaning you have more concentrated blood sugar. Drinking water (10 glasses a day post-holiday) can increase blood volume and decrease glucose concentration.” – Kelly LeVeque

“Drink up! …and not just the leftover bubbly or eggnog. Staying super hydrated with filtered water and adding supplemental drinks like tea will make a big difference in how you're processing foods post-holiday. Go for teas that include dandelion root, ginger, turmeric, lemon peel, milk thistle and/or chai spices.” – Kara Griffin

Move baby…move.

“Start your morning with a fasted workout to help bring glucose levels down. (You read that right!) You don’t need to eat before your workout because yourmusclesare already full with the glycogen needed for a workout. Pick your favorite workout and get moving to burn up stored glycogen in your muscles and bring down elevated blood glucose. No need to HIIT your way back into balance, but movement is mandatory to burn up elevated glucose.” – Kelly LeVeque

“Hit the bricks. While it would be ideal to stay in our normal workout routine during the holidays, they don't usually lend themselves to consistency. So, especially after all that holiday rest time, regular exercise as well as a long walk after meals with friends or family will be rejuvenating for body and soul come New Year.” – Kara Griffin

AMVAP

“We may knowAMRAPfrom the workout world as being As Many Reps As Possible but I like to go with AMVAP: As Many Vegetables As Possible. It's a nice little pneumonic device to use while preparing all meals and snacks during and after the holidays.” – Kara Griffin

Dare we say, pop a pill?!

“A lot of holiday foods don't fall into the anti-inflammatory category with all the sugar, processed grains, cured meats and dairy present but (along with your healthy teas) you can fight holiday-derived inflammation just by popping a pill. Grab a turmeric supplementlike this one in pill formorthis one in powder formto help curb your body's inflammatory response. If you find your own turmeric supplement, make sure it has black pepper as an ingredient to increase effectiveness.” – Kara Griffin

Take a probiotic.

“We all get run down during the holidays. Up your immunity, digestion and gut health at the beginning of the new year by supplementing with healthy bacteria.” – Kara Griffin


Thanks Kelly and Kara! We’re feeling the positive effects of these changes already, and don’t plan on stopping these healthy habits any time soon.

How do you reset your diet after the holidays?

You can visit Kelly’s website here, or follow her on Instagram @bewellbykelly.

And see more from Kara’s website here, or follow her on Instagram @feelthiswithkara.

Here’s to a healthy and happy 2018…

Xx Team GM

Photos: Jessi Burrone for GrayMalin.com, Be Well By Kelly