University News Last updated 13 December 2017
Drinking water, eating bananas and ditching the fruit juice could help people deal with the excesses of Christmas party season, students and academics have said.
Academics and students on Birmingham City University’s Sports and Exercise Nutrition course have drawn up a ‘survival guide’ to help students and workers alike negotiate the festive fun without piling on too many pounds, risking illness or struggling with hangovers.
Four students worked alongside Senior Lecturer Dr Matthew Cole to look at some of the key nutrition problems associated with the Christmas period and found that toxins from alcohol, extra sugars from so-called ‘healthy’ drinks and inactivity were among the major issues.
To tackle some of the problems and keep people feeling relatively fresh over the festive period they drew up a top five survival tips:
- Drink more water – Water will flush out toxins from overindulgence, rehydrate and boost the immune system.
- Cut sugary drinks (including ‘healthy’ drinks) – While lots of chocolate and mince pies will be eaten, sugary drinks are often a hidden cause of too much sugar. Particularly steer clear of too many ‘healthy’ drinks which often contain high levels of sugar that negate many of the positives.
- Exercise – Inactivity over Christmas is a major cause of weight gain and a reduction in bone and muscle health. Exercise will also reduce toxins and have a positive impact on your mood.
- Increase vitamin intake – Eating foods rich in potassium, magnesium iron and zinc will keep you going on the dancefloor. Bananas, dried fruit and green veg should be on the agenda.
- Balance your eating – Eat a mix of macro-nutrients (e.g. carbohydrates, proteins and fats) and micro-nutrients (e.g vitamins and antioxidants). It will boost your immune system in the cold weather, reduce the risk of illness and increase oxygen levels.
Matthew Cole, Senior Lecturer in Sports and Exercise Nutrition, said: “We all know that people will be spending time partying, seeing friends and family, and having fun over Christmas, and that often comes with the drawbacks of illness, tiredness and hangovers.
“While we all know that mince pies and chocolate are going to contain high levels of sugar, what is often hidden is the amount of sugar in some healthy drinks and fruit juices.
“People often reach for the shop-bought health drink to help them deal with the evils of overindulgence but in actual fact they could be doing more harm than good and adding to their problems.”