The end-of-year celebrations often rhyme with meals that are ultra-rich in fat and sugar. It is important not to deprive yourself of it because it is important to take advantage of these moments of pleasure and conviviality. But in order not to damage his health capital, these dietary excesses must remain exceptional events and be spaced out by at least five days, assures Doctor Réginald Allouche, doctor, biomedical engineer and author of the book “The Hepato-detox method” which comes to be reissued by Albin Michel editions. If you plan to celebrate at the table on December 31, do not make any deviations just before or after.
Should we tighten our belts in anticipation of New Year’s Eve?
Dr REGINALD ALLOUCHE. No, it’s not much use. Pretox, the skipping of a meal or two before a festive dinner, is a buzzword that has recently appeared in the media, but has no medical reason to exist. The best way to detoxify your liver and help it deal with the looming overabundance is to exercise. A liter and a half of blood passes through the liver per minute at rest. When you practice a physical activity, you increase your cardiac output and therefore the amount of blood purified by the liver, which increases your ability to calmly face the deluge of calories to come. On the other hand, I advise against overindulging the day before or the day before a festive meal because the body will put in place compensation mechanisms that will reduce its sensitivity to the satiety hormone (leptin) and the lead to overeating for several days in a row. To spare your liver, a period of at least five days between two gaps must be respected.
What precautions to take on D-Day?
It is useless to impose too many frustrations on festive evenings, especially if one observes a good nutritional balance on a daily basis the rest of the year. It is still preferable to remain vigilant on alcohol, in particular in the event of regular taking of drugs, which already tire the liver: two glasses of maximum tannic red wine or vintage champagne. The latter contains less sugar (3 g/100 g on average) than the non-vintage (6 to 12 g/100 g). And to promote good fat digestion, I recommend drinking a Lebanese-style white coffee after the meal (a tablespoon of orange blossom water dissolved in a cup of hot water).
And what menu to favor the next day?
The main mistake is to finish the leftovers, because it amounts to chaining two New Year’s Eve meals. It is best to save them for later and opt for a semi-liquid meal, based on broth, green vegetables and pulses. Fruit juices are not recommended insofar as they deliver a lot of free fructose (without fiber) which tends to further clog the liver, put to the test by the end of year festivities.