Beat the Bulge and Bags After the Booze and Baked Goods

Whether it is from all the holiday parties throughout the month or from your one big cheat day on Christmas, the wine, the cookies, the candy all leave you looking as puffy as Santa and as sluggish and grumpy as the Grinch. Dr. Perricone, a favorite on this site, has provided a diet for those who want a quick fix to all the harm they have done to their bodies. The diet specifically focuses on reducing inflammation in the body which will make you look and feel better. During the holiday festivities, you are doing two of the worst things you can possibly do to your skin. You are eating a pro-inflammatory diet which includes a lot of sugar and starches and consuming excess amounts of alcohol. These things lead to a rise in blood sugar which results in inflammation. When our blood sugar rapidly spikes, it destroys the collagen in our skin leaving it stiff and dry. Dr. Perricone's three day diet uses foods with high levels of natural anti-inflammatories and antioxidants to reverse the damage that was done. You must eat the two meals Dr. Perricone recommends for three days in a row, and the third meal must be a meal that does not include pro-inflammatory foods (sugars and starches). One meal must contain the miracle food, salmon. Salmon has a high level of omega-3 fatty acids that are very powerful anti-inflammatories. One of the other meals must contain dark, leafy greens such as romaine lettuce, and also contain a dressing of oil and lemon.  The dark greens have a very high level of antioxidants that are natural anti-inflammatories. Lemon juice and oil are also great antioxidants. And this diet also includes dessert! Dessert should be a serving of berries such as raspberries, blueberries, or strawberries and a slice of cantaloupe melon. These fruits are high in antioxidants and don't cause a rapid rise in your blood sugar like some other fruits do (such as bananas). Along with these foods, Dr. Perricone says it's vital to drink 8 to 10 glasses of water a day to have the best results.