Les preguntamos a los nutricionistas sobre sus estrategias de desintoxicación post-vacaciones

Post-holiday detox tips: what nutritionists do

This is also the beauty of vacation: letting go. During the holidays, we all overindulge, even at the table: a few extra aperitifs, the customary dessert at the end of the meal, long dinners with friends. How can you remedy this after returning to deflate and regain your energy? We asked six of our trusted nutritionists.

Each of them suggested nutritional strategies, daily and nightly rhythms to restore hormonal balance, foods to choose (and avoid) to restore our gut microbiota, and no detox. Because, as they all reminded us, there's no such thing as a detox diet: it's the liver, kidneys, and physiological mechanisms that cleanse our bodies. To do this properly, our job is to eat healthily and in a balanced way, which also means avoiding unnecessary fasting or impossible sacrifices.

1. "Put things in order, without overdoing it."

"No detox, no guilt, no compensations: instead, upon returning, I organize my sleep schedule, try to move more, and return to a varied and predominantly Mediterranean diet, rich in plant-based foods and uncomplicated. I limit the things that may have become more frequent during the holidays: alcohol, sugary drinks, snacks, sweets; because these foods should only occupy an occasional place in my diet," says Laura Rossi, director of the Food, Nutrition, and Health Department at the Istituto Superiore di Sanità. "During a typical day, I don't follow a rigid schedule: I try to distribute foods in a balanced way, adapting them to my commitments. For example, yogurt doesn't necessarily have to be for breakfast: I also like it for lunch, especially when it's still warm, perhaps with whole-wheat bread and a tomato salad for a complete meal. Snacks? Only if I'm hungry; there's no need to do so because it's "planned." Moreover, if I feel like it, I also have a small ice cream as a snack: returning to good habits doesn't mean turning September into a month of sacrifices."

2. «Start from the microbiota»

"No fasting or punitive diets, I start with the gut microbiota: after a few days of excess, my first goal is to restore balance to the gut," explains Ilenia Grieco, nutritionist and founder of the Private Nutrition method. "So I start with variety: seasonal vegetables and fruits, whole grains, legumes, and various fibers. It's precisely the diversity of plant-based foods that helps nourish an equally diverse microbial community. I also include extra virgin olive oil, which I use daily, especially at breakfast, pseudocereals like millet and quinoa, fish, eggs, lupins, and good-quality proteins. At the same time, I increase my hydration and eliminate added sugars and ultra-processed foods. At the same time, I get back on track with my daily routine: sleep, exercise, and regular meals. This also gives me renewed energy."

3. "Eliminate the superfluous"

"I don't add anything in particular; if anything, I take away. After a period of eating and drinking differently than usual, there's no need to "detox," because our bodies already have the organs and mechanisms required for this. Instead, it can be helpful to regain balance and routine," explains Romina Cervigni, scientific director of the Valter Longo Foundation. "For me, it means going back to eating as I usually do, paying attention to hunger and satiety, staying well hydrated, and spontaneously reducing the foods and drinks that were a bit more prevalent during the holidays. First of all, I try to drink lots of water and regain good regularity in my meals. In my typical day, I choose simple foods: for breakfast, for example, a cold porridge; for lunch, legumes, fish, lots of vegetables, and a source of carbohydrates like bread or cereal for dinner, with fresh and dried fruit as an afterthought. I also try to return as soon as possible to leaving about 12 hours between the end of dinner and breakfast the next day. The point for me is this: regaining balance and routine, without excess."

4. «Focus on rebalancing»

"I also start by eliminating the superfluous: the first habit I have upon returning from vacation is to completely eliminate alcohol, including that Saturday night glass of wine, and all ultra-processed foods, such as packaged ice cream, a classic summertime staple, or cured meats, a classic appetizer," says nutritionist Linda Marré. "For the rest, my diet returns to the usual balanced one, but with a few extra precautions in the first few days. Breakfast is always rich because it's important to get off to a good start, so I alternate, for example, porridge and oats with yogurt and fresh and dried fruit; lunch is complete with complex carbohydrates, light proteins like those from oily fish and legumes, and lots of vegetables, while for dinner I avoid bread, pasta, or potatoes (but you can also do the opposite). Finally, I go back to being very careful with condiments, using only raw extra virgin olive oil or tahini for hummus, dosing them with a spoon." Following habits like these for at least a couple of weeks has no side effects, it's not difficult and above all it's useful because it helps you to deflate and feel more energetic."

5. "Forget about the drinks and punitive diets"

"I repeat: detox, understood as a cleanse through juices, herbal teas, or particularly restrictive diets, scientifically does not exist. There are no detox foods either: the benefit comes from the overall quality of your diet," says Dr. Carola Dubini, research biologist and nutritionist at the Endocrinology Unit and the Clinical Nutrition and Cardiometabolic Prevention Service at the IRCCS Policlinico San Donato in Milan. "After the holidays, we're not 'intoxicated': more simply, for many people, their sleep patterns, physical activity, and eating habits change. The goal should be to return to normal, remembering first and foremost to stay hydrated by drinking about 1.5-2 liters of water a day and to include fiber at every meal to restore intestinal regularity. Fiber is found in whole grains and vegetables, which should always be present on your 'healthy plate', along with good-quality proteins and fats in the quantities appropriate to your needs. What's important, however, is to also forget about punitive diets: skipping meals, fasting, or resorting to liquid diets after the excesses of the holidays are not the right strategy. The risk is simply arriving at the following meals feeling excessively hungry and establishing an even more conflictual relationship with food.

6. "Plan simple, healthy, satisfying meals."

A practical example? Here's a typical day suggested by Jessica Falcone, a nutrition biologist at the IRCCS San Raffaele Hospital and RAF Points. "For breakfast, a plain yogurt with oat flakes, a portion of fresh fruit, a few walnuts, and a teaspoon of chia seeds. You can also have sweetened coffee or tea if you can't give up sugar. For a snack, a seasonal fruit, possibly accompanied by a small handful of dried fruit, or a yogurt. A farro salad with cherry tomatoes, zucchini, arugula, chickpeas, and extra virgin olive oil for lunch, a simple one-dish meal rich in fiber and a good combination of carbohydrates, protein, and healthy fats. For dinner, baked fish such as sea bream or steamed anchovies (blue fish) with seasonal vegetables and a portion of whole-wheat bread. Last but not least, water: drinking is essential."