Recipes to Eat If You Overeat

November 29, 2019

We’ve all been left a little (ok, sometimes a lot) overstuffed after a big holiday meal. If you did overdo it—don’t sweat it. One day of overeating won’t damage your health. Lucky for us, there are several antioxidant-rich foods that can help with that food hangover feeling. Fruits, berries, spices and vinegar can fight off free-radical damage and help keep your blood sugar in check after a meal that’s just a bit too big. Try out some of our antioxidant-packed recipes to help your body recover.

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Anti-Inflammatory Cherry-Spinach Smoothie

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This healthy smoothie is not only delicious—it also boosts your daily dose of anti-inflammatory foods. It starts with a base of creamy gut-friendly kefir and includes cherries, which can lower the inflammatory marker C-reactive protein. Heart-healthy fats in avocado, almond butter and chia seeds deliver additional anti-inflammatory compounds to the body, while spinach offers a mix of antioxidants that sweep up harmful free radicals. Fresh ginger adds zing, plus a compound called gingerol, which preliminary studies suggest may improve inflammatory markers of heart disease if consumed daily.

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Apple Cider Vinegar Tonic

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This weight-loss tonic might help you slim down, even though it's not a quick fix for healthy habits. Apple cider vinegar's sour flavor (the acetic acid) may help you eat less and stay more satisfied. Green tea has caffeine and antioxidants that may help boost fat loss. Ginger might help you burn more calories. And maple syrup adds a touch of natural sweetness to this hydrating drink. Add this tonic to your diet in addition to sensible eating and exercise to help boost your weight-loss efforts.

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Purple Fruit Salad

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Serve this refreshing fruit salad featuring juicy plums, grapes and berries on its own or with other colorblock fruit salads (like red, green and orange) for a fun, crowd-pleasing rainbow side dish.

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Soothing Ginger-Lemon Tea

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Take a moment out of your day to savor this soothing tea made with lemon peel, ginger, and green tea.

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Basic Green Soup

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This chard and spinach soup gets complex flavor from slowly cooked onions and lemon juice, while a sprinkle of rice gives it body and a velvety texture. Serve with a swirl of fruity, fragrant extra-virgin olive oil for richness.

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Skillet Lemon Chicken & Potatoes with Kale

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This easy one-pan skillet-roasted lemon chicken is perfect for weeknight dinners. Juicy chicken thighs are cooked in the same pan as baby potatoes and kale for a satisfying meal with the added bonus of minimal cleanup.

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Seven-Layer Fruit Salad

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Layering colorful chopped fruits in a straight-sided trifle bowl gives a refreshing fruit salad a stunning presentation. It's a company-worthy brunch recipe and would also be a star at any potluck picnic.

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Healthy Detox Salad

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Skip the cleanse and eat this instead. Packed with veggies, avocado and seeds, this healthy salad recipe is bursting with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Everything can be prepared ahead of time except the avocado. If you love beets, shred one raw and add it to the salad for extra color, crunch and flavor. Excerpted from The Dinner Plan by Kathy Brennan and Caroline Campion, published by ABRAMS © 2017.

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Green Fruit Salad

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Serve this refreshing fruit salad featuring juicy melon, grapes and kiwi on its own or with other colorblock fruit salads (like red, purple and orange) for a fun crowd-pleasing rainbow side dish.

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Veggistrone

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This vegetable-packed minestrone soup recipe is inspired by a popular Weight Watchers vegetable soup recipe. It makes a big pot of soup, so keep some in the refrigerator for up to 5 days and freeze the rest in single-serve portions. That way you always have an easy, delicious vegetable soup to start your meal or to eat for lunch. Think of this vegetable minestrone recipe as a starting point for other healthy soup variations, too: toss in leftover chopped cooked chicken or whole-wheat pasta or brown rice to make it more satisfying.

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Strawberry-Blueberry-Banana Smoothie

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A smoothie with strawberries, blueberries and banana is delicately sweet and entirely kid-friendly, even with a boost of protein from hemp seeds. Freeze the fruits ahead of time for an extra frosty texture once blended.

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Flat-Belly Salad

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This salad is a helpful tool for weight loss because it provides a good balance of fiber, protein and healthy fats from loads of veggies and beans, all tossed in a tangy apple-cider vinaigrette. To meal-prep these for lunch throughout the week, pack the dressing and the salad separately and make sure your veggies are throughly dried before packing them together.

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Strawberry-Lemon Thyme Soup

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Sweet strawberries are paired with aromatic lemon thyme in this beautiful chilled soup recipe that's perfect for special occasions.

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Chickpea Curry (Chhole)

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Made with convenient canned beans, this quick and healthy Indian recipe is an authentic chickpea curry that you can make in minutes. If you want an additional vegetable, stir in some roasted cauliflower florets. Serve with brown basmati rice or warm naan.

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Yogurt-Fruit Parfaits

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This yogurt parfait makes a great snack for after school but it's also a nice healthy dessert choice for after dinner. It's light, fresh, and full of fruit, and you'll love the contrast of crunchy toasted nuts in each spoonful.

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Turmeric Latte

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Studies on turmeric's health benefits, particularly for reducing inflammation, are preliminary but promising. Try this vegan turmeric latte made from steamed almond milk and sweetened with a touch of maple syrup.

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Moroccan Lentil Soup

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Like most soups, this healthy Moroccan lentil soup recipe gets better with time, so make it a day ahead if you can—or try our easy slow cooker/crock pot recipe variation.

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Fruit with Cider Sauce

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Try this recipe of pineapple, grapefruit, kiwi, and jicama chilled in spiced cider the next time you need a fruity and refreshing side dish.

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Winter Greens Salad with Pomegranate & Kumquats

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Kumquats deliver a piquant burst of citrus, especially when eaten skins, seeds and all. Here we toss them with a trio of greens for their vivid orange color as much as their zestiness. Pomegranate seeds and pistachios bring a jewel­like finish.

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Pineapple-Grapefruit Detox Smoothie

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Pineapple, grapefruit and spinach are packed with water and minerals, which can help hydrate you and supply your body with a bounty of fiber too. Electrolyte-rich coconut water is a refreshing dairy-free substitute for yogurt or milk. If you have time, freeze the coconut water into cubes for an extra-frosty smoothie.

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