Did you over-indulge during the festive season? Too much alcohol, too many mince pies, chocolates and snacks, or maybe just a few too many big heavy meals eaten late at night?
(Btw, we all did!)
If your digestion is now struggling and you’ve put on a few extra pounds, you might have already planned yourself a healthy dry January when you cut out everything “bad” from your diet to get your flat tummy back and to feel healthy again…? Maybe you are determined to start a juice cleanse or a detox diet with BIG promises to lose those extra pounds…?
STOP right there!
Not only are these restrictive diets extremely hard to do, particularly in the cold winter moths when your body craves and needs comforting and nourishing foods, but they can also do more harm than good. You really don’t need to punish yourself with a detox diet just because you allowed yourself some festive enjoyment!
Start supporting your body every single day
Every day, our bodies are exposed to thousands of compounds, naturally occurring and synthetic, that need to be eliminated safely from the body. Some of these compounds are naturally occurring in the body as by-products of metabolism, some come from the diet (alcohol, caffeine, heavy metals, pesticides, burned foods…) and some from the environment and the lifestyles we lead (e.g. medications, air pollution, plastics, synthetic chemicals in cosmetics and cleaning products, furnishings…).
The body has several systems that are working hard every single second to make toxic compounds less harmful and ready for removal from the body. These are organs such as the liver, kidneys, skin, lungs, lymphatic system and the gut microbiome; the liver being the body’s main detoxification organ. But all of these systems need our support every single day to function optimally.
A short-term restrictive detox diet or juice cleanse is not going to help these systems in the long run. It’s much better to help them every day with simple, sensible dietary and lifestyle choices that are much easier than restrictive diets.
My top tips for supporting the body’s detox functions all year round:
- Become more aware of what your body’s toxic load is, i.e. where are toxic compounds coming into your body, so you can then start reducing your exposure.
- Eat a nutrient-dense real food diet that provides all the nutrients needed for optimal detoxification.
- Switch to organic as much as you can, to avoid chemicals used in conventional farming.
- Reduce your alcohol and caffeine consumption.
- Eat your daily greens (and particularly brassicas and leafy greens).
- Make sure your bowels are regular.
- Get an efficient water filter to remove chemicals from your tap water (avoid water bottled in plastic).
- Sweat regularly (e.g. exercise or saunas).
- Switch to natural cleaning products and cosmetics.
Want to learn more about detoxification, nutrition and healthy diet? Visit my website (below) or come and join me on Facebook @metawell or @Healthy New You For Life and Instagram @minna.wood.
To get advice for adopting a healthy eating plan that supports your body’s natural detoxification systems, gut health and overall health, book your free 30-minute mini-consultation with Minna here: https://calendly.com/metawell/
