If you have succumbed to overindulgences during the holiday period (and in reality – who didn’t?) then chances are you are feeling a bit lethargic and clogged up on the inside. The combination of alcohol, sugary treats and desserts, refined snack foods, barbeques and the odd takeaway meal can place an added burden on our organs of elimination and generally make us feel a bit blah! So rather than embarking on a gruelling and complicated detox programme – which is the last thing you need if you are trying to settle into work and home routines and are already feeling less than fit, here are a few tips that can help you feel as chipper as you did just a few weeks ago before the holidays started.
1. Drink plenty of water to help flush toxins out and rehydrate all your cells. Water assists with our digestive processes, transports nutrients throughout our body, improves brain function as well as improving the appearance of your skin. Our bodies are comprised of over 70% water, with our brain being around 80% water, making it particularly vulnerable to dehydration. Aim to drink at least 8-10 glasses of filtered, pure water daily. Don’t wait until you are thirsty, as once you feel this you are already dehydrated. A good indicator is the colour of your urine – the darker it is, the more dehydrated you are (but remember that some B complex supplements change the colour of urine). Herbs teas such as ginger or green tea assist digestion and toxin removal.
2. Become a greenie! Green vegetables such as kale, swiss chard, collard broccoli, sprouts and beetroot (not green, I know, but eat the tops too), dandelion, artichokes, barley and wheat grass as well as spirulina or chlorella smoothies all help with detoxing. This is because they provide chlorophyll which assists with the removal of toxins and supports the liver.
3. Have a morning citrus shot! Lemons and limes kick-start the digestive tracts enzyme activity as well as supporting the livers detox processes. Squeeze some juice into a glass of warm water first thing in the morning.
4. Taking a course of natural digestive enzymes will also improve and rebalance those overloaded digestive processes. If you are feeling bloated and flatulent, throw some probiotics into the mix too to rebalance the internal environment of your intestines. Digestive enzymes and probiotics are readily available from health stores and pharmacies.
5. Up the antioxidants – fresh fruits and veges provide these (especially the brightly coloured purple, red, orange and yellow ones) as well as supplements that help to neutralise the toxins and protect healthy body cells from damage.
6. Dry body brushing – this stimulates and cleanses our skin - the body’s largest eliminative organ, by unclogging pores and removing dead skin cells, as well as activating our lymphatic system – another key system for detoxing. Using a loofah, mitt or soft-bristled brush, lightly brush your skin starting from your fingers and toes and moving in toward your heart. Follow this process with a warm shower to further boost circulation and assist with moving lymphatic fluid. The lymphatic system runs parallel to our circulatory vessels (technically it is part of the circulatory system) and removes and filters excess fluid, waste, debris, dead blood cells, pathogens and toxins from cells and tissues, as well as working with the circulatory system to deliver nutrients, oxygen, and hormones from the blood to body cells.
7. Eat plenty of fibre – whole grain rice, rice bran, oats, or even a psyllium or flax fibre supplement. Fibre assists with removing toxins from the bowel and keeps you regular.
8. Zinc acts as a co-factor for many of our body’s enzyme systems (enzymes are like the body’s spark plugs that keep processes chugging along). One key role that zinc plays is in the functioning of an enzyme called alcohol dehydrogenase which is involved in the conversion/detoxification of alcohol into a more harmless substance that can then be removed from the body. For this reason regular alcohol drinkers should ensure they have adequate zinc in their diet. Alcohol also depletes the body of B complex vitamins which are necessary for our digestive processes and liver detoxing. If you do like to have a tipple, then ensure you take a multivitamin daily.
9. Massage – a relaxing, but stimulating massage that improves circulation and stimulates the lymphatic system is ideal for assisting your gentle detox process, and can be used as a reward when you know you have made some healthy changes.
10. Epsom salts bath – these are relaxing and cleansing as they draw out toxins from your body. Add about 2 cups to a warm bath, but don’t stay in longer than 15 minutes however, or you run the risk of reabsorbing some of the toxins.
