The holidays are a time where you can overindulge and throw all diet rules out the window. Bring on the turkey, cakes, cookies and pies! Those delicious holiday foods also come with a heavy price tag like, indigestion, constipation, gas and acid reflux. So, how can you restore your body back to health after all those hefty holiday foods? Simple, start with a Detox Diet. Here are 7 ways to rid your body of those holiday toxins.
1. Drink Lots of Water
You should be consuming at least 16 full 8oz glasses of water a day. Drinking water helps break down the food in your digestive tract. For best results, in the morning, add 1/2 a lemon juice and a pinch of cayenne pepper to your water. By adding the extra ingredients to the water, it helps flush the liver and get the digestive juices flowing. And the cayenne is known to increase & jumpstart your metabolism.
2. Take a Probiotic
Probiotics are good bacteria that are essential to proper digestive health. The active bacteria help regulate your gastrointestinal tract. You can get probiotics from your local health food store; they come in capsules or liquid form.
3. Give Your Digestive System a Break
All that good old holiday food is sure to cause some good old indigestion and constipation too. When you eat your digestive tract produces enzymes that break down the food. Imagine how hard your digestive system has to work to break down those hearty holiday meals. So, take a day and give your digestive system a break by going on a quick 1 day fast. Start with a Green Smoothie, which utilizes nutrient-rich foods like spinach, kale, bananas, peaches, and mangoes.
4. Load up on Fruits & Veggies
It's no secret that everyone from your mother to your doctor have been telling you to fill up on your fruits and veggies. And for good reason. Fruits and vegetables are packed with enzymes and fiber to help keep your GI intact. Not only that, but they help eliminate toxins from the liver naturally. When you load up on your fruits and veggies, make sure you purchase organic, fresh and in season to avoid chemicals and toxins.
5. Fill Up on Fiber
We all know that fiber helps keeps us feeling full and satisfied. However, fiber naturally fights toxins by binding to food that get stuck in the colon and automatically eliminates these toxin filled foods. In addition to fruits and veggies, you can also find fiber in foods like beans, seeds, grains, and nuts.
6. Go Raw
Raw foods are filled with nutrients & enzymes that aid healthy digestion. When you heat your food, it kills a large percentage of enzymes that you need to have for healthy digestion. Some great raw foods include broccoli, cauliflower, fruits, and nuts.
7. Become a Vegetarian
Meat like beef, pork, and even chicken contains hard to digest protein (and 0 fiber), which makes it hard for your digestive system to break it down. And when your digestive system can't break these foods down they can get stuck in your gut. (See why you need to detox). This meat that stays in your system will leave you feeling sluggish, constipated, irritable, and filled with brain fog. Switch the meat for organic whole grains, fruits and veggies.
If you follow these simple steps you will be well on your way to beating post-holiday food blues. However, you can follow this detox diet for a lifetime if you want to feel lighter, sexier and healthier.
Christine M. Esters knows what it takes to create and achieve a successful cleanse. She does it herself several times a year. Over the last 10 years, Christine has taken hundreds of people through cleansing programs. She has worked with three M.D.s in Santa Rosa, California.
Christine has also worked with world renowned personal development leader, Tony Robbins at Life Mastery in Puerto Rico. Christine is a certified Colon Hydrotherapist. Christine has devoted herself to helping others succeed in cleansing body, mind and spirit to become more of who they are.