All partied out? Maybe it’s time for a Detox!
After a busy holiday season, many people experience symptoms associated with too much partying.
Waking up feeling ‘blah’, fatigue, headaches, bloating, digestive upset, skin breakouts and trouble getting motivated are all signs your body has had its fill of rich foods and drinking, and needs a reboot.
If you’ve never done a detox before, it can feel a little daunting, but keeping it simple and achievable will help you stay on track, and optimize success.
There are several ways to approach a detox program. More experienced ‘detoxers’ may go all out, avoiding meat, dairy, grains, alcohol, sugar and caffeine.
If this is your first detox, I wouldn’t recommend starting there! For people taking their first step into cleaner eating, a simple 7 day reset built around whole foods and hydration is an achievable place to start, which will incentivise you to do it again.[1] Or, continue for another week to complete a 14, or even a 30 day detox.
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What are the benefits of doing a detox?
- Improved energy
- Weight loss
- Digestive health reset
- Improved sleep quality
- More focus and mental stamina
- Decrease in digestive symptoms associated with stagnation and congestion
- Clearer skin
How often should you detox?
Yogis recommend a detox cleanse to welcome in each season. Some people like to do a short reset once or twice a year as a chance to refocus on whole foods, hydration and sleep.
If you’re a smoker or heavy drinker, you could benefit from running a detox program more regularly. Partner with a healthcare professional who can cater a program to your individual needs.
Is detoxing right for everyone?
No. Kids under 18 years of age who are still growing should not undergo a detox program unless specifically instructed by a healthcare professional.
Also, people on multiple medications, or, who have an underlying health condition should talk to their doctor before starting a detox program to avoid complications.
How to get started and tips for success:
1. Pick a week (or 2) that doesn’t include a wedding, work event, or travel so you can have control over your dietary habits.
2. Aim for success, be clear on why you are doing this, and set small targets for yourself. See the weeks broken up into 2, Monday-Wednesday, then Thursday-Sunday.
Breaking it up into smaller stints of days can minimize feeling overwhelmed and help keep you on track.
3. Ask a friend! Being accountable to someone else is a real motivator.
Once you get going it’s easier to continue, but the first few days can be hard, so having a support person doing it with you means you’re less likely to bail out, and can share the proud rush of success when it’s over!
4. Pack for success - clear away temptations like holiday chocolates and left over bottles of champagne. Packing them away will make it harder to steer of course.
5. Stock the fridge! Prepare accordingly by shopping for fresh fruit, seasonal vegetables, herbal teas, broths and organic juices in advance.
By doing this you avoid grocery shopping when you’re hungry, and more likely to buy high caloric and processed foods.
6. Meal plan - by having a meal prep plan in place it’s a lot easier to stick to your detox and avoid snacking or preparing ‘easy’ meals after a long day at work.
Below is a list of Detox approved meal ideas that are simple to prepare.
7. Consider your options - saying you’re going off caffeine, sugar and dairy is fantastic, but what are you going to eat instead? If you’re filling those gaps with bread and high caloric processed drinks like Monster, then your efforts will be naught.
Pre-plan your options in advance, and stick to that plan.
- Low or no caffeine: Green tea, herbal tea, hot water with lemon, Chaga latte or golden
milk
- No sugar: avoid all sweetened processed foods, snacks that come in a package (granola bars), even if you think they’re healthy, they often contain sugar. Avoid too much fruit, limit serves to ½ cup at a time. Avoid honey or processed maple syrup and instead sweeten drinks with small amounts of agave, or monk fruit (a natural sweetener).
- Dairy free: this can be very challenging for people who are accustomed to the taste of dairy. There are however a lot of dairy alternatives, but you’ll need to watch the sugar content and avoid creamers and dairy free yogurts that contain more than 6g of sugar. Instead consider almond or coconut milk, natural unflavored cashew or coconut yogurt, sweetened with a teaspoon of agave or ¼ teaspoon of vanilla essence. Use olive oil based margarine or dairy free butter.
8. Water! Water is without a doubt the most critical part of a Detox. Adequate water intake supports the kidneys and the body's normal fluid balance, which the body relies on to excrete waste.[2]
US guidelines suggest healthy adults get about 91 oz (women) to 125 oz (men) of total water per day from beverages and food, with most coming from drinks. During your reset, aim to drink water consistently throughout the day to stay well hydrated.
9. Keep moving - as your body is busy ridding the cells and organs of toxins, you can help this along by exercising. Sweat is a cooling mechanism by the body, but it's also a source of elimination.[3]
Exercise is a healthy addition to any reset; if you use steam rooms or saunas, keep sessions short and rehydrate well. Again, be sure you are hydrating sufficiently!
10. Supplements - Even if you’re eating clean, avoiding alcohol, sugar, dairy and caffeine, your body is working hard to purify, and that’s where supplements can help.
Taking a botanical dietary supplement that supports your body's own natural detoxification pathways and elimination organs can amplify your efforts, and help you achieve your Detox goals.
- Botanicals such as milk thistle and dandelion have traditionally been used to support liver health.
- Senna is a stimulant laxative that has been shown in clinical trials to increase bowel movement frequency; it is intended for occasional, short-term use.[4]
- Spirulina and chlorella are green algae that contain antioxidant compounds, although human studies on oxidative-stress markers have shown mixed results.[5]
11. Take a look at our 7 day protocol
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Amanda Lovett-Jones RH (AHG) PhD student and Australian Naturopath. She works in complementary healthcare specializing in addressing inflammation as the root cause of disease. www.functionalhealthandapothecary.com
Sources
- Klein AV, Kiat H Detox diets for toxin elimination and weight management: a critical review of the evidence. Journal of human nutrition and dietetics : the official journal of the British Dietetic Association. 2015. PubMed
- Popkin BM, D'Anci KE, et al. Water, hydration, and health. Nutrition reviews. 2010. PubMed
- Sears ME, Kerr KJ, et al. Arsenic, cadmium, lead, and mercury in sweat: a systematic review. Journal of environmental and public health. 2012. PubMed
- Morishita D, Tomita T, et al. Senna Versus Magnesium Oxide for the Treatment of Chronic Constipation: A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Trial. The American journal of gastroenterology. 2021. PubMed
- Mohiti S, Zarezadeh M, et al. Spirulina supplementation and oxidative stress and pro-inflammatory biomarkers: A systematic review and meta-analysis of controlled clinical trials. Clinical and experimental pharmacology & physiology. 2021. PubMed
