Post Holiday Cleanse to Detox

When you think of the holidays, there’s a fair chance you think of overflowing tables and lots and lots of sweets. While it’s certainly understandable that the most wonderful time of the year would include a lot of our favorite, if not-so-healthy foods, it often leaves us feeling bloated and overall not good. So, once the Times Square ball has dropped and the new year is rung in, it’s time to reset your system with a post holiday cleanse to help you detox!

But first, an important disclaimer: cleanses help you wash out toxins and reset your gut and microbiome. However, it’s not a substitute from seeking professional medical care. If you’re noticing any changes in your health, you should consult your physician in addition to doing a cleanse. Further, if you have pre-existing conditions or dietary needs, you should speak to your doctor before attempting to detox.

Build a Post-Holiday Cleanse to Detox

A post-holiday cleanse to detox includes several important factors. We’ll get into each of them below so you can build your own cleanse!

Stay Hydrated

The foods you eat during the holidays contain a lot of toxins. These non-natural ingredients come in many forms and are often added to meals to make them either better-tasting or easier to cook. While they’re okay to consume every once in a while, you certainly don’t want to keep them around!

Water helps you flush out any toxins. So, make sure you’re intaking plenty of water. If possible, try to start your morning with some water with about half of a lemon squeezed in. Drinking this combination helps alkalize your body and kickstarts your metabolism.

If you struggle to drink plain water, you have some other options. Add cucumber, mint, or even citrus to your water to give it a bit more flavor. Or, drink an herbal tea to reap the additional benefits of great digestion.

You can also add some flavored electrolytes to your drink!

Eat Clean

During the holidays, most of us eat just about as opposite of clean eating as possible. The Christmas diet is often filled with sugars, processed foods, and other items that taste delicious but aren’t very good for our health. Eating clean helps you feel better, keeps toxins at bay, and leaves you with a healthier diet.

To eat clean, focus on whole grains, fruits, and vegetables. Avoid sugar. Other options include detoxifying foods such as leafy greens, broccoli, cauliflower, foods rich in fiber, and citrus fruits. To decrease the inflammation often caused by holiday meals, eat garlic, ginger, and turmeric.

If you want to get an eating plan that’s been designed by doctors, take a look at these meals by BistroMD!

Boost Your Digestion

Your metabolic system helps your body consume and process foods. So, if you boost your digestive capabilities, you’ll expedite your body’s ability to process the toxins you’ve consumed.

Fortunately, you can give your body’s digestion some support by consuming probiotics. That includes fermented foods like kimchi or sauerkraut, yogurt, and kefir. In addition, you may want to eat smaller meals so that your body has less food to get through.

If you dislike these foods, you can also take enzymes that give your digestion a boost!

Swap Alcohol and Caffeine for Detoxifying Drinks

Alcohol and caffeine are some of the most popular drugs consumed in the United States. And while it can be fun to unwind with a cocktail or begin your day with a latte, caffeine and alcohol dehydrate your body and put stress on your liver as it attempts to process these chemicals. In addition, alcohol spikes the risk of having cancer and operates as a depressant, while caffeine exacerbates anxiety.

Instead, add detoxifying beverages to your diet, such as green or berry smoothies. To make a green smoothie, combine green apple, kale, cucumber, lemon juice, water, and spinach in a blender. The berry smoothie should include strawberries, blueberries, a pinch of ginger, chia seeds, and almond milk.

Eat Mindfully

Have you ever rushed through a meal and not even realized what you were eating?

In truth, this might be negatively impacting your health. Your body takes around 20 minutes to feel full, so if you’ve been eating for less than this amount of time, you might be feeling hungry when, in fact, you don’t need to eat any more to eventually reach that satisfied taste.

To slow yourself down, try eating mindfully. Notice the flavors and smells of what you’re eating and really savor them. Pay attention to the details of your environment, doing your best to relax and slow down. If you notice your mind wandering, bring it gently back to the present until your meal is finished.

With Christmas over and the new year arriving, having a post-holiday cleanse to detox will help you set the stage for a healthier you. Whether you want to work on your physical fitness, your mental health, or something else entirely, you’ll feel better after you do a cleanse. We wish you the best with all your goals in the new year!