HOW TO DETOX POST PARTY
The holidays are approaching and it is a good idea to immediately take precautions to better manage the excess of calories, sugars and fats that the holidays usually bring with them. In this article, we're going to dive into the steps you could take after the holidays to help your body rid itself of the toxins accumulated due to the increase in calories.
WHAT IS DETOX
Detoxifying the body is a word you may have already heard circulated among friends or read in the newspapers. Detoxifying practically means eliminating a series of foods from our daily nutrition and introducing others capable of promoting the metabolism of the liver, kidneys and intestines, the most important organs in managing the elimination of biological toxins within our body.
When for a long period of time we expose our body to a caloric excess especially with an increase in saturated fats of animal origin, dairy products, alcohol, sometimes even gluten and finally simple sugars, the metabolism becomes flooded, like a car burns fuel but emits so much smoke that fouls the engine. The introduction of an excess of:
- Sugars
- Saturated fats
- Alcohol
- Dairy products
- Gluten
it can inflame the epithelium of our intestine, it can also make the liver work overtime which finds itself having to manage all the fats, transform them and make them usable in some way as energy, and finally the pancreas which produces insulin, the molecule that helps manage the excess sugar. The combination of high insulin and high levels of circulating fats begin to damage the epithelium of the circulatory system the pressure can increase and the kidneys begin to experience this increase, in short, a vicious cycle is triggered that our body is certainly able to manage but not without damage.
Parties, friends and the desire to celebrate and leave thoughts behind can lead to fatigue of our organs and with them also of our body and mind. We must, after having enjoyed the time, start to repair the small damages with a change of diet called DETOX : it consists in the introduction of a series of specific anti-inflammatory foods of a typically vegetable nature, the introduction of supplements to help the metabolism of the liver and kidney and the reduction of daily calories for at least 3 consecutive days to allow the intestine to get rid of excess undigested toxins still present in the colon.
HOW TO PREPARE FOR DETOX
As we have seen, detox is a very particular procedure that requires precise organization and timing. We can't start the post-holiday detox without first preparing and organizing ourselves. The preparation consists in filling the fridge and the pantry with all the foods and supplements necessary for a correct procedure.
The our advice is always to be followed by a specialized nutritionist or a doctor before embarking on such a path because if not done well the toxins that can be released in the body can lower the immune defenses and even make you feel for a couple of days even worst. It is essential to start with the first day maintaining the usual intake of calories without changing too many habits during the day.
The only ones are:
1. Increase the amount of water or herbal teas bringing the fluid intake to about 3% of body weight;
2. Start planning a low-calorie dinner.
From the second day we can start having a hearty breakfast, however, eliminating caffeine and having a complete lunch with carbohydrates and proteins, dinner will obviously be similar to the previous day, therefore typically vegetable with less quantity and calories.
Finally, on the third day, breakfast will be abundant, lunch will be based on vegetables and low in calories and dinner will remain the same as the previous days.
In this way you will gradually adapt the body to the caloric reduction to allow the organs with the help of the new foods to start a detoxification of the toxins present in the body, the blood sugar will gradually regularize as well as the cholesterol levels.
We couldn't leave you without at least one menu suggestion: a broad indication of the foods to use as a shopping list and how to combine them together to facilitate the 3-day detox.
Shopping list:
Broccoli
Cucumber
Fennel
Celery
Cabbage
Artichoke
Jerusalem artichoke
Salad
Apple
Orange
Mandarin
Berries
Pineapple
Almonds
Nuts
Hazelnuts
Soy drink
Oat drink
Tofu
Peas
Chickpeas
Rice
Rye bread
Integrate with:
Omega 3
Turmeric
Green tea
In the morning for breakfast: pineapple, almonds, soy drink with oat flakes and honey.
Infusions of green tea or berries with lemon during the day.
For lunch, mixed salad with cucumber fennel, avocado cashew green leaf and rye bread with chickpea humus and oregano.
Finally, in the evening, vegetable minestrone with rice and artichokes sautéed in a pan with turmeric.
Colours, flavours, many fibers and vitamins that trigger the detoxification of the organs and will help you eliminate the toxins accumulated during the holidays.