Written By: Emma Squillace
Did you have a big day (or few days) of eating for the holiday season? If so, you may be feeling like a detox is in store. We’ve all seen the ads for juice cleanses and detox supplements, but are those worth the money? Most weight loss experts you talk to, including our team at West Medical, will agree those are generally not worth your time. Instead, if you’re feeling sluggish, bloated, or want a reset button for healthy eating, try our 4 tips for detoxing naturally.
Hydrate
The first part of feeling better is to get your body hydrated. Lots of times we have more salt than usual, and/or more alcohol than usual, over the holidays. Water helps digestion, helps us battle dry skin, and can combat feelings of hunger. Bring a bottle of water everywhere with you – put a few slices of lemon or cucumber in it if you want some variety. Aim for 64 ounces of water a day, and you’ll be on the road to flushing your body of any holiday build up.
Eat Fruits and Vegetables
The juices that are sold as “detox” products may have vitamins and nutrients, but they also tend to have plenty of sugar. Instead of drinking juice, get the vitamins by eating fruit and vegetables instead. You’ll end up having less sugar and more fiber – both of which are detox-friendly. The produce that tops many experts’ list of detox-friendly choices are: grapefruit, spinach, kale, beets, and asparagus. Try for 3 servings of fruit and 5 servings of vegetables each day, to naturally detox your body.
Keep Moving
Movement is great for your body. It will increase your circulation, aid in digestion, and burn calories. You don’t have to jump into a boot camp regimen of intense drills or miles of running to benefit. Walking is one of the best ways to improve your health. If you have a fitness tracker, try to reach 10,000 steps for each day. If you have the chance to go on a long walk, that’s great. But if you can’t set aside that time, aim for a quick walk – a couple of blocks – every 2 hours. Those short walks will add up.
Purge Your Kitchen
If you have holiday left overs – especially sweets – at your house, get rid of them right away. Give them to a neighbor or just throw them out if that’s your best option. Our first 3 steps to detox won’t help as much if rich holiday foods are still on the menu. The key is that if you have those left overs in your house, you’re likely to snack on them. ‘Out of sight, out of mind’ is the way to go with foods you enjoyed on the holiday, but that will put a dent in your healthy-eating habits.
Don’t let one day, or several days, of eating off your diet let you feel discouraged. You can undo any damage done with holiday eating by getting back on track right away. If you’ve been struggling to lose more than 30 pounds, you can contact our weight loss team and see what options we have for surgical and non-surgical weight loss. You can reach our supportive experts at 855-690-0565.