If you, like many of us, have had an almost too merry Christmas and a ‘binge eating on ham and pavlova’ new year, you may benefit from a detox diet to get you back on track to weight loss and a healthier lifestyle.
A detox diet is basically the elimination of certain food groups for a short period of time to help improve our bodies performance and get rid of toxins.
As well as shifting unwanted kilos, a detox diet can make your skin glow, boost energy levels and improve digestion by taking the load off of our organs and allowing our bodies to detox.
So if you need to fast track your health, give your body a break or just want to detox diet for a short amount of time, follow our guide for a safe and achievable detox diet.
Firstly, take note of the day you begin your detox diet. Try to start during a week where you know you will have no interruptions to your diet such as events, birthdays or social gatherings.
Make sure you are drinking plenty of water during your detox.
Aim to drink three litres of fluid daily, be it straight water or green tea, just make sure to stay hydrated.
Wherever possible, try to consume your foods raw (uncooked).
The reason for this is that whenever we cook food, we are also diminishing the nutritional content of that food. The more nutrients you can get in during your detox the better.
During this time make sure you maintain your exercise schedule but change up what you do.
Often when completing a detox diet - because your body is not used to this drastic change in diet, you can become light headed or feel faint.
It is best to stick to brisk walking, yoga and stretching or a jog instead of a run.
Exercising will help aid in blood flow and continue to increase weight loss.
This is the perfect opportunity to detox your thoughts as well as your body.
Studies have shown that the less stressed you are, the more likely you are to lose weight when dieting or maintain weight when you are not.
Aim for 10 minutes of meditation a day, if you don’t know how to meditate, simply just start by placing your palms upwards, closing your eyes and focusing on nothing.
Every time you lose focus, acknowledge this and keep going.
Chew 10 - 12 times before swallowing your food.
This brings mindfulness to mealtimes and helps to improve your digestion.
The better your body can digest your food the healthier you will become.
Make sure to consult with your doctor before partaking in a detox diet if you do have concerns regarding individual health or dietary requirements.
Remember that this is a 7-day detox aiming to detoxify your body, it is made for a short amount of time, not a permanent diet.
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