Wednesday, February 5, 2014

Easy winter detox




We often find ourselves in January after the indulgences of the holiday season unbuttoning our jeans and pledging to detox. As a medical herbalist and nutritional adviser I know all the tricks for good health, but as a working mom I know it isn’t always possible to follow them! In herbal medicine we do not recommend drastic detoxes in winter, these are best left for spring as they are too cooling and depleting for the winter months. So leave off the raw-food diets and juice cleanses and here are some simple Januray detox tips.

Try these simple changes for a month and you will feel more energy, have better skin and loose weight!

Avoid:
All simple sugars that is added sugar but also fruit juices. People often make the mistake of thinking that fruit juices for detoxing but the body sees the sugar from these drinks in the same way as that in soda, increasing insulin and fat storage! If you love to juice instead go for vegetable based juices. I personally think in the winter it should be soups rather than juices you should be reaching for.
Consider avoiding wheat and cow dairy especially if you suffer with bloating, sinus issues, eczema or tiredness.
Avoid booze! If you can’t quite do this try to cut way back and if you suffer with bloating stick to spirits with a sugar free mixer.
Avoid “bad” meats. Bacon, preserved meats like ham, beef that is not grass fed.
Refined grains For example switch from white to brown rice, you can buy it frozen now in wholefoods and other health stores. No excuses now!
Omega 6 vegetable oils. These are pro-inflammatory and suppress the formation of the more active thyroid hormones. Olive oil and coconut oil are fine but avoid other vegetable oils. Also consider cutting out nuts and seeds. YES you read correctly! They are very high in omega 6 oils and pro-inflammatory!


Add in

Whole fruit and vegetables Aim for the magic 9 portions a day and see the difference! Warming soups and fresh fruit snacks are an easy way to boost your levels up.
Fish This anti-inflammatory food is great on a detox. Aim for three servings a week of low mercury fish.

Nettle and burdock herbal teas An easy way to detox if you grab the more medicinal ones! My best selling tea is a detox one I formulated to target all organs of elimination. You can also pick up burdock and nettle tea as single herb teas in good health food stores including wholefoods. Just pop two tea bags (one nettle, one burdock) in a mug of boiling water for a double strength detox! Have three cups of this super cleanse tea a day.
Eat more roots less grains Try switching one grain a day to a root vegetable. e.g. rice for a sweet potato. This has an alkalinizing effect on the body.
Take a probiotic, prebiotic or Keffir. The good bacteria in your gut not only boost your immune system but have been shown to improve energy and mood! I love goats milk Keffir for a cow dairy free option.
Take liver support If you have battered your liver with fatty foods and alcohol consider taking NAC 500mg three times a day or a good quality milk thistle 250 mg three times a day. Both these supplements boost the livers glutathione levels that aid detoxification. You will notice it in your energy, skin, and it will do wonders for PMS.

A lemon a day..... A great way to provide your body with vitamin C and helps to stimulate the gallbladder and liver function. Add to salads and enjoy in hot water in the morning.
Coconut oil for metabolism If you like the taste you will enjoy eating the virgin stuff off the spoon! Aim to have 1 teaspoon a day. You can also use a healthy spread and use refined coconut oil for cooking with. It boosts the thyroid function (your
metabolism) as well as being a source of caprylic acid that suppresses yeast in the digestive system. Once particularly cold winter I raised my basal body temperature by 2 degrees (thus boosting my metabolism) by taking three teaspoons of coconut oil a day.

Also you can pamper yourself!

Detox is not all about denial.

Massage is great to get sluggish lymphatic system moving.
A weekly sauna will aid elimination through the skin, did you know sweat glands act the same way as mini-kidney nephrons!
Acupuncture is not only deeply relaxing but can clear liver stagnation.
Body brushing and self massage towards the heart will aid lymphatic drainage. Before you get in the shower spend five minutes brushing with a dry body brush towards your heart or my favorite use a salt scrub to massage towards your heart. If you are feeling brave once in the shower you can alternate between hot and cold water for some at home hydrotherapy!