Love Christmas or hate it, it’s around the corner! Are you someone who has the Christmas Tree up early and already buying presents, or leaving it till last minute? Our diaries are already filling up with drinks, dinners and parties to celebrate the festive season, we can almost feel the pounds piling on already!
If you want to indulge this Christmas, it can be important to prepare your body for all the alcohol and food you are about to consume!
Why Detox?
Occasionally we need to give our liver, gut, circulation and lymph glands a bit of a cleanse. They absorb a lot of toxins on in normal day to day living so sometimes we need to be kind to them. A detox will really help to rebalance them and help with a few good nights sleep before the party season really hits.
How Do I Detox?
- Before you start, prepare yourself by eating a couple of spoonfuls of ground flax seeds soaked overnight in prune juice. This helps to get rid of any toxins from the colon.
- Make sure you eat 3 meals a day, plus 2 snacks if required (piece of fruit and a few almonds) to keep your blood sugar levels stable.
- Keep it simple and make sure you eat a small amount of protein with each meal. These can include white meat (turkey is a great lean white meat) fish, eggs, nuts, seeds and shellfish. Try to eat 4-6 pieces coloured veg. Celery is a great one for detoxing, but potatoes and parsnips don’t count in this!
- Have a small amount of fat with each meal, this can be in the form of olive oil, coconut oil or butter.
- Drink lots of water, herbal teas or green tea.
- Avoid sugar, alcohol, processed food and caffeine. These cause a build-up of toxins and make the liver work really hard. It gives you headaches, bad breath, gas and fatigue.
- Gluten should also be avoided so try to opt for gluten-free alternatives.
Let’s Begin The Detox!
Follow this for 4-5 days
- First thing in the morning, do the bowel cleanse by eating the flax seeds that were soaked overnight in prune juice.
- During the day drink 3 smoothies and 1 protein shake. Alternatively, you can do 2 smoothies and 1 green soup.
- Don’t eat anything after 8 pm and only drink water or herbal teas.
- Drink 3 litres of fluid throughout the day of water or herbal drinks
Breakfast
Coconut yoghurt with fruit
Lunch
Thick veggie soup and add beans to bulk it up
Dinner
Protein, vegetables, and a small amount of fat – keep it simple!
You should feel great and if you continue it for a week you will feel glowing! You’ll be ready to get this party started.
Detox Juice Recipe Suggestion
- 1/2 apple, 1/2 cucumber, 1/2 lemon and 1/2 cup of spinach
- Mix with coconut water
Protein Shake Recipe Suggestion
- 1 handful of spinach
- Coconut water or rice milk
- 1 scoop of protein powder
Vegetable Soup Recipe
- 1 tbsp virgin organic coconut oil
- 1 large chopped onion
- 2 garlic cloves
- 2 large handfuls broccoli
- 3 chopped carrots
- Handful of watercress
- Chicken or vegetable stock to cover – approx two pints. Avoid stock cubes if you can.
- A small handful of chopped fresh parsley leaves
- Himalayan pink salt to taste
- Black pepper to taste
Method:
Fry the onion and garlic until onions are soft
Add stock and vegetables
Bring to the boil and simmer until vegetables are tender
Add the fresh parsley and simmer for a further 5 minutes
Blend until smooth.
Want more tips for Christmas? Check out our blog on having a stress-free festive season!
