DIET AND NUTRITION

A 30-day plan to lose those holiday excesses.

THE FIRST STEP TO ACHIEVING a healthier self is to get rid of all the junk that has gone into your body over the last two to three months. And, to do that, you need to go the detox way.

WHAT IS DETOX?

The body has its own natural healing system that gets rid of chemicals it doesn’t want. But, sometimes, when there’s an overload, these toxins get deposited in the lymph and digestive systems. Detoxification enhances the functioning of these systems, enabling them to tackle waste better and absorb nutrients more efficiently. In effect, it’s like giving your system a thorough spring cleaning. A mild detoxification regime tunes up your body and cleanses the internal systems to remove toxins.

Detox doesn’t mean a punishing diet. The main aim of the process is to help the body get rid of unnecessary toxins that may have accumulated because of daily excesses in food and drink, and other lifestyle abuses. The good thing is that you can do a detox at home without subscribing to a fad diet. All you have to do is make small changes in your diet and lifestyle to feel, and see the difference.

Fasting or drastically cutting down on your intake of food is not the correct way to detox. Similarly, short-term detox diets do not help much. What really works is adopting healthy eating and lifestyle practices in the long run. Adding antioxidants to your diet, keeping a tab on the amount of fat you consume, cutting down on unnecessary stimulants such as caffeine, decreasing your intake of nonvegetarian food, and hydrating your body regularly are some of the things to keep in mind when undertaking a detox.

Here’s a 7-step, 4-week detox plan to help you clean up your system now:

STEP 1: ADD ANTIOXIDANTS

To start with, increase your body’s intake of antioxidants; these include vitamins E and C, beta carotene, and some trace minerals, such as selenium. These help the body get rid of free radicals that make you feel unhealthy and fatigued, and lead to heart problems in the long run. While antioxidant supplements are available, it’s best to ingest them naturally through the food you consume. So, follow meal plans that ensure you get enough.

STEP 2: GO LOW FAT

All the fat you consume is processed by the liver. This process takes energy away from the regular detoxification that the liver does for the body. Several toxins are fat soluble, and liver’s job is to transform them into water-soluble substances, so that they can be excreted via the bowel or kidneys (the bowel and kidneys cannot process fat-soluble toxins). So, when you binge on fried food, your liver is unable to handle the load. The best way to ease the burden on the liver is to switch to a low-fat diet. Just strike the word ‘fried’ off your food dictionary for some time.

STEP 3: CUT DOWN ON NON-VEGETARIAN FOOD

Meat requires several enzymes to digest, so its elimination from your diet enhances the detoxification process. It is very easy to go on a protein overdrive when you follow a primarily nonvegetarian diet. Agreed that meat, fish, and eggs are good proteins and required for the growth of the body. But, if your protein intake is more than 30 per cent of your daily caloric intake, it can result in a build-up of toxic ketones in the body,

A the symptoms of which are weakness and

( dizziness. And, in the long term, this may put a strain on your kidneys and liver.

STEP 4: WATCH WHAT YOU DRINK

SCut down on your consumption of tea and coffee. You need to give your liver a rest

from breaking down caffeine. But taper off gradually to avoid the extremely uncomfortable withdrawal symptoms that include splitting headaches. And if you want to multiply the benefits, switch to green tea because it contains only a fraction of the caffeine in black tea and coffee, and is loaded with antioxidants, which make it an efficient detoxifier.

STEP 5: HYDRATE WELL

Drink at least seven–10 medium-sized glasses of water a day. Water is not only essential for every bodily function, it is also an amazing detoxifier. It helps

Include healthy food and activities in your holiday itineraries.

Clockwise from here: Exercise is an essential component of any detox; salads, vegetable juices, and nuts aid in the detoxification process.