Overindulgence in food, late nights, and exposure to pollution are the side effects of year-end festivities. While not much can be done to undo pollution's effects, a healthy detox post-Diwali is very much in our hands.
No, we are not talking about extreme steps like drinking copious amounts of water, and juices, or gorging on laxatives or going for enemas. With the mushrooming of health and wellness centres offering instant solutions, detox seems to be the most used or shall we say abused word in today's world.
Detox is short for detoxification, a treatment protocol that helps the body get rid of waste. However, the question is how much they deliver on their promises.
Experts say the key is your grandma's remedies, which have been passed down in the family for years, and simple good diet practices.
"What works is adopting healthy eating and lifestyle practices regularly rather than taking extreme diets or detox plans for a few days,' says Ishi Khosla, an eminent nutritionist.
"A good diet should emphasise whole, minimally processed foods with fruits and vegetables and supply adequate antioxidants including vitamin C, E, copper, magnesium, selenium and zinc needed by the body's detoxification enzymes to function optimally,'' she adds.
She says food rich in water content and minerals can neutralise toxins. Many foods work by lowering the insulin levels and suppressing appetite as well.
Ishi Khosla simplifies detox with a simple set of guidelines
- The excess needs to be balanced
- Liquid diets help. A day of soups, smoothies, and coconut water can give the gut time to heal
- Or even go for a one-meal-a-day diet for a day or two
- A day of a fruit and vegetable diet
- Stay off alcohol
- After the festive season, go low on calories but don't starve. Follow the plate rule- fill the plate with vegetables, then proteins and minimum carbs
- Foods that help reset metabolism
- Stay your day with lemon and honey water
- Avoid fruit juices and go for vegetable juices - can be made from a single vegetable or a combination of a few. The choice is vast, ash gourd, tomato, carrots, beat roots, and green vegetables like spinach
- Almond milk, and coconut milk-based smoothies
- Guava and Papaya rate top among fruits
- Seeds- basil and chia seeds help in gut repair
- Chicken or broccoli soup is easy on your system
- Foods like oats, amla, aloe vera, alfa-alfa sprouts, yoghurt, garlic, mushrooms along with essential fatty acids are a good choice
Busting some myths
- Drinking plenty of water helps the kidney work efficiently blood throws out waste. However, the adequate amount is 2 to 2.5 liters for making enough urine. Excessive amounts are just inconvenient and useless
- Strong laxatives can be counterproductive and can damage nerve cells in colon walls. They decrease the force of contraction and can lead to constipation instead
- The same goes for enemas and other techniques if not done under proper guidance
Other things to keep in mind
- The amount of sleep and sleep pattern can affect bowel habits. Let your body rest after the trail of parties
- Travel and changes in cabin air pressure can cause dehydration, and changes in eating habits and contribute to holiday bloating, diarrhoea, and constipation
- The digestive system benefits from regular physical activity. Start regular exercise
- Age also affects metabolism. Levels of beneficial bacteria in their gut drop and the immune system becomes weak. So the elderly may face more problems
