The holidays have come and gone. You’ve indulged in your favorite meals,
guzzled down delicious cocktails and now feel the need to detoxify and
start fresh. Instead of
trying unsafe plans
which drastically cut calories, promote enemas and diuretics, and make
you feel sick—how about a simple (and safe) detox plan instead?
The Purpose of Detox
Detox plans promise to defeat inflammation, boost fat-burning and
eliminate toxins from your body. There’s limited research behind many of
these claims and most are dangerous — especially if followed for a
prolonged period of time. The purpose of our organs like the skin,
kidneys, intestines, liver and lymphatic system are to naturally
detoxify your body. As such, there’s no need to drop lots of dough on
potentially dangerous cleanses, pills or teas.
I recently had a conversation with friend who does a popular detox
plan. He claimed (as many of my clients do), that he wasn’t sure it
really detoxed his body but it was more of a mental and psychological
overhaul for him. It’s a way to gain control of what you eat and perhaps
even gain control over other aspects of your life. If you feel the need
to detox, then do so safely. Here are three suggestions:
#1: Out With the Old, In With the New
When’s the last time you cleaned out your fridge, freezer and pantry?
Take a few hours to go through your inventory and keep a running list of
healthy essentials to stock up on. Toss expired foods and donate foods
you tend to mindlessly indulge in (get them out of the house!).
#2: Shop Smart
Instead of running into the store and choosing your usual items, start
shopping smarter. This means preparing a shopping list based on healthy
recipes and snacks. Oftentimes stores send out circulars with weekly
sale items—save money by finding recipes that include those items. For
example, if plain
nonfat Greek yogurt
is on sale then make a smoothie for breakfast one morning and snack on
Greek yogurt topped with granola or fresh fruit another day. Smart
shopping can help you make budget-friendly healthier choices!
#3: Eliminate Your Weakness
A healthy diet and weight loss plan includes all food groups including
whole grains, fruit, veggies, dairy, healthy fats and lean protein.
However, some folks wish to eliminate not-so-healthy choices as a way to
detoxify. If you choose to do so, here is a list to choose from:
Most folks can’t go cold turkey forever—and once you fall off the
wagon, you’ll feel bad about yourself. Instead of setting yourself up
for failure, choose a reasonable time frame to eliminate that item (such
as 1 week or 1 month). Once you accomplish your goal, you can choose to
reintroduce the food in small amounts or keep it off of your menu.
TELL US: Is there a healthy way you detox?
Take the first step. 
