How to Help Your Liver Detox After the Holidays

 
How to Help Your Liver Detox After the Holidays

Fact: We tend to overindulge over the holidays. Part of the reason is that, well, the food is “right there,” and everyone around us seems to have a jolly old time eating it. So, we eat. And drink. And repeat.

The best way to compensate for overindulgence is not by going through a grueling “detox” program that claims to remove all the toxins from your body.  Those “flush out” diets are nothing but your typical crash diets that starve and deprive you, only to drive you straight to the overindulging behaviors again.

Your body is the ultimate detoxing machine. It is also the best flusher, as it has three key components: One liver, 2 kidneys.

Rather than forcing them to do more work, try the following post-holidays behavior. Ultimately here are some post-holiday detox tips that are easier to do, cheaper, and more likely to become your lifelong behaviors in the long run.

1. Choose less carbohydrates and more fresh foods over the first week post holidays. Do not walk into processed foods and drinks for this time,
   while your body is finding a midpoint. Enrich your body with vegetables, salads, lean meats. Choose a steak and a salad over hand-breaded meats with fries, that’s all. Just have fun with greens.
2. Water cocktails –  If you purchased one of those soda machines over the holidays, this is your chance to have tons of fun with water. Add orange slices, cherries, you name it. Water cocktails have never been more fun. Make water mojitos (adding lime and mint), or plain old lemons. Drink as many water cocktails as you can and substitute them for any other drink.
3. Green and black teas- Famous for their antioxidant content, calm your body down and bring it to zen with tea.
4. Hit up the B and D vitamins- These prevent post-holidays blues. No pills needed. Just make a quick search of choline rich foods and eat them for a while.
5. Sweat a bit- Although it may be cold outside, get a little exercise in each day. For instance, you may want to turn your phone on and dance alone to some music for 20 minutes each day post holiday week. This will keep your good humor up, your body going, and it will help you get rid of excess water retention.
6. As much as you can, catch a ray of sunlight – Activate your D vitamins, get in an instant better mood, and wake your body up.

Do NOT:

1. Take laxatives or diuretics- They may constipate you after their make effect; diuretics are extremely dangerous.
2. Enter any “flushing” or “detox” program- These work better for people who are actually suffering from some form of poisoning. Your body will merely overwork.
3. Choose carbs over proteins- Keep it always the other way around.
4. Drink as much alcohol as you did during the holidays- We are helping the liver here, remember?

There are ways to get into the Paleo diet with a quick restart. No Paleo restart requires anything other than the desire to complete it.  Paleo is about nature, and working with the resources you already have.

Enjoy your holiday and post-holiday season the healthy way!