Post-holiday detox ideas to start the year feeling refreshed and energised
After the festive season overindulgence, which usually includes weeks of social eating and drinking, lots of sugar and processed foods, and caffeine, many people turn to detox diets to lose weight, boost their energy levels, and improve their digestion and general health.
The more common approach involves some form of fasting, followed by a restrictive diet that may consist of only raw vegetables, fruit, fruit juices, and water.
However, there is a general lack of sufficient clinical or scientific evidence to support claims that these types of detoxes work.
The detox risks
More worryingly, some detox approaches recommend extreme practices that go against widely accepted healthy eating guidelines.
Following a restricted detox diet, especially one that severely limits protein or requires fasting can result in fatigue and may cause other issues such as headaches.
Longer fasts may also result in vitamin and mineral deficiencies, which can weaken your immune system and compromise your recovery from stress and exercise. A prolonged restrictive detox diet also slows your metabolism as your body finds ways to conserve energy. This natural response to severe calorie restriction can make it harder to lose weight.
Be cautious of detox diets and approaches that:
- Promise a quick fix.
- Claim miraculous fat-loss effects from foods.
- Avoid or severely limit an entire food group.
- Promote eating mainly one type of food.
- Suggest easy, rapid weight loss (more than 1kg a week).
- Recommend eating foods only in particular combinations.
- Make claims that sound too good to be true.
- Focus heavily on appearance rather than health benefits.
Support natural detoxification
A better approach to detox dieting is to support your body’s natural detoxification system with a healthy lifestyle, wholesome diet, regular exercise and quality supplements that support liver function, improve digestion and assist the body in eliminating toxins through natural processes.
Eating a well-balanced diet that consists predominantly of fresh natural foods such as fruit, vegetables and lean proteins, following a healthy lifestyle, and incorporating certain supplements can eliminate the need to follow potentially damaging detox practices and diets.
When you create a healthy body and environment, your detox organs such as your liver, gut, skin and kidneys should function optimally, ensuring your body remains in a constant state of self-cleansing.
You can also support better health and vitality by reducing the amount of toxins you put into your body by quitting smoking, reducing your alcohol intake to recommended levels, limiting your exposure to environmental toxins, stress, processed foods, chemicals, artificial preservatives and sugar.
Add supplements that contain powerful antioxidants to help neutralise free radicals, which can become harmful by damaging cells if you produce them in excess. This cellular protection function is especially important for the liver, which is the primary organ involved in detoxification.
Vitamin C works synergistically with glutathione, two powerful antioxidants produced by the body. Similarly, research¹ suggests that natural extracts like milk thistle may act as a liver protectant and may support healthy liver function through its action as an antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antifibrotic substance.
You should also consider probiotics to support your body’s natural detoxification efforts. These beneficial gut bacteria may help support healthy digestion by restoring the natural flora in the digestive system.
Research² also affirms the role of probiotics in “biodetoxification” with the researchers concluding that “specific probiotic strain and probiotic combinations bring significant health outcomes”.
Lastly, is also important to hydrate properly with sufficient water daily – a minimum of eight glasses of water per day, drinking up to 3 litres.
References:
- Achufusi TGO, Pellegrini MV, Patel RK. Milk Thistle. [Updated 2024 Feb 28]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2024 Jan.
- Pop OL, Suharoschi R, Gabbianelli R. Biodetoxification and Protective Properties of Probiotics. Microorganisms. 2022 Jun 23;10(7):1278. doi: 10.3390/microorganisms10071278. PMID: 35888997; PMCID: PMC9319832.