Feeling sluggish after the excesses of the festive season? Does your skin look grey and your eyes baggy? Are you suffering from bad breath, constipation and zero energy?  These are common signs that over indulgence has taken its toll on your body. Detoxifying after all that rich food and drink can quickly improve your mood and vitality and is well worth the effort. This easy detox plan from Jackie Newson BSc (Hons) Nutritional Therapy will see you skipping into the New Year with a flat stomach, shiny eyes and glowing skin.

Step 1.

Clean up your diet

Firstly, address your diet and ditch the junk. Your body should work like a well-oiled machine, it just needs the right fuel to keep it in tip top condition. So, out with cakes, sweets, biscuits, chocolate, crisps, processed foods, saturated fats, caffeine and alcohol. These all increase the burden on your liver, which deserves a well-earned rest after the excesses of the Christmas season. Base your meals around whole grains, quality proteins, healthy fats and a rainbow of coloured fruit and veg.  Replace caffeinated tea and coffee with herbal teas and coffee alternatives. Try green tea, lemon and ginger tea, peppermint tea or dandelion coffee. These are antioxidant rich, have anti-inflammatory properties and aid liver and digestive functions too. Ginger and peppermint teas are particularly good for alleviating symptoms of over indulgence, like wind, bloating, diarrhoea and nausea.

Step 2.

Look after you liver

Your liver performs hundreds if not thousands of awesome tasks in the body every day. Its ability to function and to rebuild and repair itself is absolutely dependant on the nutrients you consume. To carry out these processes the liver relies on good sources of protein that provide a range of amino acids for its detoxification processes. Variety is key so alternate your meals with plenty of fish, nuts, seeds, poultry, beans, lentils, pulses, soya, eggs and lean meat. The liver also needs a range of co-factors to function well. Of particular importance is vitamin C, which accelerates the livers ability to detoxify. Vitamin C is a well-known antioxidant and is vital for neutralising many harmful agents as well as helping the body to remove heavy metals.  These are prominent in cigarette smoke, which may explain why vitamin C is used up so rapidly in smokers.  This powerful antioxidant also inhibits the damaging effects of air pollutants, pesticides and carbon monoxide.

To get a good dose of vitamin C and other essential antioxidants, load up on fruits and vegetables that are liver protective. Eat plenty of artichoke, beetroot, garlic, green leafy veg, leeks, onions, parsley, apples, pears, berries and grapes. During a detoxification programme you may need greater amounts of these nutrients and diet alone may not be sufficient. Supplementing with a good multivitamin and mineral, plus a well absorbed vitamin C should provide the support your liver needs. When choosing vitamin C I always opt for ‘Altrient C’ because of its unique delivery formula. Standard oral vitamin C supplements have limited bioavailability due to the body’s tight absorption barriers. Altrient C encapsulates and protects the vitamin C in tiny liposomes that transport it straight into the bloodstream and into the cells allowing for almost 100% bioavailability. This method of delivery also prevents the digestive problems normally associated with high intakes of standard vitamin C tablets.

Step 3.

Get your bowels moving

Whilst you are working on the body’s cleansing mechanisms it’s important to ensure regular bowel movements as this allows toxins to be successful eliminated from the body. Include plenty of fibre in the diet, found in wholegrains such as oats and brown rice, as well as beans and lentils. Flaxseeds can also help to get things moving but must be taken with plenty of fluids. Flax seeds are naturally high in fibre, once in contact with moisture, they produce a jelly-like coating called mucilage, which not only adds bulk to the stool but can also help to soothe any inflammation on the interior lining of the digestive system. The fibre in flax seeds also encourages the growth of healthy bacteria in the intestine, as well as acting like a broom, sweeping the colon of waste material. Drink at least two litres of filtered water or herbal teas a day to encourage this process.

Step 4.

Rethink your lifestyle

Clearing the body of toxins will improve your skin, your energy levels, your sleep and your mental clarity and should encourage you to make some lifestyle changes. Now is the time to stop being a couch potato and get moving!  Lymph – the fluid that removes toxins and poisons from the tissue spaces around cells, is reliant on exercise to move. Regular, mild to moderate exercise not only boosts a sluggish lymphatic system, but also increases endorphins, the body’s feel-good chemicals, which enhance your mood and enthusiasm. Studies have shown that exercise improves liver function and can also help reduce weight and stress levels…

Capitalise on your renewed energy and motivation and make this the month you give up smoking or drinking alcohol, or both! Write a shopping list to include all the healthy liver supportive foods you need. Re-organise your routine – sit down and look at your schedule. Take the time to identify how you can create a better work/life balance. Use a diary to plan your weeks ahead and pencil in time to see friends and family and fit in exercise & relaxation too.

Start Now! – prevent the post-Christmas meltdown and begin the New Year with oodles of energy.