New Year, New You!

So it’s time to take off our party hats and say goodbye to the remains of the festive food and drink. This month we’re going to be looking at how we can get ourselves in shape for the year ahead.

Christmas is a common time for overindulgence. It’s estimated that the average Christmas dinner contains over x, 000 calories. But that’s only the beginning. Regular parties in the run up to the big day, as well as over consumption of treat foods such as chocolates, biscuits and crisps can leave us feeling tired, sluggish and overweight.

Many of us like to start the new year with a detox, but some detox programmes can do more harm than good. So what’s the best way to cleanse away the holiday excess?

The secret of a good detox programme is one that provides the right nutrients to adequately support the liver in its role of eliminating toxins from the body. Let’s have a look at how this process works.

Liver detoxification consists of two phases. The first phase is akin to bagging up the rubbish for removal. During this phase many toxins are made more toxic in order for the second phase of detoxification to work efficiently. Once the liver has bagged up the rubbish it is ready to be removed from the body and the liver does this by attaching various substances to the toxins. For example sulphur is added to neutralise the toxic components which come from hormones such as the pill and HRT. Other substances which are attached are derived from the protein foods that we eat

So what should we be eating to minimise the toxins that our bodies are taking in while at the same time providing the nutrients needed to optimize detoxification? Well to start with we need to avoid the foods & drinks that put a lot of strain on our livers. These include alcohol, caffeine containing drinks, sugar, artificial colourings, flavourings & additives, plus any foods which we think we might be allergic to.

In order to support the first phase of detoxification we need to eat foods containing vitamins A, C, E, Zinc, B vitamins, glutathione and healthy fats. Traditional detox programmes tend to be rich in fruit & veg and these foods do provide many of the nutrients needed for phase one. So far, so good. It is at the second stage that traditional detox regimes fall short as phase 2 is heavily dependent upon protein rich foods such as meat, fish, eggs and pulses as well as foods rich in sulphur (onions, garlic, broccoli, cauliflower, eggs). These foods are simply not provided in sufficient quantities on a diet of fruit & veg. The danger here then is that by providing nutrients which speed up our first phase of detoxification we might create additional toxins which our liver is unable to deal effectively with since the nutrients are lacking. This explains why so many people on detox programmes feel so awful- the so called healing crisis! This can be avoided completely by ensuring that these protein & sulphur rich foods are included in sufficient quantities. It is also important to make sure that you are having regular bowel movements so that your body is able to eliminate the toxins that your body is throwing off.

To summarise the key recommendations are as follows:

AVOID
Sugar & sugar containing foods
Caffeine
Any foods which you think you are allergic to (wheat & dairy are common culprits)
Alcohol
Artificial colourings, flavourings & additives
Fried foods
Hydrogenated fat
Red meat (this can be difficult to digest)

INCREASE
Water – 2-3 litres
Fruit and vegetables – Aim for 8+ portions daily (include at least one portion of green veg daily+ some raw food )
Fibre rich foods such as pulses, beans
Onions, garlic

EAT IN MODERATION
Protein foods – fish & lean chicken
Eggs

LIVER SUPERFOODS
Beetroot
Artichoke
Tumeric
Dandelion (can be consumed in the form of dandelion root coffee)
Broccoli
cauliflower

Detox Recipe – Beetroot, Carrot and Parsnip Salad
1 raw beetroot, grated
1 carrot, grated
1 parsnip, grated
Oil & lemon juice dressing
One or two radishes, finely chopped
1 small bunch of chives, chopped

Combine the grated vegetables & dressing. Mix lightly (keeping the colours somewhat separate) and place in a salad bowl. Decorate with the chopped radishes & chives

Is nutrition the missing link to your health?

www.thenutritionlink.co.uk
Tel: 01727 764 832

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