After a month of holiday indulgence, is detoxing the best option to optimize your health?
The holiday season is over, and your body has taken the brunt of the damage. With high caloric, sodium, sugar, fat and animal protein intake, you’re most likely feeling bloated, run down and susceptible to winter colds and flu. You’ve heard of replacing solid food with an all liquid diet to detox your toxin-filled body, but are detoxes effective?
On the surface, the answer to that question is yes and no. When done correctly, detoxes can be a great way to cleanse the body of toxins while fixing nutrient imbalances. But not all detoxes are created equally and many starve the body of essential vitamins and minerals, thereby making their victims even weaker.
The key to a beneficial detox is mixing ingredients that replace weak cells with stronger, healthy cells that cleanse the body from head-to-toe while regaining energy and overall wellbeing with a surge of vitamins, minerals and electrolytes.
Where Most Detoxes Go Wrong
According to Lynn Allen, M.D., an endocrinologist from the New York Obesity Nutrition Research Center at St. Luke’s Roosevelt Hospital, the average person consumes more than 4,500 calories on a holiday, which sends the body into overdrive and builds up inflammation. It’s essential to clear out these toxins, but how the toxins are cleared makes all the difference.
Most detoxes feature some combination of raw vegetables, fruit and fruit juices, and water. While it is always advisable to consume more vegetables, fruits and water, limiting the body to just those three solid and liquid foods minimizes protein and other essential dietary nutrients. Without replenishing key dietary requirements, many detoxes leave the body starved for nutrients, and don't provide sufficient fuel for the body to effectively remove toxins. Additionally, according to Katherine Zeratsky, R.D., L.D., in an article for the Mayo Clinic, many detox diets require fasting, which can result in increased fatigue and vitamin and mineral deficiencies.
Detoxing Benefits Mental Health
While many detox plans significantly lack key nutrients, detoxing in general can significantly benefit mental health and body image, according to Ramani Durvasula, Ph.D., clinical psychology. Durvasula contends that—especially after a big holiday when dietary control is often compromised—cleanses can give people confidence in their willpower and increase feelings of control over food intake and weight.
Detoxing to Jump-Start a Healthy Diet
Detoxing correctly can also have long-term benefits other than removing toxins and adding vital nutrition to the body. By introducing a heavy dose of raw vegetables, fruits and energizing herbs, healthy detoxes lead people to feel energized, vibrant, and clear-minded. In her article for the Mayo Clinic, Zeratsky points out that a detox eliminates highly processed foods that have solid fats and added sugars.
She also points out that the psychological and physical benefits of a nutritious detox may encourage people to reach for a vegetable or fruit based snack rather than a processed, unhealthy food option. Additionally, detoxes remove all alcohol and caffeine, and allow people to consider how the two may be seriously affecting their health.
Finding the Right Detox
With so many options available, it’s vital to find the most nutritious, holistic detox plan.
The Hallelujah Diet features a
7-Day Detox Program that features head-to-toe detoxification while supercharging the body with active nutrition. Seeking to avoid the feelings of deprivation, exhaustion and listlessness that are common to most detox plans, HD’s 7-Day Detox Program offers a unique combination of fruits, vegetables, water, herbs, vitamins, minerals and essential nutrients.
Additionally, the Hallelujah Diet offers free:
- juice and soup recipes that are delicious and hearty
- a complete shopping list that steers you to the nutrient-packed ingredients
- a daily journal to track the detox foods that work the best
- and a detox symptom sheet to correct any issues that may arise
The 7-Day Detox Program eliminates toxins effectively while maximizing vitamins, minerals, and electrolytes that deliver energy and vibrant health.
The Hallelujah Diet 7-Day Detox is the most effective and unique detox because it:
- Kicks off the detoxifying process
- Floods the body with energy
- Leaves you full and satisfied
- Strengthens your immune system to minimize risk of illness
- Produces feel-good brain chemicals
- Requires no fasting or starvation
- Improves skin health and vibrant radiance
- Promotes weight loss and lean, strong muscles
- Eliminates bloating and indigestion
Takeaways
It is perfectly normal to enjoy the holidays and indulge with friends and family in potentially unhealthy foods and drinks. But having a post-holiday detox plan is key to returning the body to optimal health. Avoid typical detoxes that lack essential nutrients, delicious food options, fiber and protein. Choose a detox program designed to energize and rejuvenate the body by eliminating toxins and reintroducing healthy foods that get you back to your healthy lifestyle.
