You are what you eat
After a summer of excess it may be time rein it in just a little bit. You know exactly what I mean by excess. Summer gives us occasion to eat outside, eat chilled desserts based on cream, and even have BBQ’s where we consume more protein in a single plate of food than a top athlete. Did you know that a cheese burger, a handful of crisps (10 calories per crisp!) and a few tablespoons of coleslaw come in at around 1500 calories and these meals are always later due to charcoal debacle or standing around chatting, amazed at the fact we can actually be outside at all given this summer’s weather record. Consequently you may be indulging at an hour when really you should be sipping tea or actually already asleep. As much fun as this all is and after all we have been on holiday, it will catch up to you in the end. Maybe it is the time for a Detox?
Detox has become a loaded word when all it really means is cut out the rubbish, give your body a break and a better chance to do its job. The body does a terrific job of detoxification all on its own – hence the liver, the kidneys and other bits and bobs that keep plugging away no matter what you eat or drink. Sometimes you make these organs work overtime, due to ingesting excess toxins or being under stress, the result is the other systems in your body are badly affected.
I am almost sure no one has been held captive and force fed pizza and Pinot Grigio of late. Whatever is lurking within your body is what you have put there all by yourself but the obsession with ridding our body of these so-called evil toxins has gone too far.
You do not have to go to extremes such as the ‘drinking only lemonade mixed with maple syrup and cayenne pepper for 21 days’ nonsense. While all of the ingredients in that programme have valid contributions to make to your health its certainly not healthy to ingest them in this bonkers way. Apart from making you very tired and cross you may be doing permanent damage to vital systems and organs. Only people who have ‘people’ to do everything for them can indulge, if they wish to take the risk.
Detoxing is certainly not a new fad. For hundreds of years the need to purge and start afresh has been promoted as the way to correct all the wrongdoings and woes of your life.
The Greeks and Romans loved a good deep cleanse, inside and out. Lolling around for hours in their steam rooms followed by being scrubbed with salts and oils then, a deep tissue massage, which encouraged toxins to leave the body, was de rigueur. This would be called lymphatic drainage today.
Fasting was another regular event in their lives. Often linked to religion, fasting was supposed to clear your mind and your soul. Another popular purge of the time was the use of leeches to rid the body of ‘bad’ blood. Bad blood was apparently responsible for any number of ailments. This rather distasteful practise was in its golden age in the 19th century when millions of leeches were raised for medical use. This treatment was prescribed for anything from boils to facial discolouration. Fascinatingly it is still in vogue today, albeit with a bit more science attached, although it’s not on offer at my local surgery.
Hippocrates, the father of medicine, said ‘Nature cures, not the Physician’. Fever, cold, inflammations and digestive disorders are all ways the body has for dealing with various ailments and toxins.
Our seemingly voracious appetite for Detox Quick Fixes implies that we lead lives of such excess and indulgence they are the only answer.
You really do not have to check in somewhere or buy a kit from the chemist to achieve a better balance in your body. Many of the expensive programmes promoted make claims that are nonsensical or irrelevant to the hoped for outcome so are not automatically doing you good.
A nice treat for your body is to only have to deal with a healthy intake. This will raise your energy levels, stimulate digestion, clear annoying headaches, remove bloating, improve your concentration and mood, regain the natural ability to ward off colds, prevent premature ageing and disease.
Here is a little 8 Part Plan to help you enjoy your autumn fresh and clean.
- Stop eating rubbish. You know full well what I mean – this includes anything fried or loaded with sugar/salt or the 3 P’s – processed, prepared and packaged.
- Drink pure water whenever you can – coffee, tea and so on all count towards the amount of liquid you need during the day to keep hydrated and everything flowing smoothly but pure water means the body does not have to process it in any way.
- Try restricting the amount of meat you eat. Meats are acid forming and put a strain on the kidneys and intestines, as there is low water content and no fibre in meat to help along the digestion process. Even a couple a days of week as meat free would make a difference.
- Make your main meals at least 70 percent vegetables where possible. Eating some fruit at breakfast is great but do so before eating any toasts, cereals or proteins so it has a chance to race through the intestines instead of getting stuck behind slower digesting items like carbs and proteins.
- Increase your fibre intake whenever you can. Examples of high fibre foods are bananas, bread, broccoli, spinach, kale potatoes and bran based cereals. This is where drinking those glasses of pure water and other liquids will help, as fibre will absorb the liquid in the colon and facilitate regular elimination.
- Eating when you are hungry and not hanging on to some conventional meal time will help stabilise blood sugar levels which is so important to having balanced energy and will stop the see sawing highs and lows some of us experience during the day.
- Which leads to snacking. Raw almonds are packed with more nutrients and calcium than any other nut and can help lower cholesterol and give a boost of energy. Celery and other vegetables cut into sticks and kept in the fridge in a container of fresh water are also good news. A little bag of carrot sticks and raw almonds are a must have in your handbag on a busy day when reaching for a biscuit is all too tempting.
- Lastly increase your daily walking to improve circulation and bring fresh oxygenated blood to the tissues. Exercising also reduces stress levels.
First Published September 2011 By The Dart
