Detoxing After the Holidays
It has been an extremely busy time of the year, with lots of Christmas parties, end of year break ups and of course New Year’s celebrations.
What does this mean? Lots of wining, dining and temptation!
Although we do our utmost to stay focused and on track with our food choices, we undoubtedly at times veer off track a little.
All that food and drink increases the toxins that we ingest and puts additional stress on our liver and detoxification system. But not all is lost, by returning to our roots of clean eating principles we can assist our liver in removing all the additional toxins so that we don’t experience any long term disruptions to our metabolism.
Our detoxification system relies on the right balance of protein, fats, fibre, vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients to be effective. Eating the following foods will prime your system for detoxification:
· Cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, kale, collards, Brussel sprouts, cauliflower, bok choy, Chinese cabbage, Chinese broccoli); Green tea; Watercress; Dandelion greens; Cilantro; Artichokes; Garlic; Citrus peels; Cocoa
Drinking juices and smoothies are also a fabulous way to increase the amount of nutrients to support your detoxification system whilst giving your digestive system a break.
A couple of good recipes to help you get started are:
Kale and Spinach Juice
Ingredients:
¼ pineapple, peeled
handful spinach
handful kale, washed and de-stemmed
200ml filtered water or coconut water
Method:
Place pineapple, kale and spinach through a juicer and then add water at the end. Alternatively place all ingredients in a high speed blender and blend until smooth. You may want to strain the juicer prior to drinking to remove excess pulp.
Serves 1
Green Gardener’s Bowl
Ingredients:
100g spinach leaves, washed
100g rocket leaves, washed
½ head of broccoli, cut into florets
½ head of cauliflower, cut into florets
½ beetroot, grated
2 Lebanese cucumbers, diced
½ avocado, diced
2 tablespoons pumpkin seeds
200g lentils, washed and drained
handful cilantro, roughly chopped
handful parsley, roughly chopped
Dressing;
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 lemon juiced
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ garlic clove, crushed
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon raw honey (optional)
Method:
Split the greens in between two bowls.
Prepare broccoli, cauliflower, beetroot and cucumbers and spread between the two bowls.
Sprinkle the bowls with pumpkin seeds, lentils and herbs.
Add diced avocado and dressing just before serving.
Serves 2
When you make these recipes, Instagram a photo and be sure to let me know how you go and tag #vitalassurance. Let me know what kind of salad or juice ideas and inspirations you are looking for in your comment.
Enjoy!
In good health,
Keren xX
