5 Detox Tips for the Party Princess

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The silly season hasn’t even started and I’m already kicking off Monday morning with a cleanse for my normally well-cared for temple. It’s currently the temple of doom.  This party girl is coming off the back of four nights of eating crap and drinking more champagne and red wine than I’d normally have in a month. It's been a similar story three weeks running, and up ahead is the week-long holiday with an all-you-can-eat smorgasbord and open bar.  God help me! This week is a little more commitment free, so I’m making a commitment to self: A 5-day urgent body-repair workshop.  That’s providing I can get through Halloween without chocolate. I'm putting the Monday-Friday Detox Action Plan into, well, action.  Here's how:

1.     HAVE A JUICE DAY:  Sometimes a juice fast is exactly what you need to cleanse the bod.  That doesn’t mean going to Coles and buying as much Just Juice as you can fit in your fridge, it means dragging out that massive contraption of a juicer you spent $400 on three years ago and never use because it takes up too much bench space and is such a pain in the arse to clean.  Get it out, get out your veges and get juicing.  If you can manage two or three days, then bully for you – you’ll be feeling refreshed and energetic again in no time!  And just a reminder, even though you’re juicing,  keep drinking your water in between; you still it to flush out your system and keep yourself regular!

2.     SWEAT IT OUT:  For me this means a hot yoga class, but it can be any exercise of your choice.  When you’re all slugged out from the food/drink overload, exercise is the last thing you want to do, but it makes a massive difference.  Make sure you get at least three workouts in.  Sweat as much as you can.  Drink as much water as you can.  This will help get rid of the toxins you so kindly dumped on yourself, and help restore the fluids you lost in doing so.  

3.     VEG OUT:  Make a commitment to veg out for 5 whole days.  That is, stuff yourself with as many vegetables as you possibly can in every meal.  Ideally, cut the proteins too, especially meat and dairy. If you can’t live without carbs, have them only at breakfast, and veg yourself silly the rest of the day.  If you think this sounds limiting here’s a selection of what you can have: lettuce in every variety, cucumber, capsicum, celery, beetroot, tomatoes, avocadoes, broccoli, carrots, fennel, eggplant, sweet potato, beans, sprouts, squash, cabbage, Chinese greens, peas, spinach on and on… There’s so much to choose from and tons of ways to cook them.  If you’re stuck, check this gorge website for ideas: www.vegiehead.com.au.

4.     GREENER IS CLEANER: (And generally leaner too).  If you’re veging out beautifully, then you’re already getting lots of good nutrients and giving your bod a good internal clean out, but you can go one step better.  Use a green powder like wheatgrass, barley grass, spirulina or a greens combo in your juices to give an extra cleansing edge. Adding liquid chlorophyll to your drinking water is another way to cleanse you blood, help remove toxins and nourish your cells.  You can get all of this at any good health food store. Drink up pup. - you asked for it! 

5.     GET A MASSAGE:  So you’ve eaten every soft cheese on the market, at least four bags of Doritos, a few slices of pizza and slipped in a sly Cornetto on the side.  You drank too much, danced all night and maybe even rode the porcelain bus home…do you really deserve to reward yourself with a massage?  YES!  Wait till the end of your detox week when your body has had the time to regain some of its former glory, and then treat yourself to a full body massage and body brush.  As you cleanse internally, the massage action will help release even more toxins and the body brush will remove any of the flaky gross stuff coming out through your skin.  True story, this really happens.

By the end of the week you’ll feel brand new. Or at least back to your old self.  When Saturday hits and you have another hen’s night/40^th/kids birthday/ neighbours nibbles or all four of them, you won’t feel so bad about tucking into the chocolate crackles and caviar. 

5 Things you should eat every day

Branded as fattening by Western diet ‘experts’ the following foods are often avoided. In truth, the fats they contain are incredibly healthy and vital for normal body function including the absorption and transportation of nutrients. Weirdly, they may actually help you lose weight (true story!) It’s all about the molecular structure of the fat (if you’re interested, research medium chain fatty acids/medium chain triglycerides), but for now, eat these!

Delish!  My Raw Cacao & Coconut Balls

1. COCONUT – The flesh, oil and juice are all super-rich in nutrients and have amazing health implications for the body. The fats help protect against heart disease, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. They increase metabolism, are easily absorbed quickly used by the body, so they’re less likely to stick around and be stored on your arse. That’s just a start. There’s a plethora of other health benefits from improved diabetes health to better skin and hair, plus protection from common illnesses through antibacterial, antifungal and antiviral properties. Coconut water is gaining popularity too, with many athletes using it to replenish energy in place of ‘sports’ drinks. Coconut water can replace electrolytes for people who have had a bout of illness (like gastro) and has even been used to intravenously hydrate critically ill patients when saline/blood plasma is unavailable. Make sure your coconut water is young and preferably fresh, and your coconut oil is extra virgin and hexane free. Compromising on quality compromises the benefits!

2. AVOCADOS – Another awesomely nutritional food labeled ‘fattening’ and often avoided by westerners. Truth is, the fats in avocados actually help to digest, transport and absorb the real goodies – the carotenoid antioxidants that are abundant in the vegetable. It’s a perfect combination in a neat little package. That’s nature showing off again. Avocados contain vitamin E, Vitamin K, potassium, folate, selenium and zinc. They are associated with reducing inflammation in the body, with eye/macular health, heart health and lowering cholesterol. If you think cost is prohibitive – grow a tree! They take really easily from a replanted seed.

3. OLIVES – Yep, they're fatty too, but again, they are ‘good’ fats, essential for normal body function. The fats in olives are associated with reduced cardio illness, lower blood pressure, lower cholesterol and reduced inflammation in the body. Olives are a great source of antioxidants including lutein, which strengthens eye-sight, fights free radicals and helps prevent premature ageing. Olives are rich in B vitamins as well as Vitamin A, E and K. They are mineral rich with calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium , zinc and selenium, all of which are absorbed more easily by the presence of the olive’s fatty acids. There are loads to choose from, but again, pay attention to how they’re produced and where they come from. Organic is best!

4. CHOCOLATE (yes, chocolate!) – Celebrate! The antioxidant and flavonoid content in Raw cacao is said to be higher than that found in red wine, blueberries, green tea or any other food! In this pure form, chocolate is rich in magnesium, iron, copper, sulphur, calcium, potassium and manganese. It contains Vitamins A, B, C and E, amino acids and a myriad of elements vital for healthy body function. These nutrients have a range of benefits for heart health, and the high levels of magnesium support healthy brain function. Cacao also contains a range of plant chemicals such as anandamide and dopomine that stimulate mood and decrease stress levels, hence chocolate’s frequent association with love and pleasure. It’s a super healthy food, not a treat! But beware - mixing chocolate with sugar and milk ain’t the way to go, and raw, organic cacao definitely is. You can find a million articles and recipes for raw cacao online. Yum yum!

5. NUTS – I’m nuts about them. Walnuts and almonds especially, but we’ll include hazelnuts, pecans and cashews here too (unsalted, raw of course!). The health benefits make this whole post somewhat repetitive – antioxidants and anti-inflammatories. Are you hearing me? In the fats! Again, it’s protection from cardiovascular illness, high cholesterol weight gain and other related illnesses; metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes. Yes, nuts are high in calories. But they are also high in Vitamin E, Calcium, magnesium, selenium and iron. They are mega rich in antioxidants for vital health, cell function, regeneration and repair and the fats in nuts are actually associated with weight loss, not weight gain.
Still want that bag of Doritos? Think again.

Happy munching!