Happy New Year, all! It’s feeling really great to be back. This morning, I definitely took some time deciding what I wanted my first post of 2010 to be (I’m such a symbolism nut). Here’s what I’ve settled on, mostly because it’s been so much on my own mind these past few days: With the clean slate of a new year, it’s always so tempting to want to atone for all your bad habits (weeks and weeks of wine and cookies) and make drastic changes moving forward (master cleanse, anybody?). We all know where that leads. The truth is, when it comes to overall health, it’s a nutritious diet–not a depriving one–that can be the best way to rid the body of toxins, start repairing cellular damage, and get your system going on the right foot. Here, I’ve pulled together a collection of great and easy eats for post-holiday toxin blasting.
*Focus on fiber, and mix up your sources: Not only is fiber great for getting your system moving, but it also helps control blood sugar and regulate metabolism, meaning you’ll have an easier time cutting down on the fattier, more sugar-rich foods the holidays tend to bring on. Here’s something new I learned, as well: According to a recent University of Toronto study, people who got their fiber from a mix of soluble (dissolves in water; this category includes oats, seed husks, and root vegetables) and insoluble (grains, fruit and vegetable skins, flax) sources experienced the most benefits.
*Increase your intake of potassium-rich foods: Potassium acts as a counterpoint for sodium; it works to pump retained fluid out of the body. Most of us get just over half the potassium we need–a minimum of 4,700 mg, according to the USDA. While present to some extent in almost all fruits and vegetables, the mineral is especially concentrated in papayas, avocado, sweet potatoes, dates, and beets.
*Go for citrus: You’ll often see lemon juice on fasts and cleanses because it’s believed to help balance the body’s pH. Interestingly, during digestion lemon turns from acid to alkaline bicarbonate, which actually neutralizes the body’s own acidity and helps us release toxins. Maybe because the “acid” to “alkaline” switch is so exciting, lemons have been singled out for this function, but the truth is that all fruits and vegetables have alkalizing properties. What acidic citrus fruits do offer that could count as above-and-beyond is a whole lot of immunity-promoting vitamin C (over 20 percent of your RDA) and some antimicrobal (bacteria-destroying) properties.
*Toss up some salad (or anything green, really): Green vegetables contain sulphur, chlorophyll, and glutathione, all of which have been linked to liver and digestive health (probably because they work to repair cell damage). Cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, cabbage, and bok choy also increase our bodies’ concentration of isothiocyanates, chemical compounds that Johns Hopkins researchers have tied to lower risks of lung cancers (the thinking is that maybe the isothiocyanates counteract environmental toxins).
*Drink green tea: Rich in a class of flavenoid polyphenols called catechins, green tea packs a huge antioxidant punch (studies have shown its 100 percent more potent than vitamin C. It also has similar antimicrobal properties). Lastly, green tea has a slight diuretic effect–nice if you’re hoping to lose some of that holiday bloat–and is believed to be an anti-aging skin-brightener.
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Camille
