Thinking of doing a cleanse in January?

30/12/19

Are you kidding? Could you pick a worse time of the year to be hard on your body? It seems like a quick fix and a great way to balance the excesses of Christmas, but you’ll be making sacrifices that you don’t have to for results that you won’t get.

How so?
Cleansing cuts out the gunk and junk and it can make you feel healthier (what does that actually feel like…?), but when the purge is at an end, old foods creep back in and the bad habits are back. Have you made any real progress?

Work within your body’s capabilities
There is a limit to the amount of nutrients that your body can take in at one time. Trying to boost your vitamin intake in one fell swoop, at the darkest, coldest time of the year, will in fact result in you ‘getting rid’ of more goodness than you absorb.

If you’re planning to go straight from lots of rich food at Christmas to severe calorie restrictions and missed meals, you will mess with your metabolism and undo any good that you’re trying to do.

Positive Eating
Imagine a diet that is filled with healthy, flavoursome food, that leaves you feeling full, satisfied and not eyeing up the biscuit tin. Doing more with less, bumping up your vegetable intake while toning down the carbs and maxing the flavour palette of every meal will make it easier for you to stick to three square meals a day.

Make it easy on yourself
What are the top five things that you can do to make your eating work for you when you’re trying to cut down on the treats?

Watch your potion sizes – if you really struggle with servings, use a smaller plate. Simples.
Cut down on carbs – swap your rice, potatoes and pasta for alternatives, such as cauliflower, quinoa or courgette ribbons.
Use herbs and spices to create taste sensations that you’ll look forward to eating
Dump the deep fat fried foods – you know you want to!
Plan ahead – it is much harder to fall off the wagon if you haven’t planned your meals for the week ahead

It’s not just about January…

… It’s also about February, March, April and onwards

If you can create good habits at this time of year, they will be much easier to keep when Spring and Summer arrive.