You ate and ate and ate. You knew you shouldn't have had that other piece of cake or helping of mashed potatoes. You did anyway. You didn't make it to the gym once and drinking water didn't once cross your mind. You stuffed yourself sinfully all throughout the holiday season.
Newsflash. The holiday season is now over and has been for some time. You have a food hangover that doesn't seem to want to go away not to mention your eating habits haven't changed much nor have they resumed to their regular schedule pre-holiday season. It's not only food though. We drank. Oh how we drank. Just have one more, says your friend Sally. You can't say no.
Here we are shortly after holidays and we still feel like crap. Look to your kitchen for ways to help you detox your poor clogged up body during this sinful time. Here are 10 superfoods that will help you return to normal.
1. Lemons.
In your water, in your food, in your tea, lemons lemons everywhere. This is the number one super detoxifying food for anything really, anytime. Lemon is high in Vitamin C and fibre which are two power house ingredients to unclog any poor ole' body. Squeeze some in your water, on your salads, in your tea, or wherever you desire the fresh taste of lemons.
2. Fruits.
Fresh fruits, not the ones that come out of a can or jar and claim to be 100% natural. They aren't. If you can handle skin on your fruit, eat that too. Fruits are high in fibre, a most effective de-clogger and they also help you feel full because of that so you won't be noshing throughout the evening like you always do. They will help clean you out while giving you an ample dose of vitamins.
3. Green tea.
I'm not a big fan of the taste of green tea but will drink it occasionally. It's chock full of antioxidants as well as containing many detoxifying properties. It also aids in burning fat and speeding up the metabolism, which is exactly what we need right now.
4. Cabbage.
There are a ton of ways to eat cabbage is so if you aren't fussy for it cooked, you can also eat it fresh and raw in salads as a side dish, drizzled with some nice olive oil. Squeeze some lemon on that and you got one packed detoxifying food on your plate.
5. Apple cider vinegar.
So the sound of this one is quite unappetizing but use your imagination and get some of this in you. You can chug some back in a glass of water quickly and painlessly or drizzle this on salads. This powerhouse vinegar is probably one of the most effective at unclogging you. It's not tasty, but it works.
6. Get your greens in.
Greens like kale, spinach, lettuce, bok choy and any other leafy green veggie. Those are the ones you want to be consuming at this time. Full of fibre and loaded with vitamins and minerals, they will leave you feeling fuller longer and are great for cleaning you out. Fresh and uncooked is always best but if you prefer to have them cooked, steamed is best and eaten either plain or drizzled with olive oil and, yes you guessed it, lemon juice.
7. Artichokes.
This is one of the lesser known super foods. Surprisingly enough, artichokes are fantastic at helping your liver and colon function at optimal health. They aren't the best tasting food but with a little natural flavoring, including garlic and onions sautéed in olive oil it's easy to make this a welcome addition to the dinner table.
8. Turmeric.
The King/Queen of all spices. This is a natural powerhouse that can be stirred up in foods or simply added to hot water or any tea to get the most out of its detoxifying properties. This is an awesome liver cleanser but be warned, this taste is very peculiar and not a favourite of many. If using it in teas, mix in some cinnamon and other herbs to try to mask the taste, if you aren't fussy for it.
Of course, water, not listed here, is the obvious number one thing that you should be drinking lots of after holiday eating and drinking binging. This will flush you out better than anything. The other items listed here that can be ingested with water just so happen to have many other health benefits to them as well. Keep drinking water, flushing out all that gunk and get ready for next holiday season.