Post Diwali Detox Tips

I am sure you all had fun Diwali. Did you stuff yourself and your family with Mithai’s, ladoos, chakli’s, and tonnes of fried food? Or did you put on that extra kilo or two? With wedding season about to begin and Christmas and New year coming up I am sure you would like to do the best for the next two weeks and get serious about your health and detox your body. Detox is nothing but setting the reboot button for your body.

So the basic idea is not to starve yourself as it really does not help and only causes weakness in your body. The idea here is to eat healthy, drink lots of water, exercise a little bit every day and avoid any and all junk food. Trust me it will be worth towards the end as you will loose some of your Diwali weight, your skin and hair will be radiant (and ready for wedding season) and you will feel a lot better about yourself overall. Gaining weight and eating junk is the easiest bit but losing weight and eat healthy isn’t easy. But if you set your mind to it you for sure can do it.

Here are few tips which will help you rejuvenate your body.

Hydrate yourself: Keep yourself hydrated. After over consumption of sweets, fried food and alcohol your body gets dehydrated hence, drink lots of water. Have at least 8-10 glasses of water daily. It is advisable to not drink water along with your meals as it affects the digestion process. Water overall is known to be the best remedy for most of the bodies day today ailments hence ensure water is a very important part of your daily lifestyle.Don’t gulp down water hastily as you may swallow air, which, in turn, causes bloating. You can start the day by sipping a big glass of lukewarm water with a few drops of lemon juice in it. Avoid coffee and the cold drink as they do not qualify to be a good source of hydration.

Go Green: Too much consumption of oily food and sweets can leave you feeling bloated and guilty after heavy duty eating. So for few days go easy on your tummy. Have healthy fibre rich breakfast, it will help to bring your digestive system on track. Also for your meals try and have soups (without cream and butter) first as this will help in keeping hunger pangs at bay. Include low-calorie food in your diet. Vegetables like Broccoli, zucchini, asparagus, cucumber and mushrooms are healthy options. I personally feel that vegetable-based meals are best as they can never go wrong when you are aiming at having a lighter stomach. Replace fried items with grilled and steamed vegetables. Green leafy vegetables(Steamed) can be included in the salad which will help in keeping the stomach super light and are low in fat and easy to digest. Similarly, salad and sprouts help to fight craving and definitely adds essential nutrients to your body.

Green Tea (Drink it Up): Green tea is known to be the best detoxifying agent. It is rich in antioxidants catechins. Hence do include it in your daily diet and it will for sure help in body detox from over consumption of sweets and fats. To get best results have it without sugar and milk. It has many other good effects on the body like, it strengthens your body physically and keeps your mind alert. It also helps in lowering cholesterol, keeps allergies at bay and most importantly it helps in burning the fat and thus lose weight.

Cut back on Sugar: I am sure this sounds difficult since the time of the year is going to begin soon. Wedding season(Lots of food & masti). But trust me that’s a must! At least for the initial few days when you are in a detox mode avoid sugar. Many people have the habit of eating desserts after their meals but this habit needs to be stopped. Sweets are only going to add up calories so its best if you can lead a sugar-free lifestyle for a long term health.

Sugar-free options: In spite of all your hard attempts are you finding it difficult to stay away from sweets. Well do not worry, you can include sugar-free options in your diet to satisfy your sweet tooth. Instead of consuming rich, ghee or butter and sugar-packed sweets, you can include options like apple kheer, dark chocolate, mixed fruit custard, etc. in your diet. This will help you in maintaining sugar levels and also lead a healthy life. Add healthy drinks to your daily diet – A glass of fresh fruit juice (without added sugar) is actually capable of doing miracles. Similarly, consumption of lemon water and coconut water is not only good for your tummy but its effects on the skin are also impressive. You will find yourself glowing from within.

Fibre rich food: From breakfast to dinner, choose ingredients with high-fibre content. Fibre is known to be the best natural detoxifying agent. Choose whole wheat bread over white one. Also, try and choose natural and unrefined foods. This means no sugar, no refined flour and no store bought bakery food items. Fruits and vegetables provide a range of nutrients and fibre that help with the detoxification process.

Chew:Chewing the food helps it mix well with the saliva, making it alkaline, which is the body’s natural pH. Not chewing your food properly also means that it stays longer in your body, fermenting in your intestine and causing indigestion and bloating.
Exercise: Only food control and no exercise won’t be of much help. You got to exercise at least half an hour every day. Try to take gentle walks, a short run, yoga or play a sport of your liking. Just get moving for 30 minutes every day.

Last but not least PAMPER Yourself: Just because you have enjoyed the last few festive days and hogged on the delicacies does not mean that you need to abstain from all forms of self-pamper. Diwali can be really stressful and a nice spa treatment or a body massage can make you feel rejuvenated. A steam bath will also help you relax those painful knots in your body. Trust me self-pampering is also one part of detoxification process (Especially steam bath as it releases sweat).

The idea here is not to look for weight loss during detox, it is to get rid of unhealthy eating habits and treating your body with nourished and balanced diet. Also going on only fruit and juices diet is not advisable as it leads to loss of muscle. Have a balanced diet rich in fruits and vegetables but also includes, pulses, sprouts and tofu in your in your meal plan. Try to cut down on tea, coffee, soft drinks and also fried food to get maximum results. Just simple little steps and your detox is done. Detoxifying after a festival should not be a punishment! Treat yourself to all the goodies out there but to a limit. After all, you want to be snack-ready for the wedding seasons which is just around the corner.

Happy Detoxing !