Why Detox When You Can PRETOX?
Nov
30Posted in [Nutrition], [Probiotics] By LifeWayKefir LifeWayKefir
11/30/2009 11:39 AM
Detoxing is a superhot buzzword, with items and services available to help you cleanse everything from your liver to your skin, from the blood coursing through your veins to those special places where the sun doesn’t shine. We’ve even told you before about how to help speed things along after a major meal like Thanksgiving dinner.
But what about looking ahead a few weeks and focusing on the pre-tox possibilities? Today’s UK Daily Mail outlines a six-step pre-tox party plan to help prepare your stomach kidneys and immune system for the quickly-approaching onslaught of food, booze, stress and lack of sleep that always seem to hit us head-on during the holidays.
“The stress on the body increases dramatically at Christmas,” says Bean Sopwith, a mind-body therapist at the Body Alchemist and the woman responsible for Jack Osbourne's dramatic lifestyle overhaul a few years ago. “You want to get it into balance as much as possible before you take it out of balance. You need to address a number of things, including how you're eating, when you're eating, and the importance of sleep.”
Never heard of pre-toxing? Don’t sweat it – we’ve got some pointers for you right here:
1) Snap your diet into high gear. If you’re as popular as us, you’ve got a fully-booked social calendar for the holidays and New Years Eve. No doubt these cocktail parties and dinner soirees will be filled with cheesy canapés, high-calorie martinis and rich chocolate desserts. Resist the temptation to skip meals early in the day to “save up” on calories and space that evening. This tactic WILL backfire: You’ll arrive to the party starving, and the second that glass of champagne hits your bloodstream, you’ll lose any good intentions and start scarfing whatever you can get your newly manicured hands on. Have a normal breakfast and lunch and about an hour before the party, drink a full glass of water and eat a small apple to fill you up and take the edge off any hunger.
2) Load up on nutrient-rich salad and veggies. We know, we know, it’s hard to snack on raw broccoli and celery when there are shrimp puffs and kobe beef skewers being passed to you left and right, but at least try to sneak in some vegetables early in the day. A hearty lunch salad will deliver tons of antioxidants and vitamins to your system, helping your liver and kidneys prepare for the richer foods you’ll be enjoying later that night.
3) Now it’s time to prepare your gut and immune system for the liters of alcohol which will be poured it over the next few weeks. A large amount of our immune system functioning actually takes place in the gut, “where most of the vital bacteria that fight off toxins from food and other invading bugs reside.” Time to bone up your digestive health with probiotics. Bonus: Kefir is a well-known flat belly food - Men's Health Editor in Chief David Zincenko recently touted it as one of summer's six essential flat belly foods- because its probiotics may speed weight loss. Research from the University of Tennessee has shown that consuming three to four servings of dairy products a day may help men and women shed more pounds than cutting out dairy (a common, but erroneous, weight loss tactic.) We suggest drinking a full 8-oz glass of Lifeway kefir every day for the month of December to help shore up your immune system. After the New Year, keep it up to stay strong throughout the virus-filled winter. 4) We’re not suggesting you stop drinking alcohol – numerous studies have shown a drink a day can be quite beneficial for many men and women when it comes to cardiac health. But do avoid binge drinking (defined as more than four drinks at a give time for men, or five drinks for women.) And if you’re going to imbibe, try a vodka cranberry: The pearly red fruit is a fantastic antioxidant. And be sure to chug our new Cranberry Crème Brulee Kefir the morning after!
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