November 4, 2018
I know, right?
(And it's not even Thanksgiving yet!)
Try not to be so tough on yourself, though…YOU'RE NOT ALONE! I'd be lying if I said I don't occasionally eat something I know for a fact will make me feel funky in the morning (and these blogs are never intended to be a platform for me to play healthier than thou!!!)
Perhaps some sort of trendy detox is looking pretty good right now? IMHO that's really not necessary however…if you can manage to let go of the guilt re yesterday's overindulgence (BTW I often think that guilt - and the ensuing stress - can be considerably more damaging than poor choices in food) and get back on the healthy horse right away, in the grand scheme of things a single day of indiscretion won't matter much.
So what's the quickest, most natural way to detox? EAT MORE VEGGIES (and I bet most of you heard that coming a mile away.)
But why, many of you may be asking, is eating more veggies a good idea for this particular dilemma?
Before I respond though, let me back up and ask did you know that EVERY major world health organization (including THE World Health Organization) now claims we should be eating at least 9-13 servings of fresh whole produce EVERY DAY just to MAINTAIN our health?
Be honest now…how many of you are actually doing that???
Additionally, there’s a growing body of evidence to suggest that consuming MORE than the daily recommendation of vegetables and fruits improves health WITHOUT LIMIT…in other words, THE MORE VEGETABLES AND FRUITS YOU EAT, THE HEALTHIER YOU'LL BE, PERIOD!!!
So now I'll get back to the issue at hand: the reason why upping your intake of veggies the morning after is such a great and EASY way to detox is because in doing so you'll also be:
• Consuming a lot more water
And why is that important? Veggies are LOADED with water and most people are dehydrated most of the time but eating or drinking too many simple carbs dehydrates the body even further plus really pushing the water the day after a binge (in any format…drinking an extra glass or two is also a good idea) pushes toxins out of the system extra fast.
• Filling up on low calorie food while stabilizing your blood sugar
I'm sure you already know why this is important today of all days LOL.
• Eating LOTS MORE vitamins and minerals (without taking a single supplement)
Believe it or not there’s over 10,000 vitamins IN AN APPLE ALONE...just imagine how many nutrients you'll be taking in when eating the veggie RDA! Foods filled with simple carbs, on the other hand, typically contain LOTS of calories but almost zero nutrition...need I say more?
• Rebooting your taste buds
We’ve all experienced the phenomenon that eating or drinking junk ALWAYS increases junk cravings so eating more veggies, of course, has the reverse effect (I don't know about you but I certainly never enjoyed feeling like a slave to my junk food cravings…’nuff said, right?)
But are you still thinking about commencing some sort of trendy detox or even a diet? Before heading down that potential rabbit hole, however, consider the most common generally-considered-healthy diets these days: Vegetarian, Vegan, Mediterranean, Paleo, Blood Type, Okinawa, and New Nordic. There are important distinctions between all of these diet theories (and some are considerably better researched than others) but there’s one thing they all have in common: they’re all primarily whole-food plant-based diets. And why is that important? Because the most well-known Functional, Holistic, and Integrative Medicine professionals these days are all citing boatloads of hard science pointing directly to whole-food plant-based diets as the best way to not only reduce disease symptoms but even reduce risk for developing every major disease. In fact ALL the current research overlaps like a Venn diagram when it comes to veggies…turns out long healthy lives are almost 100% dependent upon consumption of LOTS of vegetables each and every day.
All that being said, I’m guessing that many of you are now suddenly VERY interested in eating 9-13 servings of fresh whole produce (and not just today but probably from now on) but, truthfully, don't really know how to fit ‘em all in. NO PROBLEM...just sign up for my last Detox Smoothie workshop of the year and I promise to give you all the tools you need to be completely successful!
Bear in mind, however, that smoothies are certainly not the ONLY veggie-eating strategy I advocate: just because (gratefully) we live in a country and time where almost all produce is available all the time doesn’t mean we should ignore the importance of eating seasonally and locally grown produce (which goes a LONG way towards creating balance in the body!) Click here for more info on seasonal eating for improved health from Andrea Beaman of The Institute for Integrative Nutrition and one of the most influential Holistic Health Coaches today. But the way I look at it, if eating 9-13 servings of veggies every day is your goal and you’re currently not even coming CLOSE to that number, then putting a few more healthy tools in your toolbox is probably a really good strategy, right?
And let’s call a spade a spade: we live in a culture where obesity and disease are out of control yet we still somehow insist all our food should be fast…under those circumstances, doesn’t throwing a bunch of fresh veggies and superfoods in a blender sound like a really good place to start?
The bottom line is that smoothies should be considered a major component of ANY whole-food plant-based diet and offer a myriad of health benefits including:
• Natural weight loss
• Reduction of all disease risk & symptoms
• Balanced blood sugar & improved craving control
• Improved mood, sleep, energy & focus
• Strengthened immune system & stronger bones
• Age-defying skin, hair & nails
• And of course: DETOXING FROM MOMENTARY HOLIDAY INDISCRETIONS!
Participants will not only walk away from this workshop knowing how smoothies make “crowding out” poor food choices a piece of cake, they’ll also understand the distinctions between whole food smoothies and juices, what to add to a smoothie and why it should be added, which blenders are best, great recipe suggestions, plus a whole lot more!
So sign up today then sail right through the holiday season more easily than ever before (and if you still have questions just remember, no one EVER got sick, sicker, or fat by eating too many carrots!)
