Come this time of year, there is plenty of alcohol, sugar, unhealthy fats and processed packaged food – stuff that the clean-eating obsessed would not even consider food – to be had.
So, it’s not surprising that you, me and many others who may overindulge before 2016 sets in, consider ‘getting healthy’ as one of our New Year’s resolutions – if that’s your sort of thing.
Many turn to detoxing to cleanse and revitalise. It seems to be that ‘getting rid of toxins’ that we consume in copious amounts to celebrate the end of the year, is the be all and end all.
But is detoxing the only way to kickstart your health in January? If not, then what else can you do? Here’s what the experts say (and I agree) is best to get your health in order for the New Year and beyond.
You don’t need to follow a detox program
Many things that a detox program recommends cutting out are not a bad idea. Naturally, if you don’t consume alcohol, caffeine, sugar, wheat and processed foods, you will feel better – not because you’re eliminating toxins, but because you’re not consuming what is generally bad for you.
Besides, there is no scientific proof that supports the extremism of a detox program. You just end up spending unnecessarily on all the supplements that usually accompany it. And, according to Tim Crowe, Associate Professor in Nutrition at Deakin University, detox programs are unnecessary, and can be expensive as well as potentially harmful.
It’s the good ol’ common-sense advice that matters
Yep, boring but true. It’s about long-term behaviour change to create healthy habits that make it easier for you to eat whole foods – whole fruit, vegetables, grains, eggs, nuts and seeds, legumes, and unprocessed dairy and animal foods – rather than reaching for the processed foods. And, of course, cutting back on alcohol, quitting smoking (if you smoke), and doing enough exercise.
Read more at ABC Health & Wellbeing.
So, how will you kickstart your health in 2016?
