1 Detox your thoughts on detox. We’re not all ‘poisoning ourselves’ and yes, our bodies are designed to detox naturally BUT we self-sabotage, we don’t eat ‘fuel’ foods, we stay out late and we live on stimulants like tea, coffee and alcohol and we wonder why we feel so tired and lack lustre – doh! So, be kind to yourself, eat food with nutrition – fish, veg, fruit, brown rice, wholegrain, oats, drink water and herbal teas and FEEL just how good detox can be and just how much energy you have to be ‘you’, through and through.
2 Detox is not just for Christmas. A lot of people think that doing a detox in the New Year allows a multitude of sins in the months leading up to it. But why not live the 80/20 rule – 80% of what you eat and do for your body (exercise, treatments, products etc.) is fabulously healthy - and then just 20% is ‘the other stuff’. Life is for living (and treats are great), but if you are feeling rotten then you’re not exactly living it to the full – get the balance right and you get your life back.
3 Oats so simple… Porridge, oatcakes, healthy flapjacks: make oats a staple and you will feel everything calm down and even out, mood swings, appetite, skin tone, PMT, water retention and digestion… Powerful simplicity.
4 Make beetroot a friend. The ‘Marmite of vegetables’: you love it or you hate it – but however you feel about it, IT LOVES YOU! Cleanses and detoxes, energises, strengthens and nourishes kidneys and liver and boosts your immune system. Make soup, make sandwiches on rye or nibble in salads – everything (everything!) will go pink, but don’t worry, it means it’s flushing through your systems.
5 Dry skin brushing. Not original and you may think it’s old hat – but are you actually doing it?? Brush upwards, every last bit of you, for just 2 minutes a day (while you wait for the water to run hot in the shower or the bath to fill) and feel the difference - glowing, soft and smooth skin, inside and out.
6 Cold showers………. YES, cold showers. No way to dress it up, cold showers. Take your normal shower, nice and warm, THEN just whizz it to cold, stand under for about 4 seconds, jump out and dry as normal. Feel the buzz it gives your body and the energy you feel. Cool showers boost circulation, tone skin, flush out and warm up – your very own sauna and plunge pool…and if you’re getting to ‘that age’ it will stave away the power surges and hot flushes to keep you detoxed AND fresh.
7 Up the apples and pears. Or we should say: ‘down’ the apples and pears. This delicious combination helps foods move through the gut more efficiently due to their pectin content. Healthy bowels mean a healthy digestion and that means a healthy nutrient absorption – which means we absorb the enzymes, the fibre, the vitamins and minerals they contain, which is fuel for our bodies - and if we have good fuel WE FEEL FAB… Juice ‘em, cook ‘em, munch ‘em…
8 Keep it natural. If food doesn’t look ‘just dug up’, ‘just caught’ or ‘just picked’, then don’t eat it. Keep it fresh, keep some raw and make it tasty.
9 Don’t think detox is dowdy. When you say the word ‘detox’, people immediately think ‘can’t have, not allowed, giving up’. Be your own spin-doctor – forget punishment and penance: detox is about delicious foods, wonderful body treatments, feeling fabulous and looking gorgeous. So why wouldn’t you?
10 Recruit a detox buddy. There’s strength in numbers, if you feel like you’re on the brink, they’ll pull you back and you can do the same for them. Eat out together and see how much ‘detox’ food there is on every menu, it’s just about looking for it. Become a label detective, check what’s in what you’re eating, keep it natural and keep it tasty, have friends for supper and feed them entirely detox foods and see if they notice…. Think: seared salmon on a jus of red onion and watercress drizzled with a pesto sauce…
For more of Jane Scrivner’s detox wisdom, check out her book Detox Yourself, published by Piatkus Books, which is normally priced £7.99 but available on www.amazon.co.uk for £4.98, if you click here.
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