Do you need a New Year’s Detox?

If you’re looking in the mirror and wondering where that healthy, fresh faced, glowing you has gone… then it might be time to think about a doing a detox or a cleanse.

The start of a new year provides a fantastic opportunity to reevaluate your habits and routines. It’s also the perfect time to think about how you could improve your health and wellbeing …so you can jump into the new year looking good and feeling great!

Often over the festive season, you’re bombarded with opportunities to overindulge.
All those parties, late nights, missed exercise classes and rich food are an almost inevitable part of Christmas, but they can leave you looking tired and feeling like your system is a little sluggish and clogged up.

Have you considered that doing a detox or a cleanse could help you leap into the New Year with glowing skin, a clear mind and lots of energy?

But wait… doesn’t my body detoxify itself NATURALLY?

Yes …but your detoxification pathways can become overloaded.

Your liver works super hard 24/7, to rid your body of food chemicals, unneeded hormones and any toxins you ingest or are exposed to. From processed foods and sugar, to environmental factors such as pollution and chemicals in skincare products, your liver is busy getting rid of any nasties for you.

Toxins such as smoke, pesticides, hormones, colourings, preservatives and chemicals in processed foods (and our skincare) can all take their toll …but your body is built to cope with processing and clearing itself of these toxins.

However, when your body becomes overtaxed with all of the normal day to day detoxification, as well as the extra seasonal load… it will need a little help and support to get that backlog cleared out.

So is your body overloaded? Take the quiz to find out!

 

What’s the difference between a detox and a cleanse?

In essence, a detox is about limiting your exposure to toxins and supporting your liver’s detoxification pathways, so it can process and clear food chemicals, unneeded hormones and toxins from the body.

A cleanse is about cleansing the digestive tract and helping your body eliminate built up toxins and waste matter.

In both cases you start from a place of cleaning up your diet and cutting out or limiting junk food, processed foods, sugar, dairy and any foods that can damage the gut and increase inflammation.

From there, a detox or a cleanse is about supporting your body in the way it needs.

Not sure if this is you? Take the Quiz and find out…

 

Why would I do a detox or a cleanse?

Over the festive season, if you’ve fallen into the habit of eating more processed foods, sipping champagne or cocktails and staying up later than usual …then you might be noticing the effects.

You could be feeling a little more sluggish than usual. Perhaps feeling tired, lethargic, cranky and having a hard time getting your brain to focus.

You might be feeling bloated or your digestion could have slowed down. When your digestion is working at half speed or if you’re constipated, your skin can start looking dull, congested and prone to acne breakouts or eczema flare ups. When your system is struggling on the inside, it’ll show on the outside too.

You could also be feeling a few more aches and pains than normal too due to inflammation while your body struggles to deal with its toxic load.

Right now, your liver’s probably working overtime to process and clear more toxins than it usually does.
If it’s struggling and you’re noticing some of the symptoms above, then there are things you can do to support your liver to cope with the extra load.

Why doing it right is important…

There are some extreme versions of detoxing out there; we aren’t suggesting that you do those as the results can be short lived and hard to achieve. However starting this new year, building healthy, sustainable behaviours and routines will help your body to work more efficiently.

A detox is, in essence, an opportunity to leave behind habits that aren’t supporting your body.

If you’re feeling ready for bit of an overhaul, getting back on the healthy eating track, rejuvenating your skincare regime and making time to indulge in some exercise then a detox is for you.

 

How will a detox help my skin?

The liver is our primary organ of detoxification. It has the job of filtering, processing and breaking down toxins, food chemicals and hormones to prevent them from building up in the body.

The most common exits for chemicals and toxins are through your bladder, colon, lungs and your skin.

If the liver becomes overloaded or if we’re constipated, these chemicals can build up and be pushed through to the skin to be cleared out of the body. This can cause inflamed skin and acne breakouts or eczema flare ups.

Then when you add inflammation into the mix from an overload of processed foods and seasonal hijinks, then your skin can really suffer.

Inflammation occurs when your system is overloaded and struggling to rid itself of toxins, so this time of year is a perfect inflammation storm… too little sleep, too much rich food, sleeping with your makeup on and perhaps overindulging on the alcohol front.

You’ll not only see inflammation in how your skin looks but you’ll feel it too.
Those minor aches and pains that appear when you’ve had a night out, tend disappear once you’ve 24hrs to process it all. These aches are a direct result of your body struggling to deal with its toxic load.

In order to get rid of the toxins in your system and achieve the clearer skin you want you’ll need antioxidants. They are talked about a lot because they are so important to include in your daily diet.

Antioxidants are anti inflammatory warriors, fighting off damaging free-radicals, preventing blood sugar dysregulation and shielding cells by attaching themselves to membranes and acting as protectors.

For a super easy way to increase your intake antioxidants you could try ‘supercharging’ your smoothie with the Peptipro SuperGreens Collagen. In addition to collagen, this powder is contains 5 different organic super greens, so it’s full of antioxidants to fight those free radicals and help with liver detoxification.

 

How will a cleanse help my skin?

Often a slow digestive system can be the first ‘red flag’ that your body needs a period of cleansing. Healthy, glowing skin is intimately connected to your gut health and good digestion.

Our gut absorbs food and nutrients. If it’s damaged we don’t absorb nutrients well and we become deficient in the nutrients that are critical for healthy hair, skin and nails.

When your gut is working to its optimum efficiency you’ll notice that you use less (if any) makeup.
Who doesn’t love those days when you can forgo makeup for natural beauty?

Having good gut health and digestion will help to calm inflammation in the body and the skin.

The gut is also a route of elimination from the body, flushing out toxins, hormones and chemicals that have been detoxified by the liver.

If you become constipated, then all those toxins can become reabsorbed into your body and create havoc – think inflamed skin, skin congestion, acne breakouts and eczema flare ups.

Naturopath Lynda Griparic developed BetterMe Tea to help when your system becomes sluggish and overloaded. She’s blended a selection of specific herbs ginger root, aniseed, liquorice root, cayenne pepper to help support your digestion and to naturally and gently help to eliminate waste.

We love to have this at our fingertips for whenever things slow down!
It’s naturally sweet and spicy, why not try it iced for those hot summer’s days.

 

So where should I start?

Whether you’re focusing on doing a detox or a cleanse, you’ll naturally be ramping up your intake of fresh, unprocessed foods to help nourish and nurture your system.

…as well as  knocking out processed foods, simple carbohydrates and sugar.

You’ll limit or ditch the alcohol and eliminate toxic poor quality fats like canola oil, soybean oil.

We recommend hitting your local market for locally grown, organic or biodynamic produce that’s had minimal intervention.

It’s also important to remember that when you’re eating for a detox or cleanse, it’s not about restriction.
…and you definitely don’t want to be eating less food, just making better choices!
Love the rainbow and embrace eating as broad a diet as possible.
You still need to want to eat, not to see it as a chore.

A good place to start is to take our quiz!
Along with your quiz results, you’ll get suggestions for 9 simple ways to detox

 

5 Skin Superfoods to kick off your New Year’s detox or cleanse

Calling foods ‘superfoods’ is a bit of a misnomer.
All fresh, unadulterated foods are pretty super.

However, there is some truth in the fact that some foods are more ‘super’ than others and you’d do well to include them in your diet if you’re supporting your body through a detox or a cleanse.

These superfoods will also help support good gut health and liver detoxification…

 

#1 Grass-fed bone broth or good quality gelatin

Try to avoid animal products that aren’t free range, grass-fed or organic. A happy, healthy animal is far more nutrient dense and contains more anti-inflammatory fats than conventionally raised animals. This extends to other tissues and bone as well.

Good quality bone broth is rich in trace minerals (calcium, magnesium, potassium, silicon and phosphorus) as well as anti-ageing collagen and hyaluronic acid.

Pete Evan’s delicious Bone Broth SuperBlend with Lemon Myrtle & Kakadu Plum is an easy simple way to include this superfood in your diet. Kakadu plum is also rich in Vitamin C, helpful for both the skin and liver!

#2 Liver

High quality, grass fed, liver contains B12, iron zinc and fat soluble vitamins A, D, E and K, all of which help the liver to eliminate toxins, a process that’s critical for healthy glowing skin.

Many cultures recognise that “like helps to support like”, so traditionally liver was eaten to support healthy liver function. In the same way athletes eat protein to build strong muscles.

Liver isn’t everyone’s cup of tea though, so why not try adding these freeze dried liver capsules into your daily routine?

#3 Greens

Foods can help with specific areas and it’s worth finding out more about what food is good for what. For instance did you know that beets, apple and ginger could help cleanse your liver? Why not combine those into a great smoothie. Add a scoop of our Peptipro Supergreens with Collagen  to help to rejuvenate the appearance of your skin and calm your gut. Supergreens Collagen also contains magnesium, B Vitamins and chlorophyll which all help to support hormone function and liver detoxification.

If you need a morning ‘pick me up’ then why not try our Matcha Maiden Green Tea?
Matcha Green Tea contains epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) which is a powerful antioxidant, as well as chlorophyll and other catechins and polyphenols which can help reduce inflammation and oxidation – slowing the visible signs of ageing. In studies it’s been shown to reduce redness, protect against UV damage and to reduce oil production and suppress the growth of acne causing microbes.  the number of beneficial bacteria in your gut making the environment less ‘attractive’ to potential invaders. Did you know that you can also use Matcha topically?

#4 TURMERIC

When you detox you might find that you feel a bit ‘ordinary’ before you start to reap the benefits of added energy and clear headedness. It’s part of the process of your body processing and eliminating toxins. Nurturing yourself by curling up with a good book and a warm drink is one of the best ways to pamper yourself if you’re feeling low.

If you’re looking for a ‘hug-in-a-mug’, try our Golden Latte Blend or Smoothie Blend from Golden Grind

This blend comes from an ancient anti inflammatory, turmeric based Ayurvedic drink that has been used for centuries to remedy colds, flus, sore throats, bloating, assist with happy health hormones, improve gut health and reduce inflammation.

It contains curcumin and other antioxidants, as well as Vitamins B6, B3 and Vitamins. 

#5 Probiotics

Probiotics introduce beneficial bacteria and other microbes into the gut that can help to improve digestion, promote bowel regularity and heal the gut. All this means that you’ll be better able to digest and absorb all of the nutrients from your food that are needed for healthy, glowing skin.

Populating the gut with good bacteria can help with the elimination of toxins and free radicals in the body that can otherwise damage skin and cause early signs of ageing. We love Pete Evans Probiotic Elixir as it contains an optimum level of CFU’s – colony forming units (the higher this is, the more density of good bacteria).

Probiotics have also been shown to reduce systemic inflammation and oxidative stress, reduce carb cravings, prevent blood sugar spikes, balance hormones and reduce insulin driven outbreaks of acne and other inflammatory skin conditions.

As an added benefit, this Probiotic Elixir also contains turmeric!

Wondering if you might need a detox? Take the Quiz and find out…

Resources

• Mindbodygreen.com
• Dr Mark Hyman
• Rhitrition.com
• Saragottfriedmd.com
• Foodmatters.com
• Greenerideal.com
• Powerhungry.com