4 Simple Steps to Detoxifying Your Gut After the Holidays

by Elizabeth Renter
January 1st, 2013 | Updated 01/01/2013 at 1:02 am

Many people use the holiday season to indulge in foods they wouldn’t normally eat. Even those who ascribe to a natural diet may find themselves crossing lines they wouldn’t typically cross when encountered with foods from their childhood or old favorites while among family and friends. Indulging during the holidays is OK! Don’t feel bad! But remember to get back on track. Here are 4 solutions that might help.

1. Water

First off, get to hydrating. Flushing the remnants of the holiday foods out begins with the most natural consumable substance out there—water. The effectiveness of each of your body’s systems (digestive, circulatory, etc.) depends on proper hydration. And many foods we associate with the holidays can actually dehydrate us. Up your water intake and eat foods with high water contents (fruits and vegetables) to help get your hydration back to proper levels. Of course it is preferable to filter your water through a high quality water filtration system.

2. Garlic

In addition to staying hydrated, you need to rebalance your gut bacteria. There are many foods out there to avoid and consume to promote a healthy gut, but just one of those foods is garlic. Garlic is a powerful food and, when raw, can be extremely effect in solving your health woes. Chewing a piece of raw garlic releases its effective enzymes. Once in the digestive system, these enzymes work to eliminate destructive gut bacteria while keeping the “good bacteria” alive. In some studies, garlic has been found to be even more effective than penicillin, and without annihilating the millions of good bacteria in your gut.
If raw garlic doesn’t sound appetizing, try making it more palatable with honey. Peel and separate garlic cloves. Cover with local, raw honey in a mason jar and allow to sit for a few weeks. The health benefits of honey and garlic are astounding, but this garlic-honey combo is a great cure-all, effective for treating colds, preventing infection, and of course, detoxifying the gut.

3. Apples

Add apples to your diet. Apples contain a flavonoid called Phlorizidin which helps regulate the production of bile in the liver. Bile assists the liver in removing toxins from the body. In addition, apples are an excellent source of fiber which can help flush the intestines.

4. Exercise

Exercise is another important, and often overlooked, aspect of detoxing. In an active body, every internal system works more efficiently. An inactive body is sort of like a car sitting on blocks—the gas doesn’t get used and the parts begin to get rusty and stiff. When the car is maintained and used regularly, it goes through a steady diet of fuel and uses that fuel more efficiently. Also, working up a sweat can help rid the body of toxins through the skin. Try a brisk walk in the sunshine to boost vitamin D production (another important detox component).

Detoxing after the holidays doesn’t have to be difficult. Just pick up where you left off—with healthy practices—and your body will rebound accordingly.

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