• Detoxing the obsidian way

    DETOXING THE OBSIDIAN WAY
    Health Trivia
    13-Aug-2015

    Detox is a great way to start new dietary habits and is another way of saying ‘take a break’ or ‘rest and relax’. A three day Detox suits most people. Normally, on Day 1, you will feel great with no real side effects though you may crave your normal snacks or coffee. On Day 2 you may feel tired as your body starts to work hard to rebalance. On Day 3 you may get a headache, cramps or feel sick, but by Day 4 you will feel fabulous again. But some people don’t get any detox symptoms at all no matter how bad their dietary habits – everyone is different. If you are choosing to do a five day or longer Detox, the best way to get through it is to plan ahead. Buy in the groceries you need, clear your diary for the first few days and make sure you haven’t planned a big night out in the middle.

    While you are detoxing, drink lots and lots of water or herbal tea, around 3-4 litres a day to help the body to flush.

    Why Juice?

    Although supermarkets sell an abundance of exotic and magnificent fruits and vegetables, and they are relatively cheap, most of us opt for high calorie snacks like crisps, chocolate or biscuits when hungry, filling up with empty calories that leave you peckish a couple of hours later. While eating a bag of carrots or apples may not seem tempting, juice the same ingredients and you have a delicious drink that gives your body a boost of nutrients and leaves you satisfied and full for hours.

    That’s why juicing has become one of the hottest trends over the past few years and is now replacing coffee on the high street. Making juices with good quality fruit and vegetables assures they are packed with vitamins, minerals and flavor – even spinach, broccoli and beetroot taste amazing! The nutrients present in fresh, homemade juice exceeds anything you can buy from the supermarket as shop-bought juice is pre-squeezed, full of sugar (fructose) and diluted with water so that the nutrients and health benefits are considerably reduced. There may also be additives which counteract the benefits.

    Not only do pure juiced fruits and vegetables taste delightful but their nutrients are absorbed more quickly than those from solid food. When you first embark on a juicing program you may find that you are passing water more often and have a slight headache. Once your body gets used to the detoxifying effects of regular juicing, these symptoms will disappear.

    Juicing tips

    Use apple or pear as a base for a juice as this will give sweetness, then it really is down to trial and error and your own personal taste. Most fruit and vegetables will already be ‘clean’ but run them under the tap to remove any travel residue and dust. Use warm water and a small amount of apple cider vinegar to wash soil from vegetables.
    You will notice I haven’t mentioned Organic – I don’t want this to be a barrier to you enjoying the benefits of juicing. If you can get organic at a good price, then all the better, if not just regular good quality fruit and veg is fine. Shape doesn’t matter!

    When you juice an orange, lime or grapefruit, remove the skin first, as the skins contains bitter oils. Otherwise, there’s no need to peel anything – just remove any large stones like in the center of a mango. When juicing leafy greens like spinach, sandwich them between some other fruits so they don’t spin off the blade. The harder the fruit or vegetable the more juice it will produce. Softer items like banana, small berries and softer fruits like kiwi are best blended into a juice.

    If you make a juice and it tastes too green, add some lemon or apple. Or if it’s too sweet, add some kale or beetroot.

    You can add supplements to your juices. Wheatgrass, Barley Grass, Spirulina or Macca powder all boost the nutrient quality of your juice. If you have never used them before try just half a teaspoon, and only add one to a juice at a time till you are used to the taste. Warning: Spirulina will turn any juice a dark green! Savour your juices, treat you drink like a proper sit down meal taste the flavours and appreciate the nutrients.

    Storing your juice

    Storing juice in a bottle with a lid is the best way. An empty water bottle is fine. Always keep in the fridge or a cool bag if you’re travelling as this maintains the nutrient quality. Normally, you would drink your juice on the day you make it, but you can store them for up to three days in the fridge in an airtight bottle. You can also freeze juices in an airtight bottle or container.

    Who should not detox?

    Children, women who are pregnant, and anyone who has a serious illness like heart disease, or who is going through treatment such as chemotherapy should not detox. Wait until your condition is stable, but there is nothing to stop you having a juice every day.

    The Chinese Approach

    According to Chinese medicine theory, eating healthily and staying hydrated should be the main focus to energise your body’s natural detoxification systems and encourage a healthy flow of Qi (the body’s vital energy). But although January is a popular time to Detox, after the excesses of the festive season, Dr Chen David Wang at AcuMedic clinic advises waiting until Spring. ‘Many people do a detox at the start of the year,’ he says. ‘However, the New Year falls in the middle of winter and is not an ideal time to make changes in order to cleanse the body. Spring on the other hand brings about a new energy that should be used to eliminate waste through diet, attitude, body and your environment.’

    When detoxing, Dr Wang also suggests getting a massage to stimulate the circulatory system and support the body’s natural detoxifying functions. Thai, Tuina and Aromatherapy massage are all options to consider. Thai and Tuina massage use special techniques to help release blocked Qi (your body’s vital energy) that may have been caused by the sluggishness of cold winter weather. Aromatherapy massage may also be beneficial in spring to help detoxify the body with the use of certain oils, such as Peppermint, Juniper, Grapefruit, Lemon and Mandarin.

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