Your Detox Starter Guide: 7 Science-Backed Strategies

Posted by:Lindsay S. Nixon

Happy New Year, everybody! Tomorrow, I’m kicking off my yearly Detox Challenge!

It’s not too late to join us!

Anyone is welcome to join the challenge event on Facebook.

Every year, a group of us get together to detoxify our bodies (and minds!) with the help of healthy, plant-based recipes.

Nothing crazy or wacky… just simple, clean foods that flush out the body and make our start to the year STRONG.

Come be healthy with us!

If you’d like to do the 2019 Vegan Detox Meal Plan we’re all doing together, you still have time to get it TODAY.

You have two options.

#1 The Detox Plan is FREE in the Meal Mentor App with membership. Start your Meal Mentor membership here and it’ll be on your phone instantly.

#2 You can also purchase a PDF copy here.

#3 Get the PDF as part of the 2019 Premium Pack

Whether or not you are joining us for this year’s 2019 Vegan Detox Challenge, I encourage you to take a few days at the beginning of this year to give your mind and body a break.

It will help you reset your brain, reprogram your body, and start the new year off strong.

Here are 7 simple science-based strategies you can use to get started.

7 Simple Strategies to Detox Your Body & Mind

1) Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate

After all the holiday festivities, you are bound to be a little dehydrated.

Whether you had a few glasses of champagne or indulged in one-too-many vegan brownies, hydration should be your number one priority right now.

Water is the way to go here.

Aim for at least half a gallon a day (more if you are really feeling the after-effects of the holiday parties).

You can throw in a few slices of fruit or squeeze a little lemon juice in there to make the whole hydration process a little more fun.

Teas which aid digestion are also a great post-holiday hydration option! I love the Ginger and Peppermint teas from Gaia Herbs.

LEVEL UP with my Detox Drink.

My super-effective Detox drink recipe is in the 2019 Vegan Detox Plan.

This little morning elixir will change your life. (That’s a promise.) I drink this faithfully every day all year long. It keeps me hydrated, regular and feeling my best.

Purchase your copy of the Detox plan here.

2) Cut out the sugar

If you do NOTHING ELSE, consider reducing or eliminating sugar from your diet for at least a week.

The impact of sugar on our bodies and our brain chemistry should not be underestimated.

Studies have found links between excessive sugar consumption and cognitive deficiencies, as well as the aging of cells, among other things.

A friend of mine lost 50 pounds in 2018 by simply cutting out sugar. She doesn’t count calories, eat vegan, or worry too much about fat and oil. (She IS dairy-free due to a severe allergy, however, and I’m sure that helped too).

A WARNING: Sugar functions much like a drug.

This means when you eliminate it from your diet, you will experience withdrawal symptoms such as headaches, nausea, fatigue, sweating, body odor, and other unpleasant symptoms.

It takes most people 2-3 days to stop feeling terrible. It is okay to rest more, take naps, go to bed early, and generally treat yourself the way you would if you had the flu. Detox time is time to take care of yourself.

You will be so glad you did this when it is over.

3) Reduce inflammatory foods

Inflammation is the body’s way of protecting itself from illness or injury.

However, there are certain foods that can also cause or increase inflammation.

Studies have shown that vegetarian diets decrease inflammation in the body.

If you follow a plant-based diet, most of the worst offenders (e.g. red meat and dairy) a will be automatically taken care of.

However, if you are not plant-based yet, a detox is a great way to get started!

During a detox, you want to avoid inflammatory ingredients like dairy, sugar, alcohol, anything with added salt, as well as any processed foods.

I would also recommend limiting your use of caffeine. However, I will leave that to your discretion.

WHAT TO EAT: dark leafy greens, beans, lentils, nutrition-dense vegetables like broccoli, and antioxidant-rich foods like blueberries.

If you just want me to show you what to do, take out the guesswork and use my 2019 Vegan Detox Plan.

All of the recipes focus on the anti-inflammatory foods you need to eat.

The 2019 Vegan Detox Plan is FREE in the Meal Mentor App with a monthly membership. Start your membership now.

You can also purchase the plan as a PDF here.

I also took care to avoid common allergens like corn, wheat, and soy in the Detox Plan, so if you have any of these allergies, you can still join us and enjoy the food!

4) Get your body moving

You don’t have to jump right into a strict gym routine on January 1st.

Start more realistically with a long walk around your neighborhood or do a light yoga video online. (Doesn’t that sound delicious? I know my body is craving yoga right now!)

Stretching by the fire, or putting your legs up at the wall for 5 minutes is perfectly enough too.

If you happen to have the energy for it, a sweaty interval training class would do wonders for your body’s ability to kickstart the detoxing process. So much junk comes out of your pores! You don’t have to do this (I’m not!)

5) Do a technology detox too!

Detoxifying your mind is just as important as detoxifying your body.

These days, our smartphones are constantly bombarding us with social media notifications and email messages.

It’s EXHAUSTING.

If you can, take a day or two off social media, or at least limit the number of times you check your email during the day.

If you do not want to take time off technology completely, decluttering your social media feeds and unfollow any account that makes you feel bad about yourself.

If you’re going to use social media during your detox, make sure to fill your Instagram feed with posts that people inspire you.

6) Take a deep breath

A few deep breaths a day could do wonders for your stress levels.

In 2016, scientists found that by adjusting your breathing rhythm you can affect your emotional state.

Taking just a couple of deep breaths per day could help stabilize your mood and reduce anxiety.

If you are willing to take it a step further, try meditating for a few minutes every day.

Meditation apps like Calm and Headspace are a great place to start!

7) Get more sleep

Last, but not least - get more sleep.

Sleep is the time when our bodies detoxify naturally - when our brains “take out the trash”.

Every single day, your brain accumulates metabolic waste.

Research suggests that getting enough sleep plays a crucial role in cleaning out the brain each night.

Sleep also plays a crucial role in memory consolidation and metabolic health.

Better sleep is absolutely crucial for your health and happiness, and an essential part of detoxing your body and mind.

If you needed an excuse to plan a lazy weekend morning, here it is!

Also try going to bed earlier. Even if you don’t fall asleep, laying there with your eyes closed will still give you some of the important benefits.

Don’t have time to Detox RIGHT NOW?

That’s okay, another group is starting on Monday, January 7th.

If that’s still too soon for you (I understand) you can still get your hands on the Detox Plan and use it when you DO have the time.

I do a detox every couple of months and love seeing everyone use the plan all year long after vacations or when they get off track (or their pants start feeling a bit too tight).

The 2019 Vegan Detox Plan is FREE in the Meal Mentor App with a monthly membership. Start your membership now. As long as you’re a member you’ll be able to access this Detox Plan.

You can also purchase the plan as a PDF here.

Whatever you decide is best for you, I do hope you’ll take these next few days to reboot your body, mind and spirit.

I’m here to support you every step of the way.

I hope you’ll join the Challenge. The more the merrier.

Let’s do this!

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