Try these alternatives instead of doing a detox

So far we all know that the new year “detoxifies” and “resets” does not detoxify and does not reset anything. Depending on what you choose, they are either unsustainable diets or pure pseudoscience“Often a mixture of both.” And yet, I still appeal.

A “detox” in 2021 can be a week worth of smoothies and juices, often guided by a guru who makes great promises about how amazing you will feel after spending a week drinking what you bought from them. Or it can be a challenge to eliminate certain foods from your diet – no sugar, for example. Whatever the mechanics, these are all restrictive diets called self-care.

So let’s take a look at the reasons why people continue to go back to restarting their diet and cleaning up smoothies. Their marketing (even if it doesn’t seem to be marketing) definitely ticks a few boxes for the things we want in our lives: a sense of control, for example, or an antidote to the end of the holiday season. But there are ways to work on these goals without starving yourself.

If you want more energy

The increase in “energy” is often supported as an effect of detox diets and it is true that some people have a feeling of increased concentration when they have not eaten for some time. (People who practice intermittent fasting like to talk about it.) But it is a temporary state, if it occurs, and goes hand in hand with less pleasant mental states. People who complete a detox or reset often say they felt great, but then in the next breath they will say things like “it was very hard, but I did it.”

For a more realistic way to get more energy, look at what might make you feel tired. Extreme fatigue should be checked by a medical professional, but often “low energy consumption” can be remedied with one of the following:

• Sleep more and sleep better. Give yourself an earlier bedtime, a constant waking time and practice good sleep hygiene, like no screen or alcohol before bed.
• Make sure you eat enough. If you are constantly on a diet or if the foods you eat do not make up a well-balanced diet, better consumption (more protein, more vegetables) can help your perceived energy level.
• Check with your mental health. Depression, anxiety and other conditions can cause what feels like a lack of energy. Have you been very stressed lately? You finally need it find a therapist?

If you feel rude or guilty about what you’ve been eating lately

All the holidays in December often leave us heading for January, ready to clean up our diets and habits. If you drank a lot, the cut may sound quite appealing; and if you’ve eaten a lot of holiday delicacies, a minimalist diet probably attracts in the same way.

But the truth is that there are indulgences for a few meals not a big deal in the long run. There is no need to swing the pendulum in the other direction, cutting whole groups of food. Instead, try one of these:

• Return to normal. Christmas cookies are gone (or you can feed them to your dog, freeze them for later, whatever you want). You don’t have to eat anything you don’t want.
• Find a sustainable way to eat better. What is one small change you could make to improve your diet? Maybe this assures you that you will get an extra portion of vegetables at every meal or you are looking for some recipes that you want to cook.

If you want to be better hydrated

It is true that you will be quite hydrated if you drink purees, juices, teas and lemon water throughout the day. Your body works better when it is well hydrated than when it is dehydrated, it is true. (Most of us you probably already get a lot of water, but a little more will not hurt.)

Interestingly, you can drink more water – or you can get more fluids in whatever form you want –free lacking food. Just add the liquids.

• Drink more water. That’s it, this is the hack.
• Moisturize your skin. Do you know how people say that your skin looks amazing when you are well hydrated? A moisturizer does this and does an even better job of transporting moisture to the outer layers of the skin.

If you like the idea of ​​someone else making decisions

Ready detox kits are popular, in part, because you get a box with everything you need to eat that week. Letting someone else make your decisions and do your shopping is, of course, a huge amount of mental work taken off the plate.

But you can also do this with real food.

• Learn to plan and prepare your meals. Yes, it’s more work on a day of the week, but then you can take the meals out of the fridge all week without thinking about them. If you live with a partner or roommate, you can even change the task every week.
• Order from a meal delivery service. Chef at home, Trifecta, and Fresh, to name a few, will deliver you a week of real food for less than the cost of many froufrou detox.

If you desperately want to be weak

It is unfortunate that many people who say that a detox is just to “feel better” will still take pictures before and after or will note their weight on the scales. If you hope to lose weight during a short-term diet reset, you might. But he will give back.

Rapid weight loss, caused by a high caloric deficit, is not just fat loss. One part is muscle loss, which affects your health. And a good part of it, especially on a low-carb diet, is often the weight of the water. The amount of water we have in our body varies from day to day and is partly determined by the glycogen (stored carbohydrates) in our muscles and liver. If you eat low in carbohydrates, you will lower glycogen and thus a few pounds of water; but as soon as you have a high carb meal or two, it comes back immediately.

Even if there is a bit of excitement from short-term weight loss, it is more than outdated (for most people) by prompt recovery. So a detox doesn’t really help you here. Better try one of these:

• Find a diet that allows for slow and steady weight loss. There is without the “best” diet for this, but you can choose one of the many food models that makes it easy to eat a little less calories than you burn. If you have any health problems, talk to your doctor or a registered dietitian about the best way to treat them through diet.
• Or just not. There is no law that says you have to lose weight just because it’s January or, indeed, for any reason.

If you just want a ritual that gives you a sense of control

Often the most worthy part of Instagram of a detox is shooting a glass of juice or a smoothie or lemon water near a window on a quiet morning. Don’t you see that and want to be there at that moment, enjoying a little ritual of self-care?

Well, just like hydration, it’s something you can do without depriving yourself of food at the same time.

• Choose a morning routine that makes sense to you.. We have an example: here and here and here, for starters.
• Build a ritual that does not focus on food. Maybe you can take over journaling, meditating, or another activity that is significant to you.

If all your friends do

Honestly, I think sometimes we do a self-improvement project not because of an inner desire, but because our favorite friends or celebrities do it. I fully admit that I fell into this trap and I am not even convinced that it is a trap. I did things under pressure from colleagues that I might not have tried otherwise; sometimes I’m glad I did and other times I learned hard that something is not for me.

Once again, you can find community without engaging in the specific act of restricting your diet. Try an exercise-based challenge or find an online community that revolves around a hobby you already enjoy or want to learn.

The bottom line is that replacing foods with smoothies is not the only way, or even the best way, to get more in touch with your body and mental health. In fact, it can be quite a terrible way. So figure out who you are really you want and take smart steps to get the experience you are actually looking for.