Despite the best resolutions to reset your body, you tend to fall off the wagon. A continuation of Christmas and New Year's Eve, wedding season, dinner parties, aperitifs and plenty of free time to nibble between meals mean that we find ourselves starting the new year weighed down by excess sugar and alcohol, reduced exercise and a calorie overdose resulting in bloating, lethargy and lack of self-esteem. This is precisely the right time to embark on a reset so that you can start the year lightened, rejuvenated, energised and motivated. After all, the beginning of the year, always full of hope, is the canonical time to for a physical and mental reset.
What is the reset diet?
A rest diet refers to an eating regimen aimed at supporting the natural detoxification and purification process of the liver, kidneys and digestive system by removing toxins from the body, improving diuresis and digestion and reducing abdominal bloating. There are different types of that can vary in drasticity: some even include an initial period of liquid diet and make use of wellness therapies and dietary supplements. Reset diets prescribed by nutritionists are personalised and tailored to each person's needs, lifestyle and physical condition, but broadly speaking, all of them share some common elements, which we outline below.
How to do a reset diet: 6 rules to follow
- Drink lots of water: It's important to encourage the elimination of toxins through diuresis by drinking lots of water: at least 8-10 glasses a day. Flavour the water to make it more palatable with slices of lemon, orange, apple, cucumber or a few mint leaves.
- Eat foods rich in fibre: Such as vegetables and legumes that assist proper digestion.
- Stick to unprocessed foods: Pick foods free of additives and pesticides and if possible, seasonal and regional. Vegetables and fresh fruits, whole grains, legumes, chicken and turkey meats, white fish are all nutritious options.
- Choose light cooking methods: Go with steaming, baking or grilling without or with little fat, such as olive or coconut oil.
- Light seasonings only: Use extra-virgin olive oil, organic apple cider vinegar and lemon juice and season with spices such as turmeric, cumin, ginger and chilli and fresh herbs such as parsley, basil, rosemary and cilantro. Replace the parmesan cheese with nutritional yeast.
- Go for healthy and fresh snacks: Such as Greek yogurt with fresh fruits, nuts, vegetable sticks or rice cakes dipped in hummus and guacamole.
Consider herbal cleansing teas
In addition to drinking plenty of water, real help in the reset domain comes from purifying herbal teas. You can sip on cups of them throughout the day or dilute them in a bottle of water. There are many natural infusions to choose from, but if you want potent detoxification, these are the best ingredients to select:
- Green tea: Purifying, diuretic and digestive action
- Cinnamon tea: Cleanses intestines, liver and arteries
- Dandelion tea: With flavonoids, potassium and fibre, it has a draining and detoxifying effect
- Milk thistle tea: In both herbal tea and supplement form, it is among the most effective detox ingredients
- Fennel tea: Combats abdominal bloating
- Nettle tea: Has purifying and diuretic properties
- Ginger tea: Improves digestion and combats bloating
- Turmeric tea: Supports liver function
Foods that purify the body
- Green leafy vegetables
- Vegetables from the cruciferous family such as broccoli, Brussels sprouts and cauliflower
- Legumes such as chickpeas, beans, lentils, fava beans, mung beans and azuki beans
- Gluten-free whole grains such as brown rice and millet, and pseudo-grains such as quinoa and amaranth
- Asparagus
- Artichokes
- Fresh, unsmoked white fish and salmon
- Yogurt and kefir
- Lemon
- Apple cider vinegar
- Garlic and onion
- Ginger and turmeric
- Berries
- Digestive herbal teas
Foods to avoid during a detox diet
- Alcoholic beverages
- Carbonated beverages
- Coffee and caffeinated beverages
- Added sugars
- Milk, cheese, butter and margarine
- Sweets, such as ice cream and puddings
- Baked goods such as bread, snacks, cookies and cakes
- Packaged snacks
- Junk food in general
- Red meat
- Sausages and cold cuts
- Canned fish
- Too much salt
How long should you follow a reset diet?
The reset diet can last for upto seven days to give our bodies enough time to cleanse. A simpler alternative is three days.
The detox diet is not recommended during pregnancy and breastfeeding, if you are underweight or if you suffer from intestinal diseases. Do not follow for longer without the supervision of a nutritionist or doctor, as they are restrictive and could lead to nutritional deficiencies.
An example of a 3-day detox diet
Morning: Warm water and lemon
Breakfast: A fresh fruit salad with chopped nuts and a spoonful of kefir
Lunch: Chicken breast and salad of spinach, carrots and fennel with avocado slices, pumpkin seeds and black sesame seeds
Mid-afternoon: Carrot, cucumber or celery strips with hummus
Dinner: A bowl of chickpeas, amaranth, sweet potatoes, broccoli, kale and a couple of slices of avocado, topped with olive oil and lemon and chopped cilantro/basil
Morning: Warm water and lemon
Breakfast: Smoothie of banana, berries, almond milk and a spoon of pea protein powder
Lunch: Big salad of arugula, radish, cucumbers, carrots and red bell pepper with diced organic tofu and toasted pumpkin and sunflower seeds
Mid-afternoon: Apple slices with cashew butter
Dinner: Brown rice with asparagus, mushrooms and Brussels sprouts (or other seasonal vegetables), topped with olive oil and nutritional yeast flakes
First morning: Warm water and lemon
Breakfast: Oatmeal porridge with apple slices, walnuts and cinnamon and a spoonful of Greek yogurt
Lunch: Quinoa salad with cherry tomatoes, celery, carrots, red peppers and black sesame seeds, topped with chopped parsley, olive oil and a teaspoon of tahini
Mid-afternoon: A handful of walnuts, hazelnuts, almonds and Brazil nuts
Dinner: Red lentil soup, squash sautéed with ginger, topped with a drizzle of flaxseed oil, nutritional yeast flakes and toasted pumpkin seeds
Do's and don'ts during a reset diet
- Do light physical activity, such as walking, yoga, stretching or tai-chi to encourage circulation and stimulate the lymphatic system. Avoid overly strenuous sports and gym sessions which could raise cortisol levels and make you ravenous.
- Try to eat as much as possible at home to keep control of ingredients, cooking fats and condiments.
- Indulge in meditation sessions and anti-stress techniques to ward off the danger of stress-induced hunger and compulsive snacking.
- Practice mindful eating; try to chew each bite at least 30 times to make the food easily digestible and allow the satiety signal to reach the brain from the mouth, thus controlling over-eating.
- Take care of sleep hygiene; try to get 7-8 hours of sleep a night to avoid daytime fatigue that leads to consuming more calories than necessary.
- Limit spending hours in front of smartphone and computer screens.
- Remember that any restrictive diet should be carried out under the supervision of a specialist, so avoid do-it-yourself that could be counterproductive.
This article first appeared on Vogue.it
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