How to cleanse your body and eliminate toxins

After overindulging during Christmas celebrations, it is time to get back to healthy eating habits, starting with a complete detox treatment.

Increased consumption of alcohol, fat, and sugar, heavy lunches and dinners, and a lack of both sleep and physical activity are a classic part of the holiday season. We have mistakenly internalised the concept that celebrations and overindulgence go hand in hand. If during these days you have forgotten the healthy nutrition guidelines you follow during the rest of the year, the time has come to cleanse your body and boost the elimination of toxins.

As Marina Domene, nutritionist at SHA Wellness Clinic, tells us, ‘The liver has its own self-cleaning system, and there is no food that can emulate it. But what we can do is to help it in the process. The first thing is to limit our exposure to toxins so that our liver is less burdened. So, avoid consuming alcohol and processed foods high in sugar, refined flour, and saturated fat because they cause liver fat that alters liver function. In addition, it is important not to overuse medication and to take it only when it is really necessary, as it interfer’.

Once you have minimised the entry of toxins into your body, it is essential to speed up the elimination of the ones already in your body. To do so, Marina recommends including certain foods in your diet, such as ‘artichokes, which are very good for the liver and transaminases, and daikon, a Japanese radish that is very good for the liver. Also some drinks, such as kombu tea, which helps the kidneys and adrenal glands, and shiitake tea, which reduces cholesterol’.

To help you start taking care of yourself today, Marina suggests a menu that is as delicious and healthy as it is cleansing. ‘It is best to start breakfast with miso soup because it is an alkaline, cleansing, diuretic, and very comforting food; kukicha tea because it is alkaline, improves digestion, is a source of antioxidants and minerals, and, unlike conventional green tea, has no stimulants, so it does not overwhelm the kidney’s adrenal gland; and an oat porridge with a touch of cinnamon. For lunch, a seasonal salad and grilled fish with baked vegetables. Mid-afternoon, a fruit compote with chia or flax seeds, which provide omega-3 and antioxidants. And for dinner, a pureed vegetable soup or a cleansing broth with shiitake mushrooms, kombu seaweed, and Chinese cabbage, you can find the recipe here.

The SHA Detox Programme is available for 7, 14, or 21-day stays. More info, Click here