The Diwali Detox Strategy 

Foodism shares with you tips to get rid of the festive bulges and tyres ASAP!

Well you’ve gorged on mathiyas, puris, shrikhand, mohanthaal, phirni, rasgullas … and all such sinful delicacies for five full days as if tomorrow will never come and now your body is paying the price for your folly! Then again the need for connecting with your loved ones has lead you to overstretching your routine, skipping your beauty sleep, indulging in late night card parties, overdoing the booze bit … and boy you have a ready-made formula of a badly hit metabolic rate! 

Are you feeling bloated, has constipation hit you and are you facing loads of digestive problems? Chill there’s no need to curse yourself for not exercising control as a simple post-Diwali detox diet plan can facilitate - flushing out toxins from your body, boosting your flagging metabolism, helping you lose weight, and adding a sheen to your skin and hair too! 

Just taking seven steps will enable you to cleanse your system of toxins and melt your belly fat in a jiffy. So here you go –

Kick start your day with lemon water

A glass of warm water with a dash of freshly squeezed lemon juice works as a perfect post-Diwali detox elixir. Not only does it remove the toxins from your body, but also helps clear your stomach alongside giving a push to your digestion and metabolism. This is guaranteed to act as a magic potion which will help you clear your stomach, remove toxins from your body and boost your digestion and metabolism. The reason being citrus fruits like grapefruit and lemons are replete with vitamin C and antioxidants that are known to aid fat reduction and weight loss.

Opt for a low-calorie breakfast

After chugging water do remember to fuel your body with food that can help you de-bloat. The best counsel is to opt for protein and limit your carb intake. Why? Well elementary dear Watson! A protein-rich breakfast helps in creating a feeling of satiety and fullness for a lengthier timespan; do throw in a couple of low-calorie fruits to have a complete hearty and healthy breakfast. A good option would be - an egg-and-salmon scramble – as it’s the perfect combination of protein and metabolism-boosting omega-3 fatty acids.

Have a fibre-rich lunch

After gorging on those oily, sugar-laden festive foods all your weight loss efforts have gone for a toss and on the contrary you’ve piled on the pounds within a short span of 6-7 days, haven’t you? So what better time than now to concentrate on fibre-rich organic fruits and green, leafy veggies and discard processed and junk food from your pantry? Additionally do remember to restrict your oil, salt and sugar intake. Go ahead and add some must-have fruits and veggies to your shopping list like - berries, pears, melon, oranges, broccoli, carrots et al. The reason being that these are excellent sources of fibre; and help keep your digestive system sturdy and prevent constipation. On the positive downside such fibre-rich foods are so filling that they help your weight loss process too!

For your afternoon cuppa

Guzzling a cup of green tea with your afternoon snack is an absolute mandate for detoxification. Green tea is rich in antioxidants so it arms you in your fight against diseases and also supports the liver with digestion; besides pushing your metabolic rate and helping you increase your calorie-burning capacity. Research claims that the catechins in green tea support weight loss and alleviate belly fat. 

Indulge in a filling evening snack

With the festive season ending, so does the mini-vacay from work; and when people become busy they start compromising on their ‘me time’ – so poof goes the plan of eating a healthy snack! And with this body-cleansing too goes for a toss! But this is something which cannot be afforded to be overlooked. An ideal evening snack could be mixed nuts which would aid weight loss as they are replete with healthy fats and can be lugged to your workplace. Research asserts that moderate consumption of nuts aids weight loss, reduces the risk of heart disease and can even prevent certain types of cancers.

Dine like a pauper

Now this one’s something which we know since ages, don’t we? Breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dine like a pauper! But still under some pretext or the other we overrule this golden principle. An early and light dinner is the best way to stay hale and hearty. The reasons for this are aplenty - it improves our digestive system; flushes away our body fat; and boosts our body metabolic rate ensuring that not only do we lose weight but also manage to keep it off. Impressive, eh! So go ahead and include a bowl of light and nutritious vegetable soup, straight from your kitchen garden, to your detox dinner routine. 

Water, water everywhere!

Time and again everyone has been emphasising this since eternity – there’s no fluid better and healthier than water when it comes to cleansing your body. So ascertain that you drink plenty of plain, simple water as it will enable you - to stay hydrated, remove impurities from your body and boost your metabolism. Moreover water helps kill those hunger pangs you feel before meals and increases the feeling of fullness after a meal, thereby facilitating weight loss.

Alongside the above-mentioned seven steps to clean up your diet, it’s absolutely mandatory to sweat it out to flush out toxins ... as exercising is the best way of saying yes to a healthy and fit body. So opt for long walks with your loved ones after a meal – not only will it help you lose weight but you’ll also strengthen family bonds!

Foodism hopes that the above mentioned detox cues will help banish those repelling body bulges and tyres which are a takeaway from the guzzling and gobbling that the combination of festivals, winter and need to alleviate stress levels has sparked off.