Should I Cleanse Before or After Holiday Feasts?

December 13, 2011 1:22 pm | health

Everyone knows that this time of year is synonymous with excess food and drink. Even the most health conscious individuals find themselves eating more during the holiday season because most social gatherings involve sharing food with one another. From work parties to family dinners, it’s likely that you are preparing for extra calories and perhaps even eating foods that you normally would shy away from during the rest of the year.

One consideration many make around this time of year is whether or not to do a personal cleanse or detox before the holidays or wait until after. The truth is that whether or not you cleanse before or after the season is a personal choice that must be made depending on the results you are looking for.

Gwenyth Paltrow brought holiday cleansing into popularity several years ago when she discussed her use of a cleanse program in order to shed unwanted holiday pounds. According to many doctors, detoxifying cleanses can have many benefits and act as a way to reset your body. Cleanses, after all, can be used to improve imbalances within the body, clean your entire system, provide more energy, reduce allergies and disease, and melt away unwanted pounds and symptoms of illness.

So, if you are going to be consuming several cookies, drinks or other holiday goodies during the season, it may be best for you to wait until after the New Year in order to try a detoxifying program. After all, doing so before you consume these less-than-healthy products may prove to be a wasted effort. On the other hand, if your goal is simply to fit into that new, skinny holiday dress, you may want to consider a cleanse regimen before the big office party. Really, it just depends on what your overall motivations are.

So what does a post-holiday cleanse mean? There are various alterations to a detoxing cleanse but most of them involve eliminating gluten, dairy, processed foods, sugar, alcohol, caffeine and flour products. Others may be even more rigorous and require you to eliminate meat, too. Regardless of what cleanse you choose, it is important to stay hydrated and increase the amount of water you are taking in each day. Remember, the purpose is to rid your body of toxins, including alcohol and caffeine so “cheating” with these products during the cleanse will completely ruin whatever progress you wanted to make.

Additionally, you will want to research what cleanse products or diets are available and find one that is right for you. It’s also critical that you talk to your doctor before making any significant changes to your daily healthcare regimen—which includes starting a detoxifying cleanse. Remember that cleansing your body does not mean depriving it of vital vitamins and minerals that it requires to sustain healthy processes each day. Similarly, you will want to make sure to avoid bad health behaviors, such as drug or tobacco use. You will want to remain active and life an overall, healthy lifestyle.

A post-holiday cleanse can be just what you need in order to feel better and get your body a head start on shedding those unwanted pounds. If your New Year’s resolutions include weight loss, reducing cholesterol in your diet, or just eating clean, you may want to consider first beginning with a detox program. Again, consult your doctor before making any of these decisions. Whether you decide to start your detox regimen before or after the holidays, always make sure you are doing it in a safe way. Not every program on the internet is safe for all people. Are you interested in more holiday health tips?

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