Supporting Natural Detox Through the Winter

With the festivities of the holidays upon us..
and a pretty nasty air quality forecast on tap for this winter here in Korea, it’s got me thinking of all the ways we can help support our bodies natural detox processes to help reduce the toll that the holidays and environmental stressors can take on us.

What measures can we take to help keep us feeling healthy, happy and energized?
What can we do to help support our natural detox processes if we happen to be exposed to a little extra holiday cheer, stress, poor air quality..or combination of all these things and then some?

The key word there is mindful.

How can you lessen the stress blow on your body… if you know that during the holidays, you have a tendency to eat and drink things that aren’t typically part of your rotation?— or if you know you are being exposed to some stuff in the environment that is more difficult to control.

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Here are my go to tips for holistically reducing stress on the body via nutrition + lifestyle this winter:

• Get in an abundance of antioxidants in regularly

  • This can in the form of a spicy, colourful smoothie daily. Since it’s cold out you have a few options on how you can warm it up to help keep your body’s temperature aligned with the needs of the seasons.

    • Use a hot base instead of a cold one— for instance warm nut milk or hot tea/water.

    • Adding thermogenic (warming) herbs and spices such as turmeric, ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, clove or nutmeg.

  • You could also add a high quality, organic, greens or berry blend to your rotation to help streamline this. This is a quick and convenient option to have available for days when you don’t feel like making a smoothie or when you just want a quick, mega dose of nutrients.

  • Take your essential vitamins— and buy QUALITY ones from professional line supplements.

    • Some standard baseline daily vitamins can include— omega 3, vitamin D, a comprehensive multi-vitamin and maybe some methylated B-vitamins if you are fatigued or struggling with ongoing stress.

• Support your lymphatic system with…

  • dry skin brushing

  • stretching and foam rolling daily

  • deep breathing

  • daily exercise

  • having a good sweat in a sauna (brownie points if it’s an infrared sauna)

  • treating yourself to a professional massage

• Love up your kidneys + your liver by:

  • sipping on tepid lemon water first thing in the morning

  • meditating and taking measures to release built up toxic emotions (such as worry and anger- energetically, these emotions have connected ties to these organs)

  • embracing detoxifying foods like:

    • broccoli, cabbage, dark leafy greens, beets, cherries, blueberries, cranberries and other dark colourful berries.

    • detox supportive herbs like burdock root or roasted dandelion root.

  • swapping home cleaning and cosmetic products to natural products (remember— you are what you absorb!)

• Make a DETOX bath and chill in it regularly

  • Add the following ingredients to your bath and then soak in it for 30 minutes. Before you do, ensure you are well hydrated and be careful getting out as you may feel a bit light headed.

    • 2 cups epsom salts

    • 1 cup aluminum free baking soda

    • 1 tablespoon bentonite clay

    • essential oils of choice (lavender or chamomile are nice)

  • Release food guilt!

    • Focus on creating a “lifestyle” that you can rely on to support you and your health goals the majority of the time!

Wishing you a healthy, happy holiday season!
Cheers to keeping things as stress-free as possible this year!
xo Danielle