New Page 1
By Emma-lee Strachan
It is a common known fact that very few of us manage to keep our noble New
Year’s resolutions. As the year moves on, our fervour for holding fast to our
resolutions fades with it. If you haven’t managed to stick to your New Year
resolution of being healthier this year don’t worry, you are probably not the
only one! We at Fushi believe it’s never too late to do a good thing and why not
now. As we approach the end of the traditional month of love, lets end with a
reminder that its all about loving yourself first!
Give your body a good old cleanse, from the inside to the out. Detoxifying
does not need to be a struggle but rather adopting a habit of focusing on what
you’re putting into your body and how it can effect how you feel on a daily
basis. This can be a great experience and one that can help you feel good and
lead a healthier lifestyle.
Here are Fushi’s favourite tips:
What to eat
Include fresh fruits and vegetables: Especially broccoli, cabbage,
brussel sprouts, celery, carrots, onion, cucumber, beetroot, leek, asparagus,
radish, watercress, citrus fruits, and apples in your diet.
Fresh juices: A great way to feed, restore and cleanse the body. Great
detox ingredients are: carrots, beetroot, celery, citrus fruits, apple, ginger,
and parsley. Natural yoghurt, nuts, seeds and spirulina can also be added.
Water: Most essential of all, drink at least 8 glasses per day of
bottled/filtered water, sipping slowly through the day. More should be consumed
if you are exercising or perspiring heavily.
Fibre: Allows toxins to attach to it and thus be removed from via the
digestive system. Fibrous foods include fruits, vegetables, whole grains,
pulses, nuts and seeds.
Essential fats: Necessary for supporting the liver, good sources include
oily fish (salmon, mackerel), seeds (pumpkin, sunflower, linseeds), nuts
(almonds, cashews, brazil nuts, hazelnuts) and dark green leafy vegetables
(spinach, kale, broccoli).
Herbs: Such as aniseed, basil, black pepper, cayenne, chervil, chives,
coriander, cumin, fennel, ginger, garlic, lemon, mint, oregano, parsley,
rosemary, sage, thyme and turmeric. These are high in antioxidants and aid the
liver in detoxification.
Do not overcook your food: steamed and sautéed food is better as these
cooking methods help retain the nutrients in the food.
What to avoid
Saturated and hydrogenated fats: These are toxic to the body, and can
interfere with liver function; it is also believed that they may be
carcinogenic.
Cut down on caffeine, and alcohol: These are toxic to the body. They add burden
to the liver and prevent the absorption of micro-nutrients which are essential
for adequate detoxification.
Only eat unprocessed whole fresh foods: Look at your plate and ask
yourself how close your food is to nature!
Restrict or eliminate: Salt, sugar, animal fats, red meat, shellfish,
margarine, lard, refined oils, fried foods, and carbonated drinks.
Dairy foods: Limit your consumption of dairy foods to one portion per
day.
Lifestyle tips
Skin brushing: helps to expel toxins from the body’s largest eliminatory
organ, the skin: Always brush towards the heart, and use circular or long
sweeping motions travelling up your arms and legs towards your torso for 5-10
minutes each morning.
Practice Pranayama: Practised in yoga, this breathing exercise helps you
to eliminate toxins through the breath as well as relax the nervous system.
Exercise: Try to do regular moderate exercise and practice a yoga routine
regularly.
Massage: your head, neck, hands, and feet have certain acupressure points
that help stimulate the eliminatory organs and promote general well being. Try
massaging them with warm oil.
Liver and Digestive system stimulation: 20 minutes after a meal (allowing
time for digestion to begin) lie on your back on the floor, Place your right
hand flat on your stomach just below your ribs on the right side of your torso.
Gently pressing down, move your hand across your stomach to the left hand side.
Repeat 10 times. This exercise will gently stimulate digestion and
detoxification.