New year, detox for body, and mind

It is that time of year again; over eating and drinking, covid scares, and thinking about new year’s resolutions to detox and adopt a healthier lifestyle.

According to the statistics, on average in the UK we consume as much as 7,000 calories on Christmas Day. That’s a whopping three and a half times the recommended daily intake. When we factor in the pre and post Christmas celebrations December is a month of calories from meat, sugar, alcohol and fat, and our liver and intestines are given a very hard time.

Aside from that, because of the diet during this period, there’s also been an interesting change in our gut bacteria to cope with the excess meat. All things considered it’s probably worth trying something a little healthier and giving our liver and kidneys a welcome break.

So here are some de-tox tips and places to buy.

Water
One of the best things we can do is drink lots of water. Drinking eight glasses of water a day will re-hydrate your body, as well as cleanse toxins from your liver and kidneys.

Diet
Drop down the quantities of red meats, dairy products and processed foods like white bread and ready meals. Instead opt for lots of fruit and vegetables, pulses and wholegrain foods.

Bacteria
We have written about this before. There are millions of bacteria in your gut helping digest your food and the right balance is exceedingly important to your health and well-being including natural immunity such as your reaction to covid.

There is some speculation about whether the probiotic drinks work effectively. I strongly recommend fermenting your own veg and eating some every day. Previous blog with instructions here

Linseed, or hemp meal & whole organic Oats
These cleanse the gut and build up omega3 oils to build healthy cell walls take linseed meal in your cereal, or the oil in capsules, or a salad dressing. There will be lots more news this year about the importance of the balance of omega3 and omega 12 oils in our body. Too much omega12 are contributors to obesity and cancer. BUY HERE

Super fruit and veg
Try and eat lots of super food vegetables like beetroot, broccoli, onions, brussel sprouts, cabbage and garlic. Raw is best, or a light stir fry or perhaps hearty soup made from the leftovers and a stock!

Tea
There are lots of detox teas available and they are a great way to rehydrate, as well as take in the healing properties of herbs and spices like, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, milk thistle and ginger. We have a brilliant selection in our MarketPlace

Exercise
Yep, this is usually the least popular option on the list, but a staggering 25% of the UK population is ‘inactive’ – that’s having less than 30 minutes exercise per week. If you add exercise to this list you will be back in shape, inside and out, in no time.

From all of us at BigBarn, we wish you a very happy, healthy and prosperous 2022!