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Keeping it Cool
With temperatures soaring over recent days, staying hydrated has been more important than ever; not only for comfort but to support a range of vital bodily functions.
Around 70% of our body is made up of water (including our brain), and it has a multitude of roles for our health and wellbeing. Water hydrates our cells, helps removes toxins and waste materials, helps lubricate joints, keeps our kidneys working efficiently, supports digestion by transporting nutrients, and supports critical chemical processes in our metabolism. It is also important for concentration and mood – in fact just a 2% drop in water can reduce our mental and physical performance by up to 20%, and when it’s hot we lose that water through our urine, stools, lungs and over 2 million sweat glands in our skin.
So how much should we be drinking? On a normal day around 2 litres or 6 large glasses – sipped gradually throughout the day. Herbal teas can count towards this but not caffeinated drinks such as tea, coffee or fizzy drinks. When hot or exercising this should be increased, but you can easily check how hydrated you are by checking the colour of your urine, which should be pale and straw coloured. Remember; once you are thirsty you are already dehydrated!
Top tips for staying cool in the heat
- Drink water away from mealtimes since water can dilute digestive juices.
- To make water more interesting, slice lemons, limes or oranges and put in a jug to make a naturally infused flavoured water. These add Vitamin C to your diet as well and help stimulate your liver to help you detox naturally.
- Make your own ice lollies with simple lolly molds filled with flavoured water.
- Eat fruits and vegetables high in water content such as watermelon, iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, celery, radishes and berries.
- Chilled soups can also be refreshing when the weather is hot. Look online for ideas using mint, cucumber or even peas and lettuce with crushed ice.
- Buy a simple carbon water filter to help purify your tap water.
Diary of a metabolic Detox – Day 9
The First Blip
Day 9 – coming to the end of the 3 day liquid only diet, and this has certainly been more of a challenge. Up until now I really felt the benefit of cutting out wheat and dairy and significantly reducing sugar. My stomach felt flatter and I felt lighter, I hadn’t really been hungry, and I’ve felt far more energetic.
The ‘liquid only’ days started well with my kitchen overflowing with piles of fresh vegetables, and the surfaces covered in mixers, blenders and bowls of soup. Day 1 (Sunday) was fairly straightforward and I ventured into new territory with a beetroot and squash soup for lunch and then a white bean and rosemary recipe for supper; with the UltraClear shake as an afternoon ‘snack’. So far, so good.
Monday also started well. The Super Nutrition smoothie at elevensies hit the spot and my carrot, red lentil and coriander soup was a triumph. By the afternoon, however, I started to feel bloated, and in spite of drinking plenty of water and going for a long walk, my blood sugar crashed and I felt quite weak and shaky. I have to admit deviating and having a handful of almonds which my body felt they needed (and was the only thing I could quickly buy whilst out and about that wouldn’t ruin all the hard work.) Back home to an early night, and I’m glad to say I woke today feeling really good again.I’ve learned that the trick is to include as much protein as possible in the soups – and also to not try to be too rigid about sticking to liquids only. Everyone is different, and in my case, that handful of nuts was obviously badly needed.
The liquid days are a great way of resting the digestive system, but also for including really good quantities of the fruits and vegetables which will help the liver carry out all phases of its filtration and detoxification function. Detox programmes with limited nutrients and a lack of essential enzymes can trigger the process but not provide enough support to carry it through its various stages, which can leave you feeling extremely unwell. So, whatever you do, avoid the drastic fasts and water only versions and stick to a programme which feeds the liver!
My other hiccup today has been my trusty blender, which decided mid-morning that it no longer liked its job description. After several frustrating attempts at blending the beetroot, celery and broccoli for my liver cleanse juice with no luck, I gave in and resorted to a new one courtesy of Morphy Richards. It has two flasks so now I have somewhere to store my spare smoothies and juices! Having read the other ‘detoxer’ posts on our forum, it appears I’m not alone and that at least one other blender decided it had developed an intolerance to beetroot.
Thanks to my new toy, I eventually whisked up a delicious liver cleanse juice and a fabulous pea and mint soup for
lunch. Tonight I’m back to leftovers from yesterday’s carrot soup – but adding ginger and turmeric to give it a twist. A day of vibrant colours, which all helps make the meals more palatable and interesting, but it would be lovely to have some fresh crusty bread with it. maybe next week.Tomorrow: proper food again, and a much-needed day off from the kitchen and washing up bowl….but with that, new hurdles to overcome!
Diary of a Metabolic Detox – Day 4
Day 4, and so far things seem to be going well.
Admittedly this programme has taken a degree of planning and preparation, but thank goodness for great health food shops in Brighton & Hove! Infinity Foods makes life so much easier and local grocers and supermarkets are now also stocking much more variety when it comes to alternative flours and unusual vegetables, so it’s more a question of being organised! My kitchen has transformed into a healthy mini-mart, but a good distraction for the weekend could be a kitchen cupboard clear out.This isn’t intended as a weight management exercise, but my clothes are definitely feeling looser, which is very motivating. More importantly, I have been sleeping very deeply, my mind feels clearer and I’m waking up quickly and with plenty of energy, so I seem to be getting through so much more during the day.
The hard part is planning meals. I have all the ingredients and plenty of menus, supplied both by the organisers but
also other participants who are kindly sharing theirs on the group Facebook page we are using; but fitting the meal preparation into a busy working day needs a bit of organisation. I have to say though, the results have been fun and I’ve tried all sorts of things which I have never sampled before. (Admission to former clients – I had never actually tried quinoa porridge before, but it’s genuinely delicious!)The other challenge is planning meals whilst away from home – a reality for most of us face on a regular basis, and one of my biggest this week. Again pre-planning so the key here. Work out where you are likely to be, and the options you will have available. If eating out in a restaurant, it is usually possible to look at the menu online before you go. This helps your brain engage with the choices you want to make and helps avoid making hasty bad decisions when faced with the waiter and his notebook. When heading out for a day’s work, take prepared food and snacks to avoid the temptation of the local sandwich shop or garage.
The foods, meals and supplements we are working have all been carefully selected to support the liver and gut with their natural processes of removing waste matter and toxins from the body. If these aren’t efficiently removed they can cause all sorts of problems such as IBS, bloating, PMS and a range of other hormone-associated complaints; so this really is the basis of achieving good health.
As for today; lunch will be an avocado salad (full of essential fats and Vitamin E) and tonight I’m aiming for something creative using chicken.
Watch this space, and visit my Pinterest and Facebook pages to see what I come up with. (with apologies to any proper cooks out there!)
If you have any detox recipes you would like to share, send them through and I will post my favourite on my recipe page.
P.S. This is the avocado salad I came up with – from anything I could find in the fridge, which ended up comprising:A mix of spinach, rocket and watercress; sliced avocado, tomatoes, bean sprouts, sliced pear, walnuts and pomegranate seeds; all drizzled with flax seed oil.
Slightly off-menu but it worked for me!
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