Nutrition

Beating the detox flu

The detox flu is a normal occurrence after you make a big shift in your diet and start eliminating certain foods to help your body feel healthier and stronger in the long run. Here’s how to beat it.

So you’ve just started to detox your body and you know feeling amazing is just around the corner. Your energy will be high, your skin will be flawless, and you might even shed some unwanted weight.

Except, reality’s not quite cooperating with expectations. You might even feel worse than when you started, but you’re not alone. The detox flu is a normal occurrence after you make a big shift in your diet and start eliminating certain foods to help your body feel healthier and stronger in the long run.

When you make big dietary shifts, even if that’s just changing to eating plant-based meals, your body has to start ridding itself of all the toxins caused by inflammation-promoting foods, like sugar, gluten, dairy, alcohol, and caffeine. Since your system wants to heal, the process of cleaning itself up can be fast and intense, making you feel more lethargic, moody, bloated, and sometimes sick. Though the detox flu may be unpleasant, remember that it’s a sign your body is doing what it needs to do and after about a week or so, you’ll feel better than ever.

Taking certain measures can help you lessen the impact of the symptoms. Here are some of our favourite ways to make the journey to health as painless as possible:

Let yourself sleep

In today’s world, taking time to rest and sleep instead of working, working out, or spending time with friends can seem like we’re doing something wrong. However, sleep is a critical component of wellness, especially when your body is working so hard to rid itself of all those toxins. Go to bed earlier than usual, and listen to your body when it’s saying it’s tired.

Dry brush

Dry brushing — Gwyneth Paltrow is a fan — is an excellent way to help detoxify your lymphatic system, a key part of your immune system. It helps combat infections, bacteria, and cancer cells, while balancing fluid levels. It gets bonus points for making your skin softer and brighter.

Eat more fat

That may sound counterintuitive, but our bodies need the healthy kinds of fats, which will actually help your body regulate your metabolism, especially if it’s been sluggish. Slice avocado over your breakfast, or take MCT oil, or coconut oil. They can both be blended into your tea to help improve mental clarity and energy.

Drink lots of water

Seriously, lots. You should be well-hydrated normally, but your glass-per-day quota should increase when you’re detoxing as it will help your body flush out toxins while avoiding nasty symptoms like headaches and body pain.

Grab some magnesium

Magnesium is a miracle mineral that most people are deficient in — don’t be one of them. You’ll struggle to find something magnesium can’t do, especially in the detox process. It can help with bloating, elimination, and your energy levels, while helping your mind and muscles relax. Our Goodness Gracias Bowl has plenty of magnesium in it, as well as protein, fibre and antioxidants, so add it to your next Soulara order to get a healthy dose of each.

Looking to make an upgrade to your diet? At Soulara, our plant-based meals are nutrient-packed so you can be your strongest, happiest, sexiest, and healthiest self.

Join our community and be inspired! Sign up to our newsletter for weekly advice, fun facts and info to support your plant-powered journey. We’ll share special offers and our new dishes with you too.

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Published: 09/10/17

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