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Tamara Richards

10 Tips to Help you Detox after Vacay

Updated: Apr 27, 2023

Most of us have been working out or cleaning up our diet for SUMMER and it is finally here!



But what happens when your body is used to a cleaner diet and you go on vacay or to that weekend get together, and start re-introducing foods that you have eliminated or reduced in your diet? Can someone say BLOATED?!?



Let’s talk about it, this is often the time when people do one of two things. They will either fall off, or hop back on the train to keep going. As for you, I want you to hop back on the train and keep going REGARDLESS of how bad you ate. No one wants to fall off of the band wagon, but here is the thing, “you didn’t fall off the band wagon!” You simply over ate or ate some things that your body is no longer used to. NO BIG DEAL! It’s just time to do a detox to get you right back on track.



In order to build a healthier lifestyle, you need weekends and vacations like this. Because a PERFECT diet will set you up for failure. Weekends and vacays like this will help you learn from your mistakes and help you build a healthier lifestyle from the lessons learned from those mistakes. So, take it with stride and keep moving forward, because you are actively building a healthier lifestyle.

Before we talk about detoxes, let me hop on my soap box for just a paragraph.

Okay, here we go:


I do not like Juice Detoxes, let me repeat, I do not like Juice Detoxes and here is why. It’s a false elimination of foods from your gut that will likely be re-introduced again, often times IMMEDIATELY after the detox, which literally will defeat the purpose of a detox., and it is more like torturing yourself for 3-7 days for really no reason at all. What usually happens is people will do a 3-7 day juice detox and lose like 10 lbs. from it and jump for joy! Well hell, yes you are going to lose 10 lbs. if you haven’t fed your body anything, right?!? This misses the point of what a detox is. A detox should be done to rid your body of toxins and foods that are not nutritiously beneficial. So if you complete a juice cleanse and go back to the same diet or eating habits, you have just tortured yourself for 3-7 days in vain. That’s problem number one.
Problem number two is that people deprive themselves during a juice cleanse for such an extended period of time that they actually end up binging when they start back eating again; which completely defeats the purpose of the juice detox. Those joyous 5-10 lbs. that they lost will come back rapidly. I have seen clients gain more weight after a detox due to binging after the detox. Now, if you are someone who plans to eat clean after the detox you want to ensure that you SLOWLY re-introduce foods back into your diet over the next 2-3 days after a detox. But, be sure that you are starting with foods that are easily digested. This reduces bloating, gas, and stomach upset which can occur when foods that are not as easily digested are re-introduced back into your gut too quickly after a detox. Okay, y’all I am done.

So, before we get to my 10 tips let's talk about why a quick fix should not be your ideal plan for a detox after a “bad bout of eating”. When you “fall off the band wagon” you usually are overeating or eating foods that are high in fat, salt, and carbs. Well, for every gram of carb that you eat, 3-4 molecules of water are attached to that gram. So if you over did it with carbs, most of the weight you would have gained is likely all water weight. With proper detox, you can easily lose those few pounds gained within a week’s time because it is mostly excess water that was stored. The same is true with salt, it is the bodies natural physiology to take water wherever salt (sodium) goes. Therefore, if you ate a meal that was high in salt, you will likely have gained “water weight” as well. So, there is no need for the quick fixes. All you need to do is to follow these simple tips to get back on track.


So here are my 10 tips for a good detox that will get you right back on track

  1. Eat a leafy green vegetable with each meal, this will help bring balance back to your gut by restoring it with vitamins, minerals, and fiber. This will likely help you go to the bathroom to rid your body of the toxins and waste from the good time that you had.

  2. Drink green tea 2-3 times day. This is a common staple in my diet, but is of most importance during a detox. Green tea is a natural metabolism booster and can help burn fat to aid with weight loss, but it can also increase detoxification properties within your body to help rid your body of toxins. Had too much alcohol? Well, green tea can give your immune system a boost to protect your liver from the damaging effects of alcohol. It also can help rid your body of toxins by increasing detoxification properties within your body.

  3. Replace all beverages with water. This will help flush your system of toxins and keep you hydrated (especially if you are going to the bathroom during the detox).

  4. Eat whole, dense foods to provide your body with nutrients, anti-oxidants, and minerals to thrive after a binge of foods. This is a simple yet, effective tip to help reenergize your body with what it needs to thrive.

  5. Start doing what you were previously doing to get back on track. Remember, what you were doing before was already working for you. So, no need to re-invent the wheel. Give yourself a week’s time of getting back on track and your body will take care of the rest. As you get back in the groove of your normal routine, your body will naturally rid itself of toxins and waste to get back to its normal state.

  6. Increase your fiber to at least 15-20 grams daily. Now here is the thing with fiber, I recommend eating foods that contain higher amounts of fiber over fiber supplements. And, products like fiber one bar etc. are not my idea of a food choice that is high in fiber, the fiber contained in these foods are additives and are not always organically found in the foods that make up that product. As a result, many of these “high fiber foods” will do more harm than good by causing bloating and gas. The key is to eat whole foods that naturally contain fiber such as oatmeal, apples, pears, berries, beans, and barley to increase your fiber naturally. Now when it comes to fiber supplements, especially when you have never used them, they may lead to more gas and bloating. If you chose to go the supplement route then I would recommend choosing a higher quality fiber supplement to reduce your chances of gas and bloating.

  7. Stay active during your detox or the days following your ronde Vue. Remember staying active doesn’t necessarily mean that you need to run 5 miles a day (although that would be awesome), but simply ensuring that you are meeting your daily step goals a day can help you burn calories without doing an entire workout. To take it up a notch, you can aim to workout 3-5 days a week for at least 30-45 minutes, with 2-3 of those days incorporating resistance training. The key to burning calories is to simply move your body. Those excess calories won’t burn themselves.

  8. Incorporate a tea detox for no longer than a week. I usually will drink one cup of detox tea daily for 5 days to really clean my gut out. If you do choose to use a tea detox, be sure that you are staying hydrated and eating whole foods to replenish your body with electrolytes and minerals that may be lost during your trips to the ladies room.

  9. Rest. Resting is very important, yet often neglected. On average, you should be getting at least 7 hours of good quality sleep daily. When you fail to get enough sleep your body can actually read sleep deprivation as stress and release cortisol. Cortisol is a stress hormone that can lead to water retention and weight gain. So be sure that you are getting good quality sleep.

  10. Saunas and Epson Salt Baths. Release toxins from your body by sitting in a sauna or Epson salt bath. Saunas elevate your body temperature to increase circulation to rid toxins through sweating, while Epson salt baths use reverse osmosis to remove salt and toxins from the body. I don’t know about you, but this sounds very relaxing! If you chose to add this to your detox routine be sure to drink enough water to keep yourself hydrated after either of the two.


I pray that these tips were useful, if so show me some love below in the comments.



Xoxo,


Dr. Tamara




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