It’s a common scenario– even for us Paleo folks… Holiday gluttony! As the Hannukah holiday is behind us and the Christmas holiday is around the corner, we are all feeling a little sluggish already. It’s inevitable. The extra helpings of carbs, the increased sugar, the added stress of being around family, the financial strains of holiday gifting… There are a ton of reasons why this holiday season feels overwhelming on an emotional and physical level. To add guilt to the equation is absolutely unnecessary and unhelpful. But of course, easier said then done!
What about trying out a different approach this year? Try to stick to your 80/20 rule of maintaining gluten-free, and limiting refined sugars, but overall, doing your best. And then, following up this period of body stress with a New Year’s cleanse.
Cleanses come in many different forms, but one common denominator that seems to be very effective is eliminating all inflammatory foods. Here is a list of potentially inflammatory foods:
- Processed food
- Processed/refined sugar
- Gluten
- Soy
- Dairy
- Grain
- Legumes
- All oils with exception of avocado oil, extra virgin coconut oil, extra virgin olive oil
- Coffee
In addition to avoiding these foods, you can also choose to eliminate potentially allergenic foods as well and follow an AIP (auto-immune paleo protocol) diet by also avoiding:
- Nuts & seeds
- Nightshades (tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, white potatoes)
- Eggs
- Corn
- High glycemic sweeteners such as honey and maple syrup
- Alcohol
For how long? This is up to you. The longer the better but even a short 1 week cleanse can be very helpful in re-calibrating! Here are a few options:
- 1 week cleanse
- 2 weeks cleanse
- 21 days cleanse
- 1 month cleanse
Stay tuned for more posts after the New Year that will include some meal planning strategies for embarking on your own home cleanse!
Join me for a cleanse! If you are local to Connecticut, I will be running a cooking class on Wednesday evening, January 23, at 6:30 pm at the Cookshop Plus in West Hartford.