If you’re planning to let your hair down and let off some steam over the holiday period, then knowing how to detox from alcohol will stand you in good stead.
It will help you to shake off a heavy head if you’ve overdone things the night before, so you can feel at your best when spending quality time with your loved ones.
Of course, our advice would always be not to deny yourself the odd tipple or treat but do things in moderation.
However, if you are planning on going large at any point, the following tips will help you minimise the after-effects and keep your healthy lifestyle on track.
THE EFFECTS OF ALCOHOL
Most people like the effect produced by taking a couple of drinks of their favourite tipple, whether that’s a nice bottle of wine with Christmas dinner, a couple of beers in front of the telly or some fizz to see in the New Year.
In moderation, this is fine, but if you overdo it, it can leave you feeling sluggish and out of sorts the next day.
On special occasions, the temptation can be there to drink a little bit more than you usually would. However, the more you indulge, the more negative effects of drinking can come into play.
These can include dehydration, headaches, increased anxiety, interrupted sleep and nausea. Too much alcohol can also exacerbate the symptoms of acne, lead to dry skin and speed up the ageing process.
Alcohol is also very calorific. It contains seven calories per gram, so if you are watching your weight or following a healthy eating plan, you’ll need to take into consideration the extra calories you consume through drink.
Drinking alcohol places additional strain on your liver – the organ responsible for breaking down and filtering out any toxins in your body. The more alcohol you consume, the harder your liver and other organs must work to process it.
Over time, excessive alcohol consumption can lead to a host of longer-term health implications including hepatitis, jaundice and chronic liver disease.
While moderate drinking won’t do any permanent harm, taking things too far, too often will, so make sure you drink responsibly and take a break from the booze.
DETOXING FROM ALCOHOL
As we said earlier, your liver plays a crucial role in detoxifying your body. It metabolises more than 90% of the alcohol you consume. It breaks down the harmful toxins found in the blood and flushes them out. So, keeping your liver in tip-top condition is vital if you want to detox from alcohol.
Drinking too much, over a long period, can overwork your liver and cause inflammation, scarring and fat build-up. In turn, this can prevent it from carrying out its normal functions, including filtering waste and other toxins from your body.
The easiest way to help your liver detox from alcohol is by watching what you drink. The odd tipple is fine, just don’t overdo it – excess alcohol consumption is not only bad for your liver, but it can also create a lot of severe and long-term health problems too.
However, to give it a helping hand, there are a few other things you can do. Staying hydrated, especially after a heavy night, is vital. Water helps your body to regulate its hormones and temperature, supports digestion and transports waste products and toxins through the body so they can be flushed out, naturally. It also helps replace the fluids the body loses when exercising, so it can recover properly.
So, when you are drinking, try to take a glass of water between each alcoholic drink you take. This will help you pace yourself, by spacing out the alcohol you consume, but will also help you stay hydrated so your body can process the booze faster.
It’s also a common myth that a good fry-up, fizzy drinks and sweets can help cure a hangover. While they may make you feel better temporarily, foods that are high in refined sugar, processed fat or artificial additives can cause a host of chronic health problems. They are harder for your body to process, which puts excess strain on your liver and other organs as your body tries to strip out and absorb the nutrients and flush out any waste.
So, if you’ve overdone it, cut back on junk food the day after to help your liver to detox.
Smoothies made with your favourite fresh fruit and veg will help replenish any vitamins, minerals and other nutrients that have been lost through drinking, while wholegrain cereals will rebuild your energy levels and ward off nausea.
SUPPLEMENTS TO HELP YOU DETOX
A natural detox every so often can help you increase your energy levels and circulation, boost your immune system, reduce stress and improve your sleep and concentration. Detoxing will cleanse your body to eliminate harmful toxins and ensure your vital organs are working at their best.
Cutting out saturated fat, processed sugar and alcohol, and stopping smoking will help your body to detox. Exercising and eating clean – lean protein, complex carbs and fresh fruit and veg – for a few days will also get your body back on a more even keel.
Making sure your body gets all the nutrients it needs to detox naturally will also help. If you’re looking to detox after a heavy night, our Healthy Starter Pack is a great place to start. It provides five natural, herbal combinations to support the key elements of cleansing. These include Liquid Chlorophyll and Pro B11, which will help kickstart your detox programme and cleanse, refresh, rehydrate, replenish and restore your body to its natural state, so you can face whatever life might throw your way with confidence.
