Detox From Your 4th of July Feast

By Jordan Bissell on July 6, 2014

The 4th of July was glorious for most of the country!

Even those less inclined to wear flag apparel or shout “‘Merica!” at random intervals celebrated their nation with gusto.  Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately?), for most of Americans that means eating a ton of food and doing little physical activity.  I am all for (and did) consuming a massive amount of barbecue and watermelon and apple pie, but that kind of impressive eating can sometimes wreak havoc on your body.  If you woke up on the 5th feeling sluggish like I did, here are some detox tips for making this week a little healthier:

1)  Drink water.

I know.  Most people don’t like this advice but it really, really works.  Also, you can make water taste better than it usually does by adding things to it.  Simply squeezing some lemon or lime or even throwing some frozen berries in your water bottle will jazz it up enough to make that 8 ounces bearable.  Keep in mind that the recommended amount of daily water intake is about 64 oz, so try to pace it throughout the day.

See, even this little guy loves H2O!

2)  Do something active-ish.

The last thing that most people want to do after eating a huge marathon feast is move, but that can work wonders on your digestive system.  If you’re stuffed and just want to collapse on the couch, then go ahead.  Just get up about thirty minutes later and take a walk around the neighborhood.  We’re not talking marathons here…even a gentle stroll around the block will aid your body in digesting that mountain of Doritos that you enjoyed.

3)  Eat a lot of greens.

Not so long ago, I hated the taste of raw spinach.  It was too earthy and grassy and frankly made me feel like a rabbit eating the front lawn.  After just a couple of times of forcing myself to eat a salad, however, I began to really enjoy the texture and freshness of the green.  If you try spinach a couple of times and just absolutely hate it, try mustard greens or turnip greens.  If you can’t stomach it raw, throw a couple of handfuls into a fruit smoothie or sneak it into some grits or soup.  And if you’re very trendy, try one of the plethora of kale products that is insanely popular right now.  Just baking some kale leaves lightly covered in olive oil with a little salt makes surprisingly delicious faux “chips.”

4)  Be patient with your body.

The human body is a wonderful thing and it works hard to keep you healthy.  The occasional massive holiday meal is okay, and being extra careful to be healthy afterwards can aide your body in detoxing from that food coma.  You may not feel 100% the very next day, but keep up some of these healthy habits and you’ll be skipping along before you know it!

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