With the holiday season rapidly approaching, we could all use an extra detox boost. Overindulging in grandma’s apple or pumpkin pie (or both) can leave you feeling a little bit sluggish, bloated, and guilty. Fortunately, there are a number of superfoods out there that can quickly help clean out all those excess toxins from your body and restore your digestive system to its natural balance.
Artichokes
This ancient Mediterranean vegetable, with its star antioxidant, cynarine, greatly improves digestive health by speeding up bile production, which helps dispose of toxins and digest fats. Artichokes also contain silymarin, a flavonoid that works as a liver protector. These two components, together with a team of antioxidants such as quercetin and gallic acid, help reduce indigestion and heartburn.
It is recommended that you eat artichokes raw in order to preserve as many nutrients as possible. Don’t like the bitter taste of artichokes? Try taking an artichoke leaf supplement. Most of its nutrients are found in its spiky outer leaves anyway, a part of the vegetable that normally is not eaten.
Rocket (arugula)
Arugula, commonly known as rocket or roquette in Europe, is another ancient Mediterranean food that is a staple when it comes to detox. As a cruciferous vegetable like the traditionally beloved broccoli and the increasingly popular kale, arugula is chock-full of phytochemicals that neutralize free radicals and protect liver health. These characteristics make this leafy green an excellent anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory agent as well.
With its low-calorie content and its high levels of Vitamins A, K, and C as well as minerals like potassium and calcium, arugula is an ideal superfood for balancing out the dense, fatty foods that tend to dominate our plates during the holidays.
Garlic
The natural healing properties of garlic cannot be overstated. For centuries, it has been used as an anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-inflammatory superfood to cure a number of ailments, and its strong flavor makes it an excellent, versatile seasoning. With high levels of allicin and selenium, garlic helps in cleansing the liver. In addition, it increases the production of glutathione, which filters toxins from the digestive system and detoxes the liver.
Green Tea
It is no big secret that a warm, relaxing cup of tea after a big meal can aid in digestion. Green tea, specifically, contains flavonoids known as catechins that act as powerful antioxidants. One of them, epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), has been singled out by scientific studies as the strongest catechin, which is abundantly found in green tea. Like garlic, green tea also increases the production of glutathione with its high levels of L-theanine, an important amino acid that helps create the antioxidant.
Oats
With their high content of both soluble and insoluble fiber, oats keep your digestive system functioning. They also act as a natural diuretic, flushing out excess toxins through the kidneys and colon. Get creative with your morning oatmeal by mixing and matching other natural superfoods such as nuts and berries, which are high in antioxidants.
Lemon
Lemon juice has been found to be similar in composition to the natural secretions that aid in digestion, so its consumption can help keep the digestive system healthy, especially for those who commonly experience indigestion. Lemon water can also act as a natural diuretic, which cleanses the urinary tract and helps eliminate toxins. Regular consumption of lemon water can help maintain optimal liver function, which also aids in detox. Add a little bit of lemon juice to your green tea, and you’ve got yourself a natural detox powerhouse.
Pomegranate
Pomegranates contain high levels of Vitamin C and flavonoids, which helps in neutralizing free radicals. Natural pomegranate juice has been found to contain even more antioxidants than green tea. It contains punicalagin, a rare antioxidant that has been proven to be responsible for half of the antioxidant action of pomegranate juice.
AIRE Gastro&Relax Premium Experiences
While not a food, this unique spa experience deserves a notable mention, both for its detox benefits as well as its relaxing qualities. Modeled after the ancient Greco-Roman tradition of baths, AIRE Ancient Baths offer massages, thermal baths, and fine dining in restored historical buildings in New York, Chicago, Barcelona, Sevilla, Almería and Vallromanes. Packages like the Gastro&Relax Premium Masaje 30 give you access to a tour of various thermal baths: hot, cold, warm, and salt-water baths (rightly named the Calderium, Frigidarium, Tepidarium, and Flotarium, respectively), as well as the Balneum (nicknamed “the bath of a thousand jets”) and the Laconicum (an aromatherapy steam bath). Thermal baths are traditions that go back for centuries, and rightly so, since they have been proven to offer detox properties. You can also enjoy exclusive, organic meals and get a massage, which makes this a well-rounded restorative experience that sounds like a perfect gift for the holidays.
If you’ve enjoyed this articles, you should read Aromatherapy: Benefits
