Is a post-Easter detox a must or is it just a fad?

Easter is just around the corner and with it all the good food that traditionally accompanies it. Do you want to know if your body needs detoxification after the holidays?

Obviously, treating yourself to some hot cross buns, simnel cake, chocolate mini eggs, easter eggs and roast lamb is perfectly acceptable. Especially if you combine your Easter meals with something healthy - like a green salad.

But typically, we go a bit overboard on Easter, right?

We have just one piece of lamb at first. But then there are all these leftovers, and desserts, and chocolate eggs - conveniently within our reach as we watch TV. And nobody has time to exercise on days like these...

In short: Easter can get very unhealthy, very quickly.

Around this time, the buzzword "detox" pops-up a lot.  If you want to know if it's really necessary, keep reading! We'll try to stick to the facts and provide useful information.

"Detox" - what does it even mean?

In the medical world, "detox" is a strong word. It's usually connected to poisoning. But in the last few decades, the word has been popularised and used in a different way. Even the word "toxins" started being used in a more general way. However, the idea behind a detox is very reasonable.

If we put too much bad stuff in our bodies and treat it badly for a long time, eventually we have to help the body release "toxins". Call it detox, call it a cleanse - at one point, we have to intervene.

Groups of people that should consider a post-Easter detox:

1. People that are trying to lose weight
2. People that are showing signs of suffering from an overburdened liver

Detox for people that are trying to lose weight

We have some good news and some bad news:

• Having a cheat meal can be good for you
• You have to go back to your diet routine quickly after

Different studies have shown that having a cheat meal now and then can:

• boost your motivation
• boost the metabolism (that can sometimes become a bit "lazy" on a low-calorie diet)
• fixes leptin levels (that's our "Stop eating now!" hormone) that can get low if you're on a diet for a longer period of time

IF you can get on track afterwards, that is. Experiments on rats have shown that 3 cheat days in a row ruin gut bacteria the same way that eating junk food regularly does!

Our suggestion?

Enjoy Easter as much as you can!

After that, you have two options:

1. If you have Easter leftovers, try to incorporate them into regular meals with extra vegetables and fermented food. Also, be careful about portion size.
2. Your Easter feast can also be considered as an opening to taking your weight loss to the next level. A short detox is a perfect way of doing that!

Important: Focus on the digestion and liver health, since those two suffer most if we overeat. 

Detox for people that are showing signs of a fatty liver

With more and more people being overweight, chronic illnesses like diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and cancer are on the rise. This doesn't just happen overnight though.

Unfortunately, many people don't notice the signs of a fatty liver at all!

If you're noticing any of these symptoms, it's time to act fast:

• You've lost your appetite and are losing weight
• You're eating normally, but you've gained weight!
• You're trying to lose weight and it seems to be harder than in the past
• You're noticing fat gathering around your stomach and waist
• You're lacking energy
• Your sleep quality is low and you often wake up in the middle of the night
• You're having problems with your digestion

Fatty liver disease can be a consequence of an unhealthy lifestyle - eating processed food, gaining a lot of weight, being under stress, drinking too much, smoking,...

The liver is responsible for over 500 processes in our body.

If you're noticing symptoms of fatty liver disease, it's best to:

• Stick to low-calorie meals and smaller portions
• Include a lot of whole foods in your diet
• Include a lot of fibre, vegetables and fermented food
• Avoid carbohydrates and too much protein
• Minimise drinking alcohol, smoking, taking drugs that are processed through the liver (like Ibuprofen)
• Drink more water
• Stay physically active
• Work on reducing stress and improving sleep quality

One of the best things to do for liver health is by using milk thistle. EFSA confirms that this plant helps protect the liver and supports liver cleansing.

The milk thistle extract in our Hepafar Forte is 10-times stronger than any other on the market, because of its increased bioavailability.

Our suggestion?

Think about what Easter means to you personally. If it's culturally or religiously important to you, celebrate it like you usually would. If you can change it a bit, focus on portion control. 

But also consider that being the last you ignore your health. You only get one body and how you treat it will affect you for the rest of your life.