Happy New Year to all of our Purifans!
Let’s start the New Year on the right foot with looking after our bodies even better than the year before. Use some or all of our tips to help your liver after a night of indulgence:
Post-NYE’s party remedies:
- Warm water with lemon (before breakfast): wakes up your digestion and helps with flushing toxins from the night before.
- Vitamin C (1000mg Effervescent tablets): It helps fight a hangover by assisting the body in glutathione production, a liver compound that drives toxins away from the body.
- Fizzy Multi (Effervescent tablets): Gives ‘pick me up’ feeling not only from colds but also after a big night out. It is completely additives free.
- Ginger, Ginseng or Milk Thistle (in powder, tea or drop form) is great to combat nausea, keep energy levels up and detoxify the body. Paracetamol can damage the liver in the long-term.
- Extra Virgin Olive oil at night: It protects your liver from oxidative stress and disease (take 2 tablespoons at night and go to bed).
- Have liver-supportive foods/drinks:
- Fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grain breads, brown rice, cereals
- Spices: Turmeric, cayenne pepper
- Fresh juice: Carrot, ginger, beetroot and apple – great liver detoxifier
- Herbal teas: Ginger and Lemon, Nettle teas are powerful detoxifiers assisting your body with flushing toxins out of your system
Category Nature healers |
It is possible to indulge and still be healthy over festive season. Opt for seasonal indulgence in foods rich in Vitamin C, Zinc and Selenium and you will also keep colds and flu at bay.
- Satsumas and Clementines: rich in Vitamin C that is essential for protecting the health of cells in your body.
- Brussels sprouts: rich in Vitamin C. You can have it raw or slightly steamed.
- Red cabbage: high in Calcium, essential for healthy bones and teeth and a great source of folate. What is more, red cabbage is great for body’s natural detoxification process.
- Carrots: rich in beta carotene, a powerful antioxidant and source of Vitamin A that is vital for healthy skin.
- Cranberries and cranberry juice: high in Vitamin C. Studies show that it helps beat urinary tract infections.
- Nuts and seeds: rich in EFA, Vitamin E, Zinc and Selenium. Eat them in their natural form instead of salted or roasted. Chestnuts are lower in fat then any other nuts.
- Salmon: rich in Omega-3, a fatty acid that help keep your heart and brain healthy.
- Turkey: lean source of protein rich in Selenium (avoid creamy sauces).
Category Festive foods |
Winter is the time when we may need those natural immune boosters more than ever. Try to stay off colds and flu in these cold month by incorporating some of our suggestion below:
Vitamin C: Take some additional vitamin C (e.g.1000mg effervescent tablets) to boost your immunity in winter. What is more, it also helps the body produce glutathione, a liver compound that drives toxins away from the body.
Vitamin A: Make sure you eat plenty of yellow/orange coloured veggies – carrots, squash and sweet potatoes – to get beta carotene that is used by the body to produce Vitamin A.
Not only will you stay free of colds al winter but you will also hold the ageing process as beta carotene is one of the most powerful antioxidants.
Fruit and Vegetable Juices: Freshly squeezed fruit and vegetable juices are absorbed much easier by the body providing it with the highest level of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants etc. They also contain phytochemicals which help to remove from your body radioactive (carcinogens), cancer causing substances and protect DNA cells.
Garlic: a phenolic compound in Garlic called Allicin is linked with boosting immunity. Add this natural antibiotic to dressings, soups, casseroles and you will improve you chances to survive winter cold free as well as keep the body temperature up. Studies show that garlic is one of many foods that increases your body temperature after being digested.
Omega-3 fatty acids: Essential Fats (Essential Fatty Acids i.e. EFA) from oily fish and seeds help cells lining the respiratory tract fight infection. Add some seeds to your porridge, cereals, soups and salads or have a 100g portion of oily fish (mackerel, salmon, sardines etc.) each week.
While on detox you can purchase some Udo’s Oil capsules and start taking them on a regular basis. They contain a 2:1:1 ratio of Omega 3, 6 & 9 fatty acids. These also vital for increasing metabolic rates and energy levels. Amongst many other benefits EFA assist in burning more calories, losing weight, suppressing appetite, eliminating water retention etc.
Folic Acid: Boost your immune system with Folic Acid founded in fortified breakfast, cereals, leafy greens, beetroot, beans and lentils.
Zinc: another key player in immunity. Good sources include: whole grains, shelfish and lean red meat
Probiotics: these are support the immune system; choose one which targets immunity and not digestion.
Tea Tree Oil to prevent colds and flue: As they say: ‘Prevention is better than cure’. Place a few tiny drops of Tea Tree Oil on your clothes (chest area) so that you can easily inhale the oil’s aroma. Being natural antibacterial disinfectant, Tea Tree Oil is very effective in preventing catching any bacteria: colds, flu etc.
Category Natural against colds and flu |
by Lindsey Parslow, Managing Director, Mayfair Quarters
Following publication of our article in the Mayfair Times I was approached by Purifyne who asked me if I would like to try their detox 2 week programme and recommend it to members of Mayfair Quarters. He had obviously seen my picture in the magazine and thought I could do with losing a few pounds, either that or I looked totally riddled with caffeine and alcohol which it would do me good to get rid of.
With an impending booking looming for photographs for City AM, I was instinctively interested. I have also for some time wondered if having a glass or two of wine every evening meant I qualified as a borderline alcoholic and was interested to see if I could kick that and my awful coffee habit, so I agreed.
The diet is not inexpensive its £295 for 7 days or £495 for 14 days. Having said that Purifyne deliver everything to your door that you will be consuming over that period so you can avoid going to the supermarket for anything other than cleaning products for 2 weeks. Unless you have a family of course and then it is appropriate to continue shopping for them, although amazing how much less attention you pay to buying food you’re not going to be eating yourself!
So on the 22nd September the Detox began. Three brown bags of product arrived at the office. There were 12 bottles of juice, some Aloe Vera water, Super Food Mix, Coloson Powder, Multi Vitamin Tablets, Liver Support Capsules and herbal tea Hmmm tasty! Very clear instructions indicated which order everything should be taken in and when to start drinking the juices.
The juices come in a variety of flavours, the ingredients they contain are listed on the side of each bottle. They can include anything from beetroot, cucumber, carrots, broccoli, radishes, raspberries, strawberries et al. I definitely preferred the red ones, there’s something not very appetising about purified cucumber and it was my least favourite. The juices are delivered every 2 – 3 days as their freshness does require them to be refrigerated and not stored for longer than a few days. I know this to my cost because in the last days of the diet I left one for 3 days in the office at Park Place and got an email from them saying it had exploded all over their ceiling. Ooops!
I had been warned that on Day 2 of the detox the caffeine leaving my body would result in a headache. As I had been drinking 5 – 8 mugs a day for as long as I can remember I was not sure what to expect. At 5.00am on the second day I was woken up with a headache that would have killed a small farm animal! By Day 4 it had gone but never forgotten.
Apart from the headache there were not any other major side effects although you do have to be a little careful about how you apportion the Colosan Powder intake. It’s designed to cleanse your entire digestive tract and it certainly does its job. What surprised me most that was for the entire duration of the detox I did not once feel desperately hungry or wake up with night starvation.
It was strange to lose the need to chew anything and be on a totally fluid diet but I was extremely impressed with my resolve to stick to it, particularly given I was still having to cook at home for the children and including feeding 30 people on Day 3 who were at our house for Philip’s 20th Birthday Party.
Throughout the detox I received daily emails and messages of support from Purifyne they were incredibly encouraging and gave me the incentive to really stick at this for myself. The results were quite astonishing.
Day 1 – 3 I had lost 2 pounds, some of that may have been in the brain cells that exploded during the headache, but wherever it came from it felt great to feel so much less bloated.
Day 3 – 7 I lost a further 4lbs in weight and was definitely feeling more energised. My preconception that the wine I was drinking in the evenings had been helping me sleep were completely wrong, I was sleeping better than ever and waking up feeling incredibly refreshed.
Day 7 – 10 My energy levels increased, I felt great for kicking my caffeine habit and didn’t feel the need for coffee to wake me up. I was feeling really refreshed and generally happier. Weight loss a further 1lb. Less than before because I had no choice but to go to a lunch at The Savoy with a client and it would have been sacrilege to have wasted the opportunity. However, I chose incredibly well from the menu so as not to completely ruin my good work.
Day 10 – 14 Lost another 2 lbs. Total weight loss 9lbs. Whoop whoop! I felt absolutely brilliant, so much fitter and healthier than before. My clothes looked better as I had lost two dress sizes and I was venturing on starting to wear colours. Everyone said the biggest difference was in my face which has glowed ever since on account of being so proud of what I was able to achieve.
So what happens after you’ve invested all that money and time into the programme and then you have to revert to normal eating? Would it be short lived?
The caffeine habit has completely gone, I drink decaffeinated tea and coffee and more herbal drinks. A slice of lemon in hot water is really refreshing and I was told that it is the caffeine in my diet that was making me retain and put on the weight.
I didn’t become tee total, I don’t think anyone that knows me would believe that would ever happen, not with all the kids I have!
Every sceptic, failed dieter, Pyrronhist, I spoke to assured me I would put the weight back on. I was told it was impossible not to once I started eating again. Let me tell you they are all WRONG! I have put on 2 pounds in weight which happened within the first few days of eating again, however now I’ve had a few weeks of settling into a healthy routine I have every confidence that will go anyway. I eat a normal balanced diet, I haven’t cut out carbs, fat and I don’t live on salad. I eat less than I did but then I’m smaller than I was. I would do better if I exercised more but what this diet did more than anything was kick start a long term plan. It gave me instant confidence and results, but above all that it proved to me that when I put my mind to it I do have the willpower to do anything I want.
Category Detox Diet News |
GI is how quickly our body releases sugar from food, the slower it does, the better for your body.
GL is the measure of the quality and quantity of sugar in food (GI only looks at the quality).
To kick-start healthy blood-sugar levels, swap your usual breakfast for low-GL:
- Swap Muesli for Rolled Oats with Berries: the average bowl of muesli has 60 raisins (mini sugar bomb) in it.
- Swap Cornflakes for Porridge: a bowl of cornflakes has a GL of 21, compared with 2 in Porridge.
- Swap Rice cakes for Oat Cakes: The soluble fibre gives a low GL. Top with humus or cheese (both low-GL) to stay full.
Category Healthy Diet |
