Resolutions

Given that January is coming to an end and that the cold weather has truly set in for many people around the world the reality is, that many people’s New Year’s resolutions have most likely come to an end.

I’m not stating this to sound pessimistic, in fact my goal is quite the opposite. I strongly believe that resolutions can be made at any point during the year, because every year, every month, every week and every day is a brand new opportunity to begin something new. So don’t worry if you “failed” what you set out to achieve this year, this isn’t a failure but rather a new opportunity. Big or small, it’s never too late to bounce back and try again or pick up something new and set yourself up for true success!

In light of my intended optimism, there is one very common resolution I wanted touch upon under the theme of dieting.

Probably one of the biggest resolutions people make relate to their diets and most often for weight loss purposes, and when looking to lose weight, detoxes and cleanses are popular options, especially juice cleanses. Now, before I say anything more, I want to let you know that by no means is my opinion professional and should be taken with 100% certainty, I’m simply sharing with you my educated thoughts on the matter. I am not against cleanses, detoxes or cold-press juices but I want you to keep a few things in mind when thinking about your next diet resolution. I’m only presenting you with 3 ideas, so I hope they won’t be too difficult to remember.

1. Any diet resolution no matter the kind must be SUSTAINABLE. I cannot stress enough the importance of healthy eating and sustainability. Of course, you will lose weight if you do a cleanse or detox because you’re most likely going to be consuming less calories than you’re dispensing. However, you cannot eat a cleanse or detox diet for your entire life and the chances are higher that you will re-gain even more weight because your body was at a caloric deficit.

2. Clean eating is a lot more sustainable and effective than a short cleanse or detox. Your body was naturally designed to cleanse and detox itself via your kidney, liver and lungs. Especially if fed with whole, nutritious foods, your body is more than well equipped to filter itself from toxins, and the better you eat the better this system will run. In fact, your body will be in an optimal state for continuous cleansing and detoxification. So eating certain foods or liquids for a short-term period will not be as beneficial for your overall health in the long run.

3. A lot of popular cleanses and detoxes pertain to fad diets and aren’t necessarily healthy. Take juice cleanses for example, cold-pressed juices are much more nutritious than store bought juices because of their production process, which allows for more enzymes and nutrients to be preserved from the fruit or vegetable. Nonetheless, for an 8 oz serving, a cold pressed juice could take 4 apples, 2 carrots and 6 celery sticks to produce (for example). Not only is all the nutritious fiber removed (keep in mind fiber keeps you fuller longer by lengthening your digestion period) and even though you are left with a highly vitamin and enzyme rich product, your juice also contains A LOT of sugar. Yes, naturally occurring sugars can be healthier than straight table sugar, but when they’re stripped of fiber and only their liquid by-product is consumed, your body is suddenly hit with a very fast and large hit of sugar. Remember how important insulin (a hormone) is in the absorption of sugar and how over time, diets too rich in refined carbohydrates and sugar could result in insulin sensitivity, obesity, diabetes and heart disease. In moderation and small quantities, cold-pressed juices can be very nutrient (vitamin and enzyme) dense, more so than eating one piece of fruit or a few vegetables and can be a nutritious contribution to your diet, but not its sole component.

Anyway, that’s it for now as I don’t want to deter you from anything or bombard you with too much information, just think of this post as food for thought, something you might try to keep in mind when pondering your future diet resolutions…And even if you don’t think of these 3 things when doing so, remember one thing: feeling good and looking good stems from a healthy body and a healthy body is only achieved through healthy and nutritious living, it is a lifestyle, a life long resolution.