Fall detox for a better immune system this winter
As a Personal trainer and a mother of two kids, I’m always looking for new ways to improve my immune system. I already have a pretty healthy lifestyle: I exercise almost daily, I don’t drink or smoke, I eat mostly healthy food and I get as much sleep as my kids allow me. But the healthier I get, the more sensitive my body becomes to things that are not good for me. I ate too much sugar at my birthday party, and the day after felt like a terrible hangover. Ultra Processed Food (UPF) make me bloated and sluggish. And my morning coffees give me the worst energy crash in the afternoon.
I decided to quit caffeine, UPF and refined sugar for two months, and this is what happened so far:
Caffeine: I quit 10 days ago and after 3 days of horrible headache and dizziness, I felt the most energetic I’ve ever been. I no longer feel so exhausted in the afternoon and I already don’t get coffee cravings. I decided to not resume drinking coffee after the two months because I feel much better now. My sleep quality is much better as well, which is important for parents because we don’t get that much!
Refined sugar: I quit 5 days ago. A few years ago, I used to eat a LOT of refined sugar. After I had ovarian tumors during my pregnancy and several surgeries, I decided to be much stricter about refined sugar, since it is known to not only cause diabetes but all kinds of diseases and it helps tumors grow. I’ve been trying to limit my refined sugar intake to once a week. It worked well but the less refined sugar I consumed, the more I realized how terrible I feel after eating it. I have also been craving it less and less. So I decided to do a two months break and I will try to not resume or only in rare circumstances (my trips to Paris!). So far I feel great and I haven’t been craving it, probably because I had decreased a lot my consumption already in the past couple years.
UPF: I quit 5 days ago. After my health issues during the pregnancy, I also cut UPF a lot. The only products I’ve been eating regularly that qualify as UPF are protein bars. This is something I wanted to stop for a while because they’re full of additives that make me feel bloated and give me digestive issues and they have nothing interesting in terms of nutrition except proteins. But the reality is that I’m always driving from one place to another for work, I am also super busy raising two young girls, and sometimes it’s just a super easy way to get 15/20g or proteins or twice as much if I eat two (which I usually do). So I decided to do a two months detox and I’ll also try not to resume. Otherwise, the only UPF I used to consume on a regular basis was diet coke but I quit when I quit caffeine. I can already feel the effects, I am less bloated and I have a lot of energy.
I will stay away from those three things for at least two months. I recommend you to try for two months too, to cleanse your body and boost your immune system before the long winter. I don’t drink but obviously if you drink, this also includes alcohol. I know it sounds like a lot of changes at the same time, but see it as an experiment, you can always go back to your old habits afterwards, but you might not even want to. You can also try to cut one thing at a time if that works better for you. Always use yourself as an experiment to see what you can change in your daily habits to feel better. I’ll share more updates after one month!