Is it possible to detox without fasting?
A simple morning-to-night detox plan for active people
Detoxing to the body is akin to unclogging a water pipe to help flush out unwanted toxins and facilitate effective waste removal.
While fasting is the number one proven strategy to detox, Mother Nature has an impressive treasure trove of nutrient-rich foods that are easy on the gut, boost metabolism and even keep you full and satiated, while helping you detox. So, if you hate the thought of fasting and hunger makes you cranky, do consider the following detox routine to experience peak physical health in no time:
Morning ritual
Regardless of whether you’re detoxing or not, drinking warm water, first thing in the morning is something your body will thank you for.
Two glasses of tepid water in the morning increases the temperature of the body, boosting metabolism, amping up blood circulation, reseting the circadian rhythm and literally help prepare the body to process the ‘trauma’ of waking up after a night of restful sleep.
Start your day with this ‘Ayurvedic’ tea
We all know the benefits of consuming lemon-water empty stomach. However, a very underrated drink is this miraculous ‘Ayurvedic tea’ containing half-a-tablespoon of coriander, cumin, carom and fennel seeds.
Procedure: Boil half-litre water in a saucepan containing these seeds, until the volume is reduced by half and the water assumes a yellowish hue. Strain and consume whilst it’s still warm.
Benefits: Coriander, cumin and fennel seeds are age-old antidotes to indigestion, bloating and toxin accumulation. They strengthen the lymphatic system, allowing it to fast-pace the drainage of toxins and improve their subsequent removal from the urinary tract. In addition, carom seeds turbocharge digestion, preparing the stomach for another day of food load and aiding in metabolism, long after its consumption.
You can maximize the benefits of this tea by add grated ginger, or squeezing lemon or adding few drops of honey to refresh your palate as well.
Best breakfast for detoxing
The best breakfast for detoxing is definitely a seasonal fruit. In this regard, apples and pomegranate top the list.
These fruits have almost thrice more antioxidants than green tea, and are superfoods for the good, with potent anti-aging, detoxing properties renowned and attested for since decades. Other equally good options include guava, as it is packed with soluble fiber, and prebiotic as well.
Having fermented foods for breakfast such as yogurt (plain, unseasoned) mixed with grated beetroot is also a great way to get antioxidants in your body while soothing the gut.
It’s highly recommended to have fruits solo, as opposed to mixing them together in a salad, to maximize nutrient absorption and reduce the stomach’s workload. Below is a quick guide on combining fruits to maximize nutrition.
Mid-morning snack
Sprouts are perfect mid-morning snack options for people looking to detox without fasting. Here’s a complete guide on how to maximize nutrition with your sprouts intake.
Lunch
Millets are a supergrain. Mix up your grains and choose one that your body is not used to eating daily.
Whole green gram and chana dal have maximum protein, fiber and the lowest glycemic index. They are easy to digest, have potent prebiotic benefits and do not bloat you either. The Indian food ‘khichdi’ when made with foxtail millet and lentils form a light, satisfying lunch and is a complete source of protein for vegetarians as well. Other alternatives include quinoa in place of millets.
Adding green leafy vegetables, carrots and beans to your salad is a must, but it’s best to avoid having them raw, and instead steaming them for easy digestibility.
Best vegetables for detoxing
The vegetables of the gourd family, namely bitter gourd, ridge gourd and pointed gourd are supremely effective in minimizing free radical-induced damage, renewing skin health, promoting metabolism and aiding in detoxification. You can have these vegetables steamed, with a side of your main meal.
Bitter gourd, in particular, is consumed ahead of lunches in certain Indian cultures, owing to its ability to increase the digestive capacity of the stomach and induce secretion of stomach acid, in order to facilitate smooth and seamless of heavy foods like multi-grain meals.
Best grains for detoxing
Mother Nature is a treasure trove of whole grains that are rich in multi-vitamins and easy for the body to digest. Having any of these grains that you’re not used to consuming on an everyday basis and is also, least processed, is a great way to detox without fasting. In this regard, millets, quinoa, semi-brown rice, red rice and steel-cut oats are all very good options. For optimum benefits, you can consider cooking them on iron vessels for maximal iron absorption as well.
Evening snack
The best evening snack recommendation for people trying to detox would be groundnuts, because they are not only satiety-inducing and full of leptin, but also great for the gut. In addition, having seasonal fruits is also recommended.
My personal go-to snack when detoxing is always lightly roasted groundnuts in cold-pressed coconut oil and topped with desiccated coconut flakes, roasted sesame seeds (white) and jaggery powder. It is crunchy, well-balanced in taste and keeps me full for hours, especially in days when I am working till late.
Other alternatives that are equally beneficial are roasted fox nuts. They are full of healthy fats, lower cholesterol, improve mood and boost metabolism- which is the whole purpose behind detox without fasting.
Dinner
As expected, dinners should be kept light while detoxing. A tomato-based soup or vegetable soup sans cornstarch can work wonders. Even the humble bowl of Indian ‘daal’ (lentil soup) is a great option. In addition, water-rich vegetables such as pumpkin and bottle gourd cooked with ginger and whole spices are easy to digest and help add bulk to stool.
Bedtime drinks
There can be multiple goals with detoxing. For those looking to attain better metabolism and a gut reset with their detox, having psyllium husk mixed in warm water is a great bedtime drink post-dinner. It fights constipation, acts as a prebiotic food for the beneficial gut microbes and acts as a natural stool softener without side-effects.
However, if you wish to attain healthy, glowing skin with your detox routine, you can consider adding triphala to a glass of water as your bedtime drink. Triphala is a potent source of antioxidants and is easily available over-the-counter, without the need of a prescription.
Then again, if the primary goal of your detox plan is to attain overall hormonal balance, counteract work stress, promote better sleep quality and boost mood, consider the following recipe below:
Final Words
The final most important step to detox without fasting is to sleep on time (10–11:00 pm) and get the full eight hours of sleep, as recommended by Science. Deep sleep allows the housekeeping workers of the body to metabolize and break down undigested food for effective toxin removal the next morning.
In other words, detoxing without fasting may be possible, but detoxing without sleep is impossible!
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