Almost every Monday, I wake up telling myself that next weekend I'm not going to indulge in trendy cocktails, late nights, bags of chips, and brunch pastries. I make a mental note reminding myself that I'm no longer a teenager and can't just rely on my fast metabolism to do everything for me: I need to start adulting. But then again… where’s the fun in that?
The weekend brings out both the best and the worst in all of us. We thrive at bars, clubs, and happy hours (obviously), and scarfing down those fry-day donuts or binge-drinking until we blackout is pretty much just the weekend routine. But then it's Monday, and the guilt is real.
Cheat weekends are an obvious (and somewhat justified) part of life. And while most of us aren’t proud of our eating and drinking choices by the time Monday rolls around, there’s really no point in dwelling on them. Instead, try curing your weekend binges with these detox strategies and have a happy (and speedy) recovery.
If you ate too much sugar
By now, we’re all familiar with the infamous sugar rush. This is basically your body reacting to the fact that you’ve eaten way too much sugar way too quickly. If you're anything like me and have a weakness for donuts, cookies, and really anything that contains sugar, your metabolism has been triggered to start producing insulin.
Insulin is a hormone that is released in order to stabilize your blood sugar levels. Once this happens, your body will start to feel more sluggish than usual and you’ll start to experience a sugar crash.
Detox Strategy:
1. Eat your three meals (especially breakfast!)
Don’t hate me when I say this but breakfast is the most important meal of the day – especially if you're trying to recover. Go for a low-sugar breakfast that is hearty and filled with healthy fats. Here are a couple healthy breakfasts you can make in five minutes or less, so no excuses!
2. Fuel your body with foods that are high in fiber
Snack on raw, unsalted nuts, eat fish, and fill your body with veggies. The high-fiber content will help you detox your body of all its' weekend sins (...or at least some).
3. Drink green tea with lemon
Both green tea and lemon are diuretics (which is just a fancy word that means you'll pee a lot), so it'll help to flush your toxins out.
If you drank too much alcohol
If you had one too many cocktails, chances are you experienced the night-of or morning-after repercussions. Whether you spent your night with your head in the toilet or you spent your morning chugging water and popping Advil, unfortunately, it takes more than just a day to detox.
Detox Strategy:
1. Drink lots of water
After an alcohol binge, your body is dying of dehydration so replenishing your body with water is crucial. I recommend infusing your water with lemons because of the health benefits of drinking lemon water, but as long as you're drinking water, your body will be a whole lot happier.
2. Eat a banana or avocado
Potassium is key to cleanse your body of alcohol. Eating a banana or an avocado will help to push the toxins out of your system and get you back to feeling as good as new.
3. Move a little
I know this is probably the last thing you want to hear or do but exercising is one of the best ways to detox. It'll help you sweat the alcohol out, encourage you to drink more water, and get your heart rate up and your blood flowing—all of which will help you recover.
If you ate too much salty food
When we're at a party that's filled with cheese platters, pizza, and chips, it's actually comical to think that we have any chance of refraining ourselves. And while it's fine to eat these foods every once in a while, binge-eating them is unfortunately not the move. Not only are these items filled with sodium and unhealthy fats, but overeating these foods will most likely lead to indigestion and bloating.
Detox Strategy:
1. Avoid processed and packaged foods
I know we're broke, lazy, and hangry but fight the urge. Processed and packaged foods may be super convenient but they're loaded with sodium and are only going to make the bloating worse. Just trust.
2. Eat cantaloupe
Fruits like cantaloupe or veggies like Brussels sprouts will help to reduce any water retention but if you're not into either option, here are some other ways you can beat the bloat.
3. Out of sight, out of mind
Take your salt shaker off the kitchen table for a week and try eating your meals without any added seasoning. It may be a struggle but you will feel a difference.
Obviously you're not going to not indulge in some of your guilty pleasures over the course of the weekend, but at least now you know how to detox and properly recover.