After a particularly terrible weekend of eating, I recently decided to go on a 3-day juice cleanse, mysterious beet concoctions and all. While I have yet to decide if it left me feeling ~rejuvenated~ as I had hoped, I can certainly say that there are tons of ways to detox that don’t involve shelling out your precious cash for celery and cayenne in a pretty glass bottle.
I’m not talking Beyoncé’s crazy intensive master cleanse, either; there are plenty of easy ways to detoxify your body that are totally doable for college students everywhere.
1. Drink water
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While this may seem painfully obvious, water is something that so many people do not get enough of on a daily basis. It is generally agreed upon that people should be drinking 64 ounces of water a day — think 8 normal-sized glasses, 2 Nalgene bottles, whatever works. I find I am best at keeping up with my water consumption if I carry my water bottle with me all day, so pick out a dope reusable bottle and drink up.
#SpoonTip: Add lemon for extra detox benefits.
2. Eat lots of fiber
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Fiber is a great way to detox, flushing out your system by feeding good bacteria in your intestines that help break down toxins. Fiber-rich diets also help to protect against heart disease and adult-onset diabetes. Great sources of fiber include brown rice, fresh fruit and vegetables, nuts and seaweed.
3. Go to the sauna
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Now this is something we can get on board with — not only is the sauna in the fitness center a great way to relax, it has huge detoxifying benefits. Saunas heat the body’s tissue several inches deep, stimulating metabolic activity. Additionally, saunas open up your pores and allow toxins to exit.
4. Eat lots of spices
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Not only will they make your food immensely better, but spices like ginger, cinnamon, cayenne, cumin and turmeric have also been proven to help the body reach its satiation point faster, allowing you to better realize when you are actually full.
5. Scrape your tongue
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I know it’s not really something we want to think about, but our tongues can house a lot of pretty gross stuff. By scraping your tongue every morning, you can remove bacteria that may lead to poor digestion and liver health.
6. Do yoga twists
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It may seem silly, but twisting yoga moves will increase your internal body heat. Putting your body in positions it’s not used to will promote digestive system activity and keep everything moving the way it should be.
7. Drink chamomile tea before bed
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Curling up with a book and a cup of tea is a great way to end your night, but the beverage also has amazing health benefits. Specifically, chamomile tea before bed will ease insomnia as well as help to break down your last meal.