5 Ways to Reset Your Health
When your digestion, energy or sleep get in a funk, use my 5 ways to reset your health to help you get back on track. What knocks you out of your groove could be an indulgent vacation, partying (AKA a fun hangover), a bout of stress, or straying from healthy eating habits. Regardless of what tips the balance for you, here are 5 ways to reset your health and start feeling your best again!
1.) Keep It Simple
Focus on eating close to the source by preparing simple whole food focused meals like smoothies, stir-fries, salads, kabobs, or sheet pan recipes. Simple food options nourish you from the inside as they are rich sources of antioxidants, fiber, and nutrients. These will help to facilitate the detoxification process, support good digestion, mood and energy.
Choose simple, whole food options like:
Fruits: berries, green apples, pears, tomatoes, greener bananas, etc.
Vegetables: peppers, onions, cruciferous vegetables, leafy greens, cucumbers, carrots, etc.
Whole grains: oatmeal, quinoa, farro, bulgur, millet, wild, black, or brown rice, etc.
Healthy fats: nuts (almonds, walnuts, cashews, brazil nuts, etc.), seeds (ground chia and flax, hemp seeds, sesame seeds, etc.), avocados, olive oil, nut butters, etc.
Learn Protein: particularly beans and legumes (all), eggs, seafood. Moderate amounts of poultry (chicken, turkey, etc.). Rarely meats: pork, beef, bison, etc.
2.) Reboot with Green
Bring in green options like dandelion greens, parsley, spinach, kale, collards, artichokes, avocados, sprouts, and bok choy.
Leafy greens: spinach, collards, kale, spring mix, etc. Rich in vitamin K, A and C, these power houses are best served raw or lightly seamed or sautéed for optimal nutrient retention.
Microgreens or sprouts: alfalfa, mung bean, pea, radish, etc. these options are picked at peak nutrient density and are an excellent way to boost the nutrient content in your diet. Enjoy raw in smoothies, salads or topped on cooked dishes at the end.
Herbs: parsley, oregano, basil. Parsley in particular is great to reduce bloating and blood pressure while supporting bone health.(1)
Green apples contain pectin and fiber which slow down the absorption of sugar supporting sustained energy.
3.) Prioritize Sleep
By now, it is not secret that you need to get 7-8 hours to feel your best but do you know why? Your sleep is a massive regulator of your hormones, ability to digest properly, support a healthy weight, and keep you energized to tackle the day.(2)
Your appetite is regulated by neurotransmitters leptin and ghrelin. Ghrelin is responsible for stimulating feelings of hunger while leptin helps you to feel full. One study found that men who got 4 hours of sleep experienced an increase in ghrelin and decrease in leptin compared to those who got 10 hours of sleep.(3)
Also, sleep deprivation has been shown to manipulate taste preferences. Those who are deprived of good sleep tend to choose foods higher in calories and carbohydrates. Doughnuts anyone? (4)
4.) Hydrate for Health
The rule of thumb when it comes to hydration is to drink half your body weight in oz. So if you weigh 150 lbs, you should be drinking 75oz of water per day. While this is not a perfect one-size fits all recommendation, you can ensure you are drinking enough by checking your urine. Simply double check the color as it should be clear to pale yellow in color as a sign of adequate hydration.
Proper hydration is essentail for helping reset your body and supporting digestion and elimination. Start your day off with a 16 oz glass of water before anything else to awaken the body from within.
5.) Reset with Sweat
Many of the toxins stored in our body’s are held in adipose tissue or fat. Exercising to break a sweat will not only help reduce excess fat, it will help to release some of the toxins you have accumulated as well. Research shows that toxins like arsenic, cadmium, lead and mercury can be found in sweat. (5) Daily sweating from exercise and saunas can help to normalize levels found in sweat deposits and thus reduce the amounts stored in the body.
Most detoxing occurs in your liver and kidneys naturally, but when they are overwhelmed the body turns to the pores to help sweat it out. After sweating at the gym or on a run, be sure to rinse off well with soap and water. Staying in your sweaty gear may increase the risk of reabsorbing the toxins you just removed from your body.
In summary, if you are looking to reset your health, don’t over complicate it! Keep your approach simple and strategic so you can stick to your goals and reduce excess stress from integrating extreme changes. Follow these 5 ways to reset your health and you will be well on your way to feeling your best again in no time!
References:
8 Impressive Health Benefits and Uses of Parsley. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/parsley-benefits
Weight Loss and Sleep. https://www.sleepfoundation.org/physical-health/weight-loss-and-sleep#:~:text=Metabolism%20actually%20slows%20about%2015,leads%20to%20metabolic%20dysregulation10.
Schmid SM, Hallschmid M, Jauch-Chara K, Born J, Schultes B. A single night of sleep deprivation increases ghrelin levels and feelings of hunger in normal-weight healthy men. J Sleep Res. 2008 Sep;17(3):331-4. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2869.2008.00662.x. Epub 2008 Jun 28. PMID: 18564298.
Greer SM, Goldstein AN, Walker MP. The impact of sleep deprivation on food desire in the human brain. Nat Commun. 2013;4:2259. doi:10.1038/ncomms3259
Sears ME, Kerr KJ, Bray RI. Arsenic, cadmium, lead, and mercury in sweat: a systematic review. J Environ Public Health. 2012;2012:184745. doi:10.1155/2012/184745
Written by: Eleanor Baker, MS, RD, LDN
Hi! My name is Eleanor, I have a love for delicious and nutritious dishes, the outdoors, great people, and good times! I am a Registered Dietitian and an enthusiast when it comes to learning about health and how I can help others to feel their best. Learn more about living vibrantly on my site and take your health to the next level with a more individual approach when you meet with me.