Making smart food choices is only half the battle when it comes to eating right. To make the most of your detox diet, be sure to adopt the following eating habits:
Eat slowly. Don’t multitask during your meals, and don’t eat in front of the television. Focus on the food in front of you, and take your time with it.
Chew your food thoroughly. Your mouth plays an essential role in digestion. The more you chew, the smaller the bites of food are when they enter your stomach and intestines, allowing your body to extract nutrients more effectively. Plus, chewing soaks the food in saliva, which is a super fluid that aids your body in many ways, including by decreasing the acidity of the food you’re eating and starting the digestion of starches.
Take a 15-minute rest after each meal. A rest isn’t always possible, of course, but you should strive to take this break whenever your schedule allows. Doing so helps you make sure your digestive system gets all the blood flow it needs to perform effectively. (Moving immediately after a meal forces your muscles to divert blood away from your digestive system.)
Don’t skip breakfast! You need the essential energy that healthy, non-toxic food provides. People who skip breakfast tend to overeat later in the day — and to make poor food choices.
Plan your meals ahead of time. If you don’t plan your meals, you may succumb to cravings and compromise your detox diet by eating processed foods or fast food.
Don’t drink beverages while eating. This suggestion sounds odd to many people, especially because we often hear that drinking water before, during, and after a meal can help you lose weight. But drinking too much during a meal dilutes your stomach acid, which means your stomach can’t properly digest food. To maximize your nutrient absorption and minimize digestive problems such as gas, bloating, and constipation, save your drinks for between meals.
