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Clean up after Christmas

So here we are, a week or so on from the new year and no doubt feeling a little of the post Christmas slump. Relax! It's fine. Everyone deserves to over indulge a little over the festive season, so we hope you enjoyed yourself! But now that January is plodding along, who fancies joining us in a little early year detox? Yep, it's time to clean up after Christmas! Clean up after Christmas~ LittleSoapCompany.co.uk Start slowly This time of year can be hard for some of us. All the Christmas lights lights are gone, but the nights are still dark and gloomy and spring seems a long way off, doesn't it? That's why we think it's a great idea to start your detox slowly, with a few clean treats thrown in to keep us going. Studies have proved that changes to diet and lifestyle that are made slowly but surely tend to last longer (and become a way of life more easily) so it makes sense to us. Plus, we love the sound of this raw chocolate cream pie, to take us smoothly from Christmas to clean in one easy, delicious step! To make it you need:
  • 1 cup raw pumpkin seeds
  • 1/4 cup flax seed meal
  • 1/4 cup raw sunflower seeds
  • 5 dates, pitted
  • 4 ripe avocados
  • 1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon raw cacao powder
  • 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons raw honey
  • 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • pinch of salt
To make the pie, you need a 9-inch round, pie pan. Simply place the seeds and dates into a food processor and pulse until they are finely ground. Press this mixture in an even layer on bottom and up sides of the greased pie pan and chill in the fridge for a couple of hours. Then combine the avocados with the cacao, honey, vanilla and salt and blend for 3-4 minutes or until smooth. Spread evenly over the chilled pie crust and top with fresh fruit. Served chilled. Delicious! Then get serious And now that you've been eased in gently after the excesses of Christmas and new year, it's time to get serious. A detox will help you to fight the feelings of bloating, sluggishness and low moods as well as help to fight off colds, illnesses and weight gain. And let's face it, we all feel a little that way now and then. And detoxing doesn't mean you have to starve yourself, either. The raw chocolate pie proves that! A good detox could just be eliminating one or two toxic foods from your diet, and the results of that alone can impact your life positively. Once your detox is done, it's easy to move on to a healthier lifestyle in general; many people find that trialling a new way of eating tends to stick with them for life. Get clean Your detox belongs to you and only you can make the decision on how to approach it. If you drink a lot of coffee, perhaps a caffeine detox is your next step. Or perhaps the sugary treats of the festive season have you hankering for a sugar detox? It's up to you, but here are a few options:
  • Kick the coffee. Caffeine is used by many as a prop to get going in the morning, keep going in the afternoon and perk up again in the evening. But the affects on the body can be disastrous- too much caffeine can lead to disturbed sleep and can affect skin, hair and anxiety levels too. If you drastically reduce the amount of caffeine you consume you could find your health and well-being benefits greatly in 2015.
  • Ditch the alcohol. Now that the party season is over, your body might well be calling out for a break in the booze. Alcohol is known to cause problems with weight gain, low moods, anxiety and insomnia but it can also wreak havoc on your skin, nails and hair too. Giving it up for a while will help to restore your natural beauty in the new year.
  • Say no to sugar. Hands up who ate too much chocolate this Christmas? And sugar isn't always that obvious either, as when you start to look into leaving it out you'll be surprised at how many foods have added it in. Recent studies have shown that sugar  can create an addictive cycle of hunger, fatigue and moodiness by spiking blood sugar levels, making us  feel energized and happy. However, blood sugar will quickly fall and  leave you feeling tired, hungry and moody. And what do we do when we feel this way? Crave more, that's what. If yo detox your body from sugary treats you will find yourself breaking this cycle and losing weight too (the white stuff helps the body to hang on to fat).
Let your detox lead the way for 2015 Once you've completed your detox, you're in a much better position to make 2015 your year. Let your detox lead the way for new habits that you can sustain for better health! Here are some tips:
  • Don't jump straight back into your old ways! Remember all the hard work you put in during your detox and hang on to that. When you start to adapt your diet once more so that it becomes a manageable way of life, take it slowly and start small. Don't pile your plate just because you're no longer detoxing. Instead, try small and light meals more frequently to help your digestive system ease back into it.
  • Make long term changes! If you ditched the caffeine and feel better for it, why not keep it that way? There's no reason why you can't live a caffeine free life from now on, and more reasons why slipping back into old habits is a bad idea. If there is a part of your detox that is sustainable, then make it so.
  • Drink lots of water! Yes, yes- we do always say this. But there's a reason for that. During your detox you will have been drinking lots of water to cleanse the body, so keep it up!
  • Keep a journal to note down your cravings. And if you do crave sugar after a sugar detox then go back to your notes on survival during the detox. Stock up on foods that you know will help you to beat your cravings and keep you full. Oh, and drink lots of water!
  • Don't ditch the detox altogether. Remember why you decided to detox before you reach for the takeaway menu. Remember how well you felt by the end of it, and ask yourself if you really want to spend 2015 feeling sluggish and heavy.
Good luck for your new year detox- do let us know how it goes!