The trap of ‘detox juices’: Things to do to reduce bloating and indigestion

Along with the multitude of ‘Happy New Year’ wishes, you might also be inundated by all the weight loss resolutions, detox diets and the promises of losing 10 kilos in 10 days, or some such. After all the heavy feasting, people are most likely to fall for these fads, which are often not medically supported. But, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be helping your body detox, or reduce any indigestion or bloating.

When it comes to detox juices, Dr Ritika Samaddar, regional head of the Department of Clinical Nutrition and Dietics at Max Hospital, Saket, says while detox juices are high in water content, low in calories, and contain micronutrients and antioxidants, “if somebody is replacing their entire meals and just drinking detox juices, it can have a lot of ill effects in the long run, because it doesn’t contain any protein and is negligible in calories”. Instead, she suggests drinking a healthy detox juice or smoothie along with a balanced diet to flush out toxins.

Dr Smita Naram, the co-founder of Ayushakti, lists some Ayurveda-supported ways to bring indigestion and bloating under control with the help of these healthy drinks.

Herbal tea

Drinking herbal tea after a meal helps you digest your food better. Mint, raspberry and blackberry tea are good options. If you suffer from a stomachache, peppermint or chamomile tea will relieve you.

Asafoetida

This is a digestive spice commonly as hing that can cure many digestive problems. A pinch of hing can be added to a glass of warm water and is to be consumed two to three times a day to reduce indigestion and bloating.

Warm water

One of the simplest ways to find relief — a glass of warm water. It can help cleanse or flush out toxins from the body.

Fennel seeds

When you eat spicy food, you tend to get this burn in your stomach. Having fennel seeds will solve that problem. The oil in the seeds can alleviate nausea. If you make a powder of the seed, have it twice a day with a glass of water.

If you are thinking of drastically reducing your calorie intake to make up for the extra calories consumed over the holidays, it may have adverse effects on your immune system and your metabolic rate in the long run, warns Dr Samaddar.

Dr Naram, too, stresses on the risky nature of crash diets and excessively restrictive diets. “As per research, it is said that rapid weight loss can lead to slowing down metabolism, weakening one’s immunity, a high possibility of gaining weight at an abnormal rate in the future, depriving important nutrients of the body and also increasing the risk of dehydration, heartbeats and cardiac stress,” she says.

She suggests following a healthy diet and lifestyle for a longer period of time under an expert’s advice “which will not only help in maintaining the body physically, but will also help prevent various chronic ailments in the future”.

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