Photo by Amanda Kerr on Unsplash
Need help recovering from BBQ barbecue season?
Too many char-grilled steaks, tofu dogs, beer and summertime indulgences can lead to a loss of energy, weight gain, lagging libido, and general feeling of not being well.
Not that you need summer to strike up the BBQ or to overindulge, but the end of summer is as good a time as any to consider what you can do to counter the effects of both.
I wrote a previous blog on 10 Ways to Make Your BBQ’ing Healthier that covers what you can do before you lay the slab of meat or that soy dog onto the hot grill.
What about after the crime has been committed?
Here’s a rundown on 6 ways to recover from the BBQ blues:
1/ Drink lemon water in the morning – Juice squeezed fresh from ½ lemon in 12 oz. of water (room temperature or warm is best) will stimulate detoxification pathways in the liver and increase production of bile, which binds and transports fat-soluble toxins out of your colon. Keep drinking water throughout the day to continue to support detoxification.
2/ Get a daily dose of kale, collards, or any of the other brassicas. Brassicas are the family of vegetables that are high in sulphoraphane, a phytochemical that has potent anti-cancer properties. Given the high carcinogen qualities of PAH’s and HCA’s that are produced by barbequing, we need all the anti-cancer protection we can get.
3/ Develop a love for curry. The main spices used in curries - turmeric, ginger, cloves, coriander, cumin, cinnamon, fenugreek - are phenomenal antioxidants, anti-inflammatories, and in the case of fenugreek, can potentially recharge that downtrodden libido. (You don't however have to limit your use of these spices to curry alone).
4/ Get more serious by doing a 3 week (or longer) cleanse. Abstain from alcohol, BBQing, sugar, all processed and fried foods and up your organic veggies, fruit, whole grains, legumes, fresh squeezed juices, as well as the suggestions above.
5/ Give your liver some love. When it comes to detoxing from the effects of BBQ’s and alcohol, the liver is your ‘main man’. Consider supplements that support liver regeneration and function. A formula with the herbs, milk thistle, turmeric, dandelion, and the nutrients alpha lipoic acid, N-A-C and B complex are ones that I use and recommend frequently.
6/ Pump up your sweating. Exercise and saunas will aid in releasing the BBQ toxins that are stored in your fat cells - but make sure that you are supporting your liver to ensure that those toxins get eliminated, rather than being recirculated back into the bloodstream.