New Year, New You Detox

Welcome back, and congrats on surviving the holidays! If you’re one of the lucky ones who enjoyed going home or chilling locally with loved ones, hopefully it was full of inspiring moments and good meals. If you found the season challenging, I hope you drowned your sorrows in some seriously delicious food and drink. But in either case it’s time to shake off 2015 and launch into 2016. It’s the year of the Fire Monkey in Chinese astrology (stay tuned for more about that when the lunar year changes in early February) but suffice it to say this is the year for getting it done. And the first step to making room for the new is sweeping out the old. What better way to begin than with a detox to fortify your body and rejuvenate your mind?

Here are 2 ways to reboot.

In person: if you missed the first one, Cameil Kettenring (www.chezcameil.com) and I are hosting another detox workshop on January 24, from 8h-11h, at the Centre de Yoga du Marais. You’ll get a stimulating yoga workout, a relaxing acupuncture session, and three fresh detox juices, all for just 75€. It also comes with 10€ off a private acupuncture session. Space is limited to 11 people, so reserve your spot by paying in advance.

If you can’t be there in person, consider these DIY programs.

Our lovely MANNA Paris editor Ajiri recommends the Goop annual detox. This is based on New York Times bestseller Dr. Alejandro Junger’s “Clean” program. My inner science nerd just loves this kind of stuff—in order to repair leaky gut and dysbiosis (microbial imbalance in the gut, which is being linked to all kinds of things from autoimmune disease to inability to lose weight), you need 80% greens and vegetables, 20% protein, and good fats. This is classic advice—Chinese medicine has been saying for thousands of years that eating more vegetables and less protein is the key to longevity and health. You can find the 2016 annual Goop detox here. 

Bon Appetit magazine’s “Food Lover’s Cleanse” has a 2-week program of recipes. The full 2016 menu is available here. It’s not a detox in the traditional sense (for example, several meals involve common allergens like eggs, and there are a few instances of more meat or fish than is desirable) but if you’re looking for recipes that will please a crowd or get your family on board for considering healthier options, this is a good place to start. I just came back from balmy Florida where it was 80 degrees and sunny a good part of the time and the Winter Chili  looks like just the thing to ease back into Paris’s cold rain.

So say goodbye to the old you and get ready to power up in 2016!

Image via Naturally Ella