The new year often comes with a double whammy: reflection on holiday indulgences and a burning desire for fresh starts. It’s the perfect time to assess what’s thriving and what needs adjustment, not just in your plate, but in your overall well-being.
While detox diets aim to flush physical toxins, there’s a crucial need to address the mental and emotional toxins that can also weigh us down. These hidden toxins, often overlooked, can be just as impactful on our journey to a healthier, happier us.
Enter Dr Leila Sadien, a medical doctor who champions a holistic approach. She views weight loss beyond the confines of diets and workouts, advocating for a lifestyle plan that optimizes mind, body, and soul.
“Before sustainable weight loss can occur,” Sadien states, “detoxification is key. Our fat isn’t just a physical storage unit; it holds onto not just physical toxins but also emotional baggage.”
Many of her clients have battled with yo-yo dieting and self-blame.
“Often the issue lies in unaddressed traumas that fuel unhealthy coping mechanisms like comfort eating or addiction. When negativity saturates your inner world, your body clings to fat as a protective defense, similar to how it holds onto physical toxins.”
Dr Leila Sadien
Sadien draws on her weight-loss programme experience to offer expert advice. Forget forcing the fat off; instead, let’s focus on detoxing the root cause of your weight gain. By confronting and healing emotional burdens, you pave the way for a sustainable weight loss journey, one that nourishes your mind, body, and spirit.
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Follow these steps to find the root cause
Sadien shared some expert advice:
Listen to your body
Your body is an ecosystem that is integrated into the environment around it. Skin conditions like acne and eczema, IBS, water retention and weight-gain can all be your body communicating that something is imbalanced and that toxins need to be unloaded.
If you’re putting on weight and can’t find the reason through conventional medical tests, there may still be an underlying subtle dysfunction not picked up by the disease screen. Commonly early thyroid disease, insulin resistance and IBS, for example, are missed as causes.
Self-nurture
For those who have spent years on yo-yo dieting, it’s easy to feel that their body has betrayed them. This impacts the way that we feel and view ourselves and can lead to self-sabotage. Work on listening to and honouring your needs and begin to develop trust in yourself as a caregiver. As the body begins to trust you it can let go of the trauma held in the fat, where your inner child could not trust in nurturing.
Build better boundaries
Let go of or redefine toxic relationships that no longer serve you. Often one finds that excess weight is directly in proportion to the toxic relationships they have with those around them.
“My weight loss clients are often people pleasers who do not have healthy boundaries to their friends and families. The fat then takes on the function of trying to protect and hide you, that’s why they don’t recognise themselves in the mirror anymore,” says Sadien.
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Adopt healthier habits
Adele du Toit, spokesperson for the SA Rooibos Council (SARC), shares tips on how to incorporate healthier habits and contribute to achieving your resolutions for 2024:
- A healthy body houses a healthy mind: Rooibos contains antioxidants that have been linked to various health benefits, including a reduced risk of certain chronic diseases, like cardiovascular disease, diabetes, hypertension and neurological disorders, like Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.
- Hydration: Staying hydrated is crucial for maintaining good health.
- Digestive health: Herbal teas like rooibos, ginger and peppermint are known for their digestive benefits. A healthy digestive system can contribute to your overall well-being and help you feel more comfortable while working towards your resolutions.
- Replacing unhealthy habits and controlling your caffeine intake: For those resolving to cut down on unhealthy habits like excessive intake of sugary beverages, substituting these with healthier options will aid in good physical and mental health.
- Mindfulness and relaxation: Some resolutions involve practising mindfulness, reducing stress or improving mental health.
- Lower risk of depression: In recent years, the role of nutrition in mental health and preventative medicine, has prompted explorations into the effects of tea, especially herbal tea, on mental health. Researchers found that frequent tea consumption has a strong linear relationship with reduced rates of depression. One study determined that for every three cups of tea consumed a day, the relative risk of depression decreased by 37%. Rooibos contains two rare antioxidants, namely, aspalathin and nothofagin, which interfere with the production of cortisol – a stress hormone secreted by the adrenal gland. Along with its stress-lowering effect, other healthy compounds in rooibos likely stimulate a positive response in the gut and brain, which also improves mood.
A negative detox will help you feel more connected to your purpose in life and your relationship with your body. It’s important to be open and honest with yourself about where this negativity comes from and how you wish to deal with it, Sadien advises. Once you accomplish this, you can lighten your load and be kinder to yourself. Embrace the healthier, happier, thinner you.
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