Simple Ways to

Detox

Your Dinner Plate After Heavy Holiday Eating

Key Principles for Your Detox Plate

During your post-holiday reset, try to minimise foods that are fried and heavily processed, have excessive refined sugar and refined flour (maida), rich cream-based curries, and foods high in salt or sodium. It’s also helpful to cut back on alcohol and limit excessive caffeine so your body can recover sooner. 

1. Make vegetables the star

Make half your plate at lunch and dinner vegetables – steam them, roast them simply with olive oil and salt, or throw together a big, satisfying salad. Focus on fibre-rich options like spinach, broccoli, carrots, beans, and bitter gourd.

2. Embrace whole grains and millets

Replace refined white rice with brown rice, quinoa, or traditional Indian millets like bajra and jowar. These provide sustained energy without spiking blood sugar.

3. Include protein-rich lentils

Regularly include legumes and pulses like chickpeas, lentils, and beans in meals. Indian dals are perfect – light on the stomach yet satisfying and protein-packed.

4. Stay hydrated

All unsweetened beverages count toward hydration – water, coffee, tea and sparkling water, as well as milk and yoghurt. Most fruits and veggies are hydrating as well.

5. Practice time-restricted eating

Aim to follow a 12-hour fasting and eating window – for example, if you eat dinner at 7 pm, wait until 7 am for breakfast. This gives your digestive system adequate rest.

Vegetable Moong Dal Khichdi

This one-pot, quick-to-make dish is the ultimate comfort food and detox meal, also perfect for cold weather. Moong dal khichdi uses yellow lentils, rice, and seasonal vegetables like carrots, cauliflowers, peas, and beans. It gets a tadka with cumin, turmeric, and ginger; it's easy to digest and provides complete nutrition. You get a good balance of protein and carbs, high in fibre from vegetables and lentils, and it takes just 30 minutes to prepare. Have it hot off the stove or pair with raita.

Palak Dal

This protein-packed dish uses red or yellow lentils with fresh spinach, creating a light yet satisfying meal. The spinach has iron and vitamins, while the lentils have protein and fibre. Spinach is a detoxifying powerhouse rich in chlorophyll and antioxidants. The combination keeps you full without feeling heavy.  Since the detox period falls in winter itself, seasonal vegetables like radish, bottle gourd and fenugreek greens can be used in place of the spinach. Enjoy as a soup on its own or serve with a small portion of steamed rice or roti.

Bajra Khichdi with Mixed Vegetables

Same thing as rice khichdi, but this one uses pearl millet (bajra), and gives fibre than rice. When mixed with moong dal and vegetables like carrots, cauliflower, and green beans, you get a hit and hearty dish. Bajra is gluten-free, high in fibre, and helps maintain bowel movement. It's also rich in magnesium and phosphorus. Top with a small spoonful of ghee, if you want a wee bit of indulgence and fresh coriander.

Quinoa Vegetable Pulao

Swap traditional rice for protein-rich quinoa in this light pulao loaded with vegetables. Season with whole spices like cinnamon, bay leaf, and cloves. Quinoa provides complete protein and significantly more fibre than white rice. The vegetables add bulk and nutrients without excess calories. Serve with cucumber raita, or some quick gravy on the side.

Masoor Dal with Vegetables

Red lentils (masoor dal) cook quickly and create a naturally creamy texture without added fats. Add diced tomatoes, carrots, and spinach for extra nutrition and fibre. Cooks in under 20 minutes, very light and easy to digest, high in protein and iron, naturally low in calories, but filling. Pair with jowar or bajra roti instead of regular wheat chapati for extra fibre.

Sabzi Shorba

A hearty Indian-spiced vegetable soup made with a medley of colourful vegetables – carrots, beans, cauliflower, tomatoes, and greens. This dish is seasoned with cumin, black pepper, and fresh ginger. It’s extremely low in calories but high in fibre and water content. The warm soup aids digestion, and the variety of vegetables provides diverse nutrients and antioxidants. Have as a light dinner with a small portion of whole grain toast or enjoy as a starter before a lighter main course.

Cucumber Curd Rice (Thayir Sadam)

This South Indian staple is cooling, probiotic-rich, and incredibly mild on the digestive system and good for your gut too. Mix cooked rice with yoghurt, finely chopped cucumber, and a tempering of mustard seeds, curry leaves, and green chillies. Yoghurt provides probiotics for gut health, cucumber adds fibre and keeps you hydrated, and the cooling properties help reduce inflammation. Perfect for those feeling overheated from rich foods. Garnish with pomegranate seeds and fresh coriander. Best served chilled.

Your Crashout is Valid

You don't need to be perfect, but you do have to be consistent. Post-holiday detox isn't about restriction – it's about returning to nourishing, whole foods that make you feel good. Focus primarily on unprocessed foods, home-cooked meals, and particularly nourishing foods like vegetables, soups, whole grains, beans, nuts, seeds and fruits.