Everybody knows somebody who has done a form of detox or other, and at this time of the year, where we all want to look our absolute best for summer, most of us are willing to do anything to ward off unwanted weight pronto!
But do they really work and are they safe? Shouldn’t our organs of elimination be doing all the work naturally?
First off, what exactly is detoxifying? “Detoxify” is defined as changing eating habits in an attempt to remove toxic substances or qualities.
When you detox, you are literally limiting yourself certain types of foods in order to follow the diet’s guidelines, or achieve a certain result, i.e. cleanse the liver, or the Gall bladder etc…. However, depriving yourself of certain foods can result in a lack of satisfaction, which is definitely not sustainable. One of the main reasons why I don’t believe in detoxifying is that most people end up cracking and going back to the same way they were eating.
You’re not going to detox in a significant way in 3 days or one day, and you don’t learn any real, improved long-term lifestyle habits to really detox. I believe that some of the detox programmes around are just faddy diets in disguise.
The focus should really be to eat in a way that assists our organs and body as whole to do what they designed to do without doing anything radical. My personal belief is that people need to learn to eat, and develop a proper nutritional plan that will satisfy them, keep them healthy and in a way that is continually cleansing the body of toxins. So no last minute juice fasts, or only eating barley and wheat grass for a week. The real work is what you do 90% of the time, day in and day out, not what you do for a week of every year.
Let’s face it, the world we live in is toxic, and although we can’t control our environment, we can control what we eat. That is why real detoxification is gradual and takes time. It is important that we transition slowly and adapt lifestyle changes so that it can be an ongoing process and not a short term fix.
I don’t believe in short term detox regimes, unless it is under medical supervision, I have seen people react very badly and actually get very sick due to following a detox diet that they read about or saw on TV. Consider that most of us have at least a few decades worth of eating acidic foods, the putrefying and fermenting residue of which is lodged as sludge in varying degrees in different parts of our body. If we decide one day to make a radical shift to our diet to eating only or a high percentage alkaline foods, namely fruits and vegetables, or doing a water fast, we can really run into problems unless the process is supervised by a medical professional. Awakening too many toxins can have very unpleasant side effects such as headaches, nausea, dizziness, breakouts and other skin eruptions, diarrhea, etc. and can actually make us quite sick. It is a lot more important to follow a lifestyle where you “detox” on a continual basis, day in and day out.
The trick is to understand what food/drinks we should be eating and drinking and of course limiting in order to achieve this.
The key is to really aim at FEELING and LOOKING your best! You don’t have to give up all your favourite foods all at once, nor do you have to sustain yourself on broccoli juice, but rather develop a long term way of eating and make some new lifestyle changes. Learn what is truly nourishing and healthy for your body and make better choices daily going forward.
Here are some easy and effective changes you can make that will really make a difference effectively and gently.
1. Fill up on GREENS, lost of veggies, salads at least twice a day! Every lunch and dinner should contain a raw salad and some green steamed or grilled veggies, These foods should be the premise of your eating plan. . All the raw plant enzymes and chlorophyll go to work cleaning and detoxing our blood and systems. The bitter greens like watercress and dandelion are excellent for the liver. Include these when you can.
2. Try to consume the juice of 1-2 lemons every day. You can squeeze them over salads, in water, over veggies. . Lemon helps regenerate and support our liver by benefiting bile formation.
3. Avoid all dairy products. We the only animals on the planet that consume another animals milk. Most of us are allergic and intolerant to dairy. We don’t have the enzymes to digest the lactase.. It is also mucus and acid-forming.
4. Sweat! Go to yoga, go for a run or a hike, hit the gym and have a good sweat!
5. Avoid all “fake and artificial” sugars. These are very hard for your body to recognize and break down. They are toxic and actually make you crave more sweet foods.
6. Stay hydrated- drink lots of water 20 minutes either sides of meals, but drink MINIMALLY with meals (so as not to dilute the digestive enzymes).
7. Ditch the fizzy drinks and limit alcohol, even the diet one’s they actually worse! They deplete the body of minerals, especially B Vitamins and are also very very acidic.
8. Occasionally treat yourself do good quality dark chocolate for dessert, just a small amount.
9. Chew your food really well. Eat slowly. Not only will you be able to extract more nutrients from your food, but you will feel full before you’ve overeaten.
10. Eat fibrous, filling salads for dinner and lunch. Raw and steamed veggies are amazing! We are meant to be eating these foods, they will keep you full but they also contain a high nutrient content.
Follow these simple strategies daily and you will notice a big difference in all areas of your life including your weight and energy levels, your immune system, your skin and even your moods!
You deserve to feel great all time time!!!
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