How to Detox Your Body

I know there has been much speculation bantered about stating that the body is capable of detoxing itself so there's no need to follow a detoxification programme. This is true, the body is capable of detoxing itself, however with the way we bombard ourselves now-a-days with junk food, alcohol, smoking, poor quality air etc. we can end up putting a tremendous amount of strain on our already overburdened bodies. Following a detox programme will help your body do it's job even better!

There are plenty of products out on the market today that claim to be able to detox you. I cannot comment on how effective these products are, however, I very much doubt whether drinking a tea or taking some tablets or putting your feet in a special bath will help. These remedies normally come at a princely sum and I suspect you're wasting your money. What I can say, however, is that embarking on a proper detox programme does not have to be expensive yet the benefits can be very rewarding. Some of the improvements you may notice by following a detox can include:

● Increased energy levels ● Easier to get up in the morning ● Clearer skin and eyes ● Improvement in general aches, pains and headaches ● Improvement in the immune system ● Improvement in chronic health conditions ● Generally feeling a whole lot better

So why do we need to detox?

Every day your body is faced with having to neutralise, destroy, and eliminate toxins and waste. Luckily enough it has a very effective system for doing this:

Blood stream contains white blood cells which kill off germs and bacteria
Lymphatic system collects waste, debris, cellular waste, toxins and even cancer cells
The liver removes toxins from the blood stream, neutralises them and passes the waste out through the intestines or the blood stream
The kidneys filter waste out of the blood and pass it out in the form of urine
When we sweat toxins are excreted through the skin
Gases produced during metabolism are exhaled through the lungs

Unfortunately in this day and age the toxins you are capable of taking into your body is relentless, such as:

Artificial colourings, flavourings, preservatives and additives in your food
Fumes in the air you breath
Food crops that have been sprayed with artificial pesticides, fungicides, and fertilizers
Home and beauty laden with chemicals derived from the petrochemical industry
Smoking, alcohol and drugs
Ingestion of mould and germs

These are just to name a few. Over time this build up of toxins can start affecting our health in various ways. Of course research has been done to ensure that the toxins around us are not harmful if kept to a minimum but unfortunately these toxins are tested on their own; they are not tested along with the cocktail of toxins we are faced with every day and over a life time.

How to detox

It is wise to help the bodies detoxification process by doing a 30 day detox once a year and a few smaller detoxes through the year. These are the things you should think of when embarking on a detox:

Eat plenty of organic plant based foods e.g. vegetables, fruit, beans, pulses, wholemeal cereals and grains e.g. brown rice, millet, quinoa.
Eat organic poultry and un-farmed fish.
Include dairy alternatives in your diet e.g. almond/rice/hemp/coconut milk
Eat foods/herbs which will help the liver e.g. sulphur containing vegetables (broccoli, sprouts, cabbage) and take milk thistle or artichoke leaf as a supplement
Eat foods/herbs which will help the kidneys e.g. cranberries and potassium rich fruits & veg e.g. bananas, apricots, prunes, grapes, dandelion.
Eat foods to help clean the blood e.g. garlic, onions, cabbage, avocado, apples, green tea.
Include healthy fats in your diet such as olive oil for cooking, grapeseed/sunflower oil for dressings, seeds and nuts, particularly flaxseed, avocados and oily fish.
Include green smoothies based around green vegetables and spirulina which are great for helping the detoxification process.
Eat organic when you can. If you can't afford organic fruit and vegetables then wash them thoroughly before eating.
Drink lots of filtered water.
Get out in the countryside more often
Use only natural products on your skin and in your home
Take time out to relax
Take part in some sort of physical activity a few times a week
Assist the body in getting rid of the toxins by taking epsom salt baths, hot and cold showers, dry skin brushing, saunas etc.

These are things to avoid:

Hard to digest foods e.g. gluten containing foods, dairy products and red/processed meat, eggs
Avoid the intake of additives, pesticides and preservatives by eating home cooked, organic food
Stop smoking, drinking alcohol & taking drugs
Stress

Planning your detox

If you are considering embarking on a detox programme it is important that you plan and prepare yourself. In some cases detoxing can bring on headaches and nausea, particularly in the first week, as your body starts to clear out the toxins that have been stored in the body. Therefore in the weeks leading up to the start of the detox it is helpful to start reducing unhealthy habits and increasing healthy ones. Download the health assessment below to see whether you need to start making changes before you start the detox.