Is a Detox in Order?

A detox may be in order if these past few months were filled with parties, heavy food, alcohol and stress.  Unfortunately, detoxification (or cleansing) has gotten a bad rap lately because it is misunderstood.  Some critics point out that there is no reason to detox since our body has many ways to do it.  It's true that our body has systems in place, but because our bodies are bombarded with toxins on a daily basis that gum up the detoxification process, we need to take matters into our own hands.  Some examples of toxins are chemical compounds via our food and water, medications mercury fillings, abnormal gut flora, lead, pesticides and alcohol.  It is a good idea to give your body a rest a few times a year and eat as cleanly as possible. 

I know some people who are turned off by the word detox because they went to their local health food store and bought a detox supplement and did not have good results.  But it is important to know, that there is so much more to detoxing than a supplement.  These types of supplements can cause you to detox too fast and do not support your detox organs. 

What is detoxification? 
Detoxification is a process that is done automatically by your body; it involves eliminating the waste products of cellular metabolism through the eliminatory organs which are the skin, kidney, liver, colon, lungs, lymph and blood.  The object of taking time to detox is to minimize the toxins and maximize the nutrients coming in so you can give your eliminatory organs a chance to catch up and optimize the eliminatory pathways.  It is a process of cleaning, nourishing and resting the body from the inside out.

Here are some tips that you can add to your daily life that can help you to detox without actually doing one: 

• Eat organic food

Eat simple meals that will allow your digestive system time to rest and purge

·         Eat slowly and chew thoroughly to ease the strain on your digestive system

·         Avoid using chemicals on your lawn, in your beauty products or cleaning supplies

·         Use a water filter and drink plenty of water.  It will help remove the metabolic waste

·         Add more fruit and vegetables to your diet

·         Decrease or eliminate processed foods

·         Decrease or eliminate sugar

·         Exercise daily (make sure to sweat)

·         Decrease caffeine and alcohol (or eliminate them altogether)

As always, take one item at a time and work up to all of the tips.  Once you have implemented the above, your body will start to detox naturally.  Then, you can take 7-10 days and focus on the other aspects of detoxification.  This will ensure that you don’t go through detox symptoms, but you will optimize your detox pathways.