Detoxing has become quite common today and there are many varieties of ways you can do this. I have personally done many one-day detoxes; however, I didn’t really notice much of a difference afterward. I therefore decided it was time to do something longer, a five-day detox, which I had hoped would bring me closer to this euphoric feeling people were talking about.
To detox is to eliminate your body of impurities that may be making you feel lethargic, giving you skin issues, headaches or issues with sleeping. Of course, if it were not for our own bodies ability to detox, through the liver, kidney, intestine and skin, we would not survive. However, due to a variety of reasons our body can become overloaded and is unable to keep up with the toxic overload. Stress, processed food, alcohol, medication, recreation drugs and lack of sleep will all cause toxicity, put them all together and we have a toxic cocktail.
The How To
There are a variety of ways you can enhance the elimination process and allow your body to do its job. I did a combination of fruit and vegetables. I made a vegetable and fruit smoothies for breakfast and one for lunch, with added superfood powders containing antioxidants and herbs that support detoxification. In the evening I steamed vegetables and added some rice or quinoa with a superfood drink shot. I was not hungry, making it easier to work, however the headaches on the first two days almost made me give up. I found it difficult to concentrate, and was astounded that I was reacting this way, considering I eat healthy and exercise regularly. By day three my headache was gone but I was still extremely tired. Again, in bed at 9am, as I had been the two days before. By Thursday my energy started to return and by Friday I was on fire, totally rejuvenated and ready to take on the world. It is now a week since I finished the detox and I still feel amazing.
Other detoxes which I’m yet to try can include fasting, juicing, or just simply eliminating sugar. I do however think it is best to eliminate all the offenders. Sure, it’s not easy, but many of the best things in life are not easy. Eliminate dairy, gluten, sugar, salt and alcohol. Drink plenty of water and herbal teas. And find yourself some special powders that you can add to support the process. I used the detox package from Your Super. I had amazing results I would absolutely recommend these mixes so please contact me if you are interested in trying these products.
The Liver and Exercise
Teas and certain foods can support the livers role in detoxifying the blood, as well as supplements like milk thistle. Bitter teas, such as dandelion, camomile, peppermint and cinnamon are particularly helpful. Vitamin C helps to save glutathione which is needed by the liver during the detoxification process. Sulphur rich foods like allium and cruciferous foods will help with the production of glutathione. Add these to your smoothies. Antioxidants too are at the core to detoxifying as they neutralise free radicals. Pumpkin, carrot, onion, leek, berries spinach and parsley are all antioxidant foods. Exercise is also helpful. When you sweat, you are also eliminating toxins. Of course, this needs to be replaced with plenty of clean water.
Kidneys and Skin
Water, potassium rich foods like banana, oranges, kiwi as well as cranberries will support the detoxification of the kidneys. To clear the skin exercising and going to the sauna will allow you to rid the body of toxins through the skin. You can also exfoliate the skin and do hydrotherapy with hot and cold showers or baths.
The Intestine
At the same time, it also makes sense to support the intestines. Of course, many of the foods I have recommended will support the intestine but you can further do this by eating foods that are high in prebiotics like artichokes, onions, garlic, asparagus and banana or by taking a good quality probiotic. Fluid it also important for the intestine. Not only does it help to regulate the colon, it also helps to flush it out. Drink lukewarm water and eat foods high in water content like watermelon, tomato, celery and lettuce.
Sleep
Sleep is essential to the process. According to the Chinese clock the liver system detoxifies between 11pm and 3am. It is therefore essential to be in bed by 10pm so you are sound asleep for this process. I could not believe how much sleep I needed, so try not to make any evening dates as you will probably need to go to bed before you normally would. Give yourself this time.
From my experience I would absolutely recommend doing a detox. You will feel revitalized, full of energy and with mental clarity. I did it in winter, which is not that easy as normally I would recommend eating only warm foods, and smoothies make that difficult. Summer or even better spring, is the ideal time. There is nothing better than a spring clean. Decide which detox will better suit you and prepare yourself mentally, physically and do the shopping in advance.
