What is detox all about anyways?
When I say detox I’m not talking about any crazy restrictive diets or drinking only a nasty juice concoction for days. I’m talking about adopting healthy habits each day that will naturally detox your body and allow you to be the healthiest you’ve ever been.
Detox is intended to remove toxins from your body that you’ve acquired in some way or another, whether that’s through your body’s natural breakdown, environmental toxins or through a poor, chemically-ridden, high sugar diet. No matter which way you’ve acquired toxins, it’s important to get rid of them.
Lucky for us, our bodies are amazing organisms that go through a natural detoxification process every single day. It’s an innate part of your body’s daily work. But the not-so-great news is that many times the body gets run down, tired and overly toxic which slows down the natural detox process and leaves you sick, tired and unhealthy.
Why detox?
If you suffer from the following symptoms or your diet is less than ideal, it’s time to start seriously thinking about adopting some healthier habits.
[1] tired + sluggish most of the day
[2] lack concentration or experience regular brain fog
[3] feel puffy or retain water
[4] have poor digestion: bloating, constipation, indigestion, etc.
[5] lack motivation to even get through the day
[6] suffer from chronic body-wide pain
[7] if your diet often includes: processed/packaged foods, fast food, added sugars, vegetable oils, sweetened beverages, etc.
Thankfully, there are many natural, whole-food based ways to give your body the jump start it needs to get those detox pathways firing on all cylinders. Here’s how:
[1] Drink lemon water each morning.
The natural antioxidants + phytonutrients [plant nutrients] in lemons one of nature’s most effective detoxifiers. Lemons are a great source of vitamin C which helps to strengthen your immune system, too! On an empty stomach first thing in the morning, lemon water can do amazing things! It will purify your entire body and help to flush out toxins that were naturally produced during sleep, it will give you an energy boost, and give you a head start on getting your water in for the day! Remember that not all lemon juice is created equal. You want to choose fresh squeezed lemon over any sort of lemon juice in order to benefit from all that lemon water has to offer. Try this: squeeze juice from 1/2 of a lemon into 8-12 ounces of water and enjoy! If you have sensitive teeth, drink your lemon water with a straw.
[2] Eat a rainbow of vegetables every day.
Every different colored vegetable you’ll find in nature provides the body with a plethora of vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients and antioxidants. All of these things combined aid in your body’s natural detox pathways. And as a bonus veggies are potent inflammation fighters, too! Many times inflammation can lead to a sluggish body that isn’t able to detox properly. So fighting inflammation by eating a rainbow of fruits and veggies can significantly support your body and allow it to release toxins for good! Here are some easy ways to start incorporating veggies into your diet every day:
[1] eat a salad each day
[2] add spinach or other greens to your smoothies
[3] pack veggies to snack on: bell peppers, broccoli, cucumber, carrots, etc.
[4] make a big batch of assorted roasted veggies at the beginning of the week: my faves are broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts and sweet potatoes
[5] add mixed veggie stir-frys or soups to your weekly menu
[3] Cut out processed foods, added sugar + vegetable oils.
What do processed foods almost always contain? Chemicals, additives, added sugars and vegetable oils. And what do these “foods” do to the body? They cause free radical damage, inflammation and increase the toxic load on your body. An inflamed body is a compromised body meaning that your health is suffering. When inflammation is rampant, your body puts most of its energy toward the inflammatory process, leaving your natural detox process in the dust. Cutting out these chemically-ridden foods can make a huge difference to your health. You should quickly start to feel more energetic, clear-headed and even lose weight [if that’s your goal], and who doesn’t want to feel that way on a daily basis? To get you started, check out my guide to healthy fats here. And remember, read all your ingredients on a food label and watch out for added sugars and long chemical names.
[4] Drink a green juice or green smoothie daily.
Juicing and blending provides the body with easily digested nutrients that can help you get healthy in no time. All of the nutrients are readily absorbed and quickly get to work assisting your body’s natural detox pathways. If you suffer from lots of digestive distress I highly recommend going the juicing route first in order to give your digestion a break from processing too much fiber. While smoothies are a wonderful part of a healthy diet, people with digestive problems often feel worse with too much fiber [smoothies often contain quite a bit of fiber depending on the ingredients used]. If digestion isn’t an issue go for both smoothies and juices! Check out my Juicing vs. Blending post here to get my take on both [hint: both blending and juicing are favorites of mine!]. Moral of the story is that juicing and blending a variety of fruits + veggies are a great way to get more veggies in your diet in an easy + tasty way!
RECIPES:
Super Green Smoothie
Super Green Juice
Grapefruit Carrot Cucumber Juice
[5] Drink water.
Water flushes out waste, toxins and aids in proper digestion. A dehydrated body cannot optimally release toxins which is bad news for detoxification. You get rid of toxins in a few ways: by sweating [exercise!], urinating and having regular bowel movements. Unfortunately, too many people suffer from constipation and when you’re body is not able to get rid of toxins via the bowels, toxins can be reabsorbed, causing even more health problems. So if there’s one thing that you start doing today, make drinking water a priority! Please choose purified water and skip the tap. Drink half your body weight in ounces [and more if you’re working out or if the weather is super warm]. Example: a 200 pound person should aim to drink 100 fl. oz. of purified water daily. Get to it!
live happily + healthfully,
Angela
Certified Nutritionist
Foodie + Health Enthusiast
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