Detox: very famous word used by many companies for marketing purposes and individuals when they are thinking of health. However, what I realized with many of my clients is that many don’t fully understand what detox is and why it’s important.
First of all, what is detox?
Detox is about cleansing and nourishing the body from inside out. It eliminates toxins and feeds our bodies with healthy beneficial nutrients. Detoxing can help protect us from various ailments as well as improve energy levels and help in maintenance of optimal health.
Why Detox?
Well as definition has it, it rids your body of toxins. Who wants to have all the junk sitting around and re-circulating around in your blood stream? I know I don’t. Now, our bodies are quite amazing as we detoxify all the time. The liver, kidneys, intestines, lungs, lymph and skin organs are working super hard every day to eliminate toxins. However, if you are not supporting your organs with proper nutrition and instead adding more and more toxins on a daily basis (through pesticides in food, parabens in skin care and toxins in water) overtime our system gets tired from all the work, slows down and starts accumulating the toxins in the body. And guess what they do? All the cells in our bodies are adversely affected. Since we are comprised from over 90 billion cells, once the cells start getting unhealthy, degenerative diseases start creeping up.
By supporting your body daily with proper nutrition, you will be able to slow down and potentially avoid this deterioration in your cells. Besides healthier cells after detox, many people also experience more energy and vitality, get better sleep, have improvements in digestion, have increased mental clarity and more radiant skin and hair.
Yes! I want to detox, now what?
Not all detoxes are created equal. There are many extreme ones on the market with staggering claims (which you should always be wary of) however, they can do more harm than good as they actually deplete you of necessary nutrients. My favourite Detoxes are all natural oneS done with juicing and very carefully planned diet; sometimes with support of natural supplements that assist in the detoxification processes. Detoxes usually last anywhere from 7-21 days, depending on how extreme they are and how badly your body needs it. A detox program can help your body by cutting down on your daily toxic load, resting the organs, stimulating the liver, promoting elimination through skin, kidneys and intestines, improving circulation and refueling the body with healthy nutrients.
Now that you learned the importance of detoxes I want to show you how to support your body’s detox organs daily, by choosing the right foods that assist the detoxification process.
Since our bodies are bombarded daily with dangerous toxins, the best detoxification regime is a daily one. And trust me, it’s a lot easier than it sounds. So let’s go over five main daily habits you should implement to assist your body in daily detox.
- Drink LOTS of water. Kidney health requires plenty of water. Don’t just drink when you are thirsty, drink at regular intervals to ensure you are getting about 8-10 glasses of water per day. Thirstiness is already a sign of dehydration. Drinking water helps your body flush out the unwanted toxins.
- Avoid processed foods. Processed foods are packed with chemical preservatives and food of unknown sources with very questionable ingredients. All that food has a ton of toxins and additives that our liver has to process and detox.
- Limit alcohol and caffeine intake. The liver prioritizes detoxing alcohol, meaning that everything else gets re-circulated back into the blood stream when you liver is backed up. Liver is our second largest organ and carries out an incredibly important function as the body’s main detoxifier. Take care of your liver so it can take care of you.
- Add lot’s of colourful veggies to your diet. Most vegetables have an alkalizing effect on the body and the liver functions best in that environment. So add lemons, avocados, beets, collard greens, spinach and kale to your daily diet and help your liver detoxify.
- Limit your use of personal products that contain parabens and other chemical preservatives. All the toxins from your skin care, makeup, shampoo, lipstick, etc go straight to your blood stream and put an unnecessary load on your liver. By switching to chemical free natural products you are helping your body detoxify easier and more efficiently.
You will be able to notice a difference in your energy levels, the appearance of your skin, digestion and much more within 30 days of implementing these habits.
Maria Losseva-Malho, NWS
Maria Losseva-Malho is a Certified Nutrition and Wellness Specialist, Lifestyle Coach and is currently getting certified as a Nutrition and Weight Loss Specialist. She is a founder of The New Healthier You.ca and a creator of the programs “30 Days To The New Healthier You” and “Shift Your Mindset in 30 Days”. She is incredibly passionate about educating people on the importance of healthy, nutritious eating as means of prevention of potential health ailments, both for adults and kids. Maria focuses on empowering women to take control of their health and happiness to create abundance.
For more information on Maria’s programs, services and to sign up for a FREE weekly newsletter check out www.thenewhealthieryou.ca
