When our computers start bugging in the middle of a task, pressing the reset button usually does the trick and get things up and running again. While there is, for better or worse, no reset button for our bodies, a little button that we could press to ‘solve’ our issues and renew our body instantly, there are simple enough ways in which we can jump-start it and get it in spick and span shape.
Our bodies are smarter than we give them credit for, and they have their ways of sending us signals when they are in need of help. Your body might be in need of a cleanse in case this is something you haven’t done before. As Sarah Cimperman, ND says, toxic chemicals permeate our environment and they permeate our bodies, and a detox is the removal of these toxins and it’s like spring cleaning for the body.
Most people benefit from doing a detox program once or twice each year, usually in the spring and/or fall. The list of reasons goes on to include not eating organic, dietary habits based on take-out and processed foods, using personal care products that contain possibly harmful chemicals and having a metabolic condition. If you are guilty of one, or more than one item on this list – well, you are definitely a good candidate for a cleanse. Fear not, this doesn’t have to be a grueling and suffering experience, at least not if you follow our four simple strategies.
Prep and Prime
Before you dive head first into a detox or cleanse regimen, you need to slowly adapt your body so it embraces the change and the detox doesn’t backfire and result in making your body even more aggravated and tired than before. The first preparatory step is getting enough quality sleep, as this helps to bring balance to your hormones. When they work together in harmony, they help you feel more energetic, elevate your mood, promote tissue repair and regeneration, and metabolize nutrients and waste more efficiently.
Use Detox Helpers
If you haven’t been taking them before, start using quality probiotics, such as the Udo’s probiotics; as Dr. Axe points out, 80 percent of your entire immune system is located in your digestive tract. Probiotics are bacteria that line your digestive tract and support your body’s ability to absorb nutrients and fight infections – in short, they help restore balance in your digestive system. There are numerous benefits of using probiotics, especially because our food contains little to no probiotics today, and most foods actually contain dangerous antibiotics that kill off the good bacteria in our bodies.
Aside from these little, very useful helpers, there is an abundance of wonderful teas that you can incorporate in your diet, like the red clover tea, which is full of antioxidants – the powerful tools that fight free radicals that can cause serious harm to our bodies. Aside from this amazing tea, other wonderful liquid detox helpers include burdock tea, ginger tea, and many more, so your only job is to pick one the most pleasing to your palate and start sipping regularly to reap the benefits in no time.
Forego Sugary Foods
Sugar is the enemy of a clean and healthy body. If you have them in your pantry, it is time for a pantry cleanse as well as a body cleanse. You don’t need them tempting you from every corner of your home. One of the reasons sugar is simply bad for you lies in the fact that large amounts of fructose from added sugars get turned into fat in the liver, and while the liver is known to be the detox-master, it has its limits, especially under continuous exposure to toxins.
Other must-avoid foods during a detox are as follows: dairy and eggs, butter, mayonnaise, grains, (wheat, corn, barley, spelt, kamut, rye and most oats). The list goes to include animal and vegetable proteins (pork, beef, veal, sausage, cold cuts, canned meats, frankfurters) peanuts, processed oils, alcohol, caffeinated beverages and chocolate. Yes, the last one might be the most difficult to renounce, but remember, this all for the well-being of your body, so the next time you go grocery shopping, bring the list along and use it as a cheat-sheet with the title ‘stay away’.
The ‘Yes’ List
We are aware that the list of foods that you must give up is an extensive one, and you must be wondering whether there is anything left for you to eat. Worry not, there is plenty on the yes list as well. Rice and nut milks, such as almond milk and coconut milk are great dairy substitutes. There are also gluten-free grains such as brown rice, millet, amaranth, tapioca, buckwheat, potato flour, quinoa and gluten-free oats.
In the fruit and vegetable department, items like all berries, grapefruit, tomatoes, all greens, (particularly definitely spinach, algae, parsley, watercress, asparagus, peas, fennel, mustard greens and green tea). The chlorophyll found in greens will feed your blood and help you achieve balance. In the nut family, you are free to have walnuts, sesame, pumpkin, and sunflower seeds, hazelnuts and pecans. Cold-pressed olive, flax, safflower, sesame, almond, sunflower, walnut, canola, and pumpkin oil are all wonderfully delicious and healthy substitutes for processed oils. Finally, your meals don’t have to be bland, as all spices are safely placed on the yes list, so feel free to spice up your detox.
Bonus tip:
Don’t forget to exercise, even walking is a form of workout, and drink plenty of water, at least eight glasses a day.