Detox….
Why have one at all? What reasons are there to be bothered having a detox or cleanse?
Well, you could have just come home from a holiday laden with plum daiquiri’s at all hours of the night and day, greasy burgers for breakfast and sugary puddings at every available break, and having come home and wanting to have a bloody mary with your morning tea might not be appropriate in your work place.
Or, you might be feeling tired, lethargic, bloated and your skin is doing funny things and you have not been quite right for some time, but cant actually attribute it to anything in particular.
Or you may have finally realised that your turbulent relationship with sugar has to stop so that you can both move on with your life.
A detox or cleanse is a great way to kick start a new healthy regime in your life, and address reasons or realise addictions that you didn’t realise were so controlling.
There are a few things to do before starting a detox; first of all consult some professional advise as to which detox or cleanse – if appropriate at all, is best for you. Also depending how ‘hard core’ you are prepared to go. Having professional support is vital to make sure that when you get stuck or lose motivation there is someone to talk to who has been through it. Also it is extremely important to make sure that you are receiving and absorbing the correct amount of nutrients, minerals and vitamins, so depending on your detox your nutrient needs and requirements are different. No two bodies are identical.
The main rule of any detox is to remember to hydrate lots and breathe more (if possible)! Water and oxygen are vital to all processes within the body. Preservatives, additives and acidic sugars starve our bodies of oxygen and prevent the optimal absorption of water, so all the linings and organs of our bodies resemble shriveled up dry prunes.
H2 and O are the building blocks of renewing cells which is what a cleanse and detox are designed to do in copious extra amounts!
Also before you start have a chat with your local cafe or eatery and make friends, its good to go out still while you are cleansing and to ensure that you still have variety and sanity in your life to stay enthusiastic and less tempted to deter from track. It is great to have a creative chef willing and happy to help you out with your new detox needs! I have found most places to be extremely accommodating once I have explained why I am doing what I am doing and the foods that can be incorporated, sometimes a chef’s perspective can be of great inspiration when you get back to your own kitchen!
Most cleanses involve cutting out additives, preservatives, refined sugars, coffee, alcohol and adding lots of leafy greens, fruits and raw natural foods. So get to know your local organic grocer (or your vege patch) a bit better as you will be becoming quite intimate over this process.
Basically if you cant pronounce it, or you can count it or it has been created in a lab don’t consume it during your cleanse/detox.
Most detox’s I prescribe in clinic focus on hydration and colon health. The large intestine does a huge job in reabsorbing fluid within the body and eliminating wastes. The liver is hugely involved in creating the all important bile and breaking down (and safely storing in fats) of unknown toxins (e.g. Additives in foods) which can become free radicals and bounce around the body harming other cells, so it is also important to look after and promote the health of your liver during this process as it will be working in tandem with the large intestine to eliminate ‘un-necessaries’.
So stay tuned for updates and tid-bit tips to help you get though and get creative to super-charge your next re-boot, or just incorporate some extra healthiness!
