Feeling sluggish or bloated after winter?
Many of us reach for our favourite comfort foods a little too often when the weather is colder. But now that it’s warming up, and we are heading for the festive season you might be considering about a spring cleanse.
Why most detox programs are not so good.
Most qualified health practitioners are very sceptical of many detox or kits available on the market.
They are a quick fix
Very few programs or detox kits will help you transition to a balanced diet that really works for your body. Most are a few weeks of highly restrictive meals, then you go back to your usual eating pattern or start binging on your favourite food. If you do lose weight, it often piles right back on.
2. They neglect the power of food as medicine
Detox kits are usually product-based – and expensive products at that. They will either neglect the diet entirely, or give you a bland, generic meal plan.
Did you know that some of the best ways to support your body’s detox processes can be found at the market, or fruit and vegetable shop! Foods like berries, green leafy vegetables, herbs and spices are just some examples. There is no such thing as a supplement deficiency – only a nutrient deficiency.
3. They aren’t personalised to you
Everyone has different nutritional needs, different preferences for foods and a different lifestyle. It might not be feasible for you to live off shakes (or lemon juice and honey drinks) for a week if you live an active lifestyle, or vegetable juice every 3 hours if you’re a working professional, or do shift work. Any change to your diet – short-term or long-term – needs be tailored to suit you.
How your body’s detoxification system actually works
Your liver does the bulk of the detoxification work. Think of the detoxification process as a conveyer belt.
There are two main phases that take place:
Phase 1 converts potentially problematic chemicals into intermediate compounds.
Phase 2 then converts these compounds into water-soluble waste products for the body to excrete.
Phase 3 is the final excretion process.
An effective phase 2 is a very important aspect of detoxification, as the intermediate compounds that are produced by phase 1 can be quite toxic and reactive, (and will continue to circulate in your body without being eliminated - and contribute to headaches, skin breakouts, hormonal imbalances).
It is the phase 2 part of the cycle that we generally need to focus on when supporting natural detoxification.
Your elimination channels include sweat, urine and faeces. The body will dump waste products into one or more of these channels to eliminate them.
Some easy tips to support your detox pathways
Are you wanting to give your liver some love without causing a negative impact on your health? Here are some simple but effective ways to support your detox pathways naturally.
Eat more greens
Vegetables are natural detoxification superstars, and greens are some of the best detoxifiers out there. So find some way to include more green in your daily diet. Make green leafy vegetables the base of your plate, and build your meal around that. Snack on celery and cucumber sticks with a healthy dip of choice. You can even add greens to a smoothie or omelette with breakfast. Add sprouts to everything. An easy way is to buy a bag of mescalin mix and add a handful to each meal.
Drink plenty of water
Water is essential for almost every process in the body, including detoxification. It makes up the fluid that runs through the elimination channels and lymphatic system. So if you’ve been a bit slack with your water intake, now is your chance to boost it back up. Read my blog about water here.
Remember to eat adequate protein
Many of the processes in phase 2 detox rely on amino acids, which are the building blocks of our body and are only found in protein. So make sure you’re including quality sources of protein with each meal. Grassfed and free-range red meat, free range chicken and eggs, fish, shellfish, legumes, beans and grains like quinoa are a few options to include.
How can I help?
Find out whether your body has toxins that are causing you to feel fatigued, bloated and just not right. Download & fill out this questionnaire HERE and see if the Wholefood Cleanse would be good for you. (If you score more than 6 then yes!!)
This cleanse can be personalised to you through our 1:1 sessions. Read here
Book a FREE 15 minute Discovery call to see how we can work together.
