What Is A Detox?
According to Dictionary.com, detoxification is a process or the period of time in which one abstains from or rids the body of toxic or unhealthy substances. These toxins can be caused by environmental factors, processed food or sugar, and can build up over time. When we detox, we rid the body of these toxins, and replace them with the nutrients we need to effectively protect ourselves from disease and maintain optimum health.
Doesn’t The Body Detox Itself?
Yes, but that doesn’t mean you can’t help the process along. Our bodies naturally detox through our kidneys, intestines, lungs and even our skin! However, if one of those systems isn’t working properly, your body will start to feel it.
If You’re Suffering From Any Of These Symptoms, It Might Be Time For A Detox.
- Fatigue
- Sluggish Nature
- Irritated skin
- Allergies
- Low-grade infection
- Puffy eyes
- Bloating
- Menstrual problems
How Do I Start?
After a detox program guided by your physician or nutritionist, you can implement simple lifestyle changes to help your body rid itself of toxins all year round. Here’s 7 ways you can detox your body, naturally!
1 Drink More Water
Staying hydrated is key to helping your body flush out those unwanted toxins, and while you think you might be getting enough water, chances are you’re probably not. The Mayo Clinic released a simple formula to calculate how much water you should be drinking daily! Here’s how to do it:
Step 1: Take your weight (in lbs) and divide it by 2.2.
Step 2: Multiply that number by your age.
Step 3: Divide that sum by 28.3.
Step 4: Your total is how many ounces of water you should drink each day.
2 Exercise
Exercise is important to help the body breath and sweat, while stretching the muscles and promoting better circulation. The better your body is circulating, the better your liver, kidneys, and lungs can filter out toxins. The best type of exercise for detoxification is low-intensity aerobic exercise. Try adding walking, running, bicycling, yoga or swimming to your routine.
3 Shower Cycling
A great way to detox is by taking contrast showers. Try 3-4 cycles of 3 minutes of HOT water followed by 1 minute of COLD water. The alternate temperatures are a great way to lower stress, relieve tension, reduce congestion and improve blood circulation!
4 Cut Back On Refined Sugar
Too much of anything is a bad thing. Excess refined sugar (and its artificial substitutes) overwork the liver. When this happens, the liver starts converting sugar into fat, which can lead to an array of issues like clogged arteries, heart disease, regulated blood sugar, and insulin resistance. In addition to cutting back, try switching out your white table sugar for natural alternatives such as stevia, honey or coconut sugar.
5 Eat More Green, Leafy Vegetables
Kale, spinach, cabbage and arugula are great examples of leafy greens that contain essential nutrients and fiber that work to cleanse the blood.
6 Take Probiotics
The beneficial bacteria in probiotics work to kill harmful bacteria and restore balance in the gut and improve digestion. In addition to probiotic supplements, you can also eat probiotic containing foods such as yogurt, kefir or kimchi.
7 Eat Less White Flour
Evidence indicated that refined grains like white flour can boost inflammatory markers in our blood, jack up insulin levels, increase risk of heart disease. Refined flour is also known to impact gut health and hurt digestion. Try replacing white flour containing foods with brown rice, quinoa, nut flours and seed flours instead.
Looking for more detoxification tips? Try supplementing these simple lifestyle changes with our NutraFlush Pro. This powerful yet gentle formula will completely cleanse the colon of dangerous, undigested waste that becomes stuck to the sides of the colon walls as well as detoxify the body and vital organs and flatten the stomach.