Do the Detox

With all the processed food, meat, carbonated drinks, and sweets you consume, especially after a party (or in my case a ginormous buffet lunch celebration of my wedding anniversary the other day), detoxifying your body would be the way to go to eliminate stored toxins.

Our bodies usually cleanse itself on its own, with a natural ability to do remove toxins and waste, but our repeated exposure to environmental toxins, chemically based products, and processed foods will hamper the body’s normal cleansing function. Thus, the consequent sluggishness, bloated feeling, poor skin, weight gain, and yes, even mood swings.

So when you detoxify your body, you get more energy, be better focused, have clearer skin, and you reduce your cravings for sweet, fatty, and salty food in the process. And who knows, you might just lose some weight, too.

But let me get something straight — those popular detox diets out there like the juice-only, colon cleanse, liver cleanse, et al aren’t exactly healthy for you. They’re too extreme. So instead, do it the more natural way.

Do Away with Junk Food

I know, I know, it will be hard to do, but believe me when I say it’s only at the beginning. It’ll get easier as time goes by. So that’s all the processed food, refined carbs, and sugar. And if you can take it a step further, for the next 2 weeks, get rid of all dairy, alcohol, gluten, and caffeine (Uh oh, this one will be particularly hard for me to do, but c’mon and let’s do it together.).

Eat Right

So after getting rid of the junk, time to concentrate on eating food that’s actually good for you. That’s the fresh, natural, organic kind. So head onto your local farmers market this weekend and buy food that has natural detox-qualities like garlic, apples, avocados, lemons, oranges, lime, broccoli, cabbages, flax seed, pumpkin seeds, walnuts, almonds, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, barley, wheatgrass, alfalfa, kale, aragula, spinach, and other leafy greens if you can’t go without protein, choose the grass-fed, organic ones. Oh and chew slowly, too, to savour the taste and hopefully stop eating when you realise you’re no longer hungry.

Relax and Move

Detoxifying your body also means de-stressing. So make sure you get enough sleep. Get your body moving by doing some exercises that will help relieve you of stress, keep you centred like tai chi, yoga, hiking, et al. Regular exercise also boosts your mood, keeps your body healthy, and helps you lose weight.

Stay Hydrated

The key to good detox is heaps of water.  Drink 10-12 glasses a day. It’ll prevent you from constipating and awaken your digestive system and liver, too to help you eliminate toxins from your body. You can also drink a cup of decaffeinated green tea a day, which is a great antioxidant.

If you can do all this for 14 days, you’ll see and feel dramatic results in your body. So what do you say? Want to do the detox with me?

Image: Jon Barron