Do you know that there are countless ways you can detox? I am certain that at some point in your life, you have tried doing a detox. Whatever it was, omitting certain substances from your diet, such as processed foods, carbohydrates, caffeine, and alcohol, or following a program like juice cleansing.
Or maybe you were on a mission to lose weight, and fasting seemed a good option at the time.
New Year’s resolutions or season changes like the beginning of spring or autumn are popular times to do a detox. Every fashion magazine screams about the latest fad detox that is supposed to perform miracles.
There are two schools of detox. One school says that you should detox on a regular base. And the second school says that detoxing does more harm than good.
If you are torn and can't make up your mind about detox, let me tell you a secret. You don’t need to go on a special diet or wait for the perfect time to do a detox. Actually, your body performs detoxification all the time. Isn’t this remarkable?
In today’s blog post, I explain what detoxification is, the major players, and how you can make sure that you detoxify regularly. This way you can build your optimal health and wellness daily without sweat.
But before we start, are you part of my community? Join my newsletter to get the latest action steps on how to eat a healthy plant-based diet, de-stress, manage your time better, prioritize yourself, and anything in between so that you INCREASE your energy, SAVE time and INVEST well in your wellness!
Detoxification 101
In a nutshell, detoxification is the removal of any substances that have the potential to harm you. Detoxification occurs naturally. You don’t need to go on a special mission to tell your body it has to detoxify.
Your body has impeccable instincts and performs detoxification all day long.
The primary role of detoxification is to eliminate whatever you have in excess. If your body runs detoxification smoothly, you feel more energetic, your hormones are balanced, and the distribution of vitamins and minerals is equal.
You will be less often sick because your immune system will be strong, and your cognitive functions will improve. You will also notice the health and glow of your skin.
Organs involved in detoxification process are the liver, colon, kidneys, respiratory system, and skin. The main function of the liver is to remove toxins from the body. This makes the liver the major player in detoxification.
Therefore, the best thing you can do is to look after your liver daily. You do it by reducing the consumption of harmful substances such as processed foods, sugars, alcohol, or medication that contains synthetic ingredients.
If the liver is unable to change and then remove the waste from your body, the toxins have the potential to compromise your immune system. This may cause many health problems, such as inflammation, food allergies, hormone imbalances, unregulated blood sugar (leading to diabetes), production of bile (leading to jaundice) infections, and life-threatening illnesses like cancer.
The liver stores essential vitamins and minerals such as iron, copper, and vitamins A, B12, D, E, and K. Again, if the liver doesn’t function properly, those vital minerals and vitamins are not distributed across your body and delivered where they are needed.
So, what do I mean when I say toxins?
What Are Toxins?
Well, toxins are harmful substances that can be found in almost everything. They are added to our food (preservatives, artificial colours, refined sugars), household products (acids, bleach, ammonia), cosmetics (petroleum, perfume, alcohol), garden products such as pesticides, or even unfiltered water that may contain harmful substances.
You are exposed to external toxins all the time, and reducing the intake is the first step in doing a detox daily.
But toxins can also come from the inside. Your own body produces substances such as cholesterol and estrogen. And if they are not removed from your body, they change their chemical composition and return to the bloodstream.
Can you see how dangerous this can be?
If your detoxification process doesn’t run smoothly, substances that were identified to be removed, are being recycled back, potentially causing damage.
There is one more player that needs to be mentioned when we talk about toxins. And it is stress. Stress is ever-present. And when the ‘fight or flight’ response is triggered, many chemical reactions happen in your body.
If those reactions and the hormones that are produced at the time are not eliminated and taken care of, they too, may add another layer of the load onto your detoxification process.
So, how can you support your detoxification process?
How to Support Your Daily Detox
Detoxification happens in two stages: phase 1 and phase 2. There are a lot of biochemical reactions happening at each stage. But the goal is for the waste to be changed into a less harmful substance and to make its way towards evacuation.
The way how you can support your daily detoxification is to deliver the needed nutrients so your body can perform those processes.
During phase 1, your body needs B vitamins and antioxidants. During phase 2, amino acids and sulphur are essential. The best way to support each phase is to consume enough healthy products containing those nutrients.
Another great way of supporting your detoxification process is by consuming raw, whole foods and plenty of vegetables, especially from the brassica family, such as broccoli, cauliflower, or kale.
Adding more plants (vegetables) into your diet is always a good choice, and it’s not as hard as you may think.
Detox your mind too
Of course, the primary reason why you want to go on a detox is to target a specific toxin that is not supporting your body. My approach to health and wellbeing is to look at your body and mind.
Because one cannot be healthy without the other. The mind-body connection is the truly holistic approach to health. It matters what you put in your mind as much as what you put into your body.
You may be wondering what toxins you put into your mind. Do you know that some of your beliefs, worries, and emotions can be toxic? It is perfectly normal and healthy, may I add, that you worry about your loved ones, or are upset or even angry or frustrated if something unfair has happened to you.
But if you stay in potentially harmful and unhealthy behaviour, it will become a pattern. And if not resolved, it will not support your health and wellness.
Monitoring your levels of stress needs to be a daily priority too. Staying active and engaging your body in regular movement will not only reduce your mental stress but will also help your organs to detoxify.
After all, your skin is one of the organs performing detoxification, and every time you perspire toxins are being removed with the sweat.
One of the easiest ways to do a mental detox is to recognize what ‘mental toxins’ you are putting in and when this happens. Once you know what they are and how they are triggered create a plan to omit them and replace them with supportive cognitions.
The Best Way to Do a Detox
Going on detox with a specific goal can be beneficial. Whether it is to reduce the consumption of sugar, processed foods, alcohol, or to lose weight.
But detoxification is a natural process that your body performs daily, whether you notice it or not. Your body’s primary role is to make sure that there is nothing that can harm you. And toxins, those harmful substances, can come in many forms.
They are either in food and household products or cosmetics you are using. But toxins can also come from the inside. Your body produces substances such as cholesterol and estrogen which ultimately need to be removed from your body.
If your detoxification process runs smoothly, you not only remove what your body doesn’t need, but you also have more energy and hormonal balance, deliver vital vitamins and minerals, build a strong immune system, improve cognitive functions and let’s not forget about that glow your skin has.
Supporting your body through eating raw and whole foods, plenty of vegetables, decreasing consumption and exposure to toxins as well as reducing levels of stress are all ways to ensure that your detoxification process works well and that you stay healthy and in optimal wellbeing.
So, how are you going to do a detox today?
Are you part of my community? Join my newsletter to get the latest action steps on how to eat a healthy plant-based diet, de-stress, manage your time better, prioritize yourself, and anything in between so that you INCREASE your energy, SAVE time and INVEST well in your wellness!