5 Tips for a Simple + Safe Detox
We live in a toxic, fattening world, yet with just a few simple choices, you can still live a happy and healthy life. You just need to know a few things and find the EASY buttons!
One choice I make is to do a gentle cleanse or reset seasonally or more. I’ve done this for over a decade and have offered them to clients and friends too. The one I’ve been experimenting with the past 6 months is by far my favorite…in part because it’s so much easier and more effective! By the way, I’ve been partnering with some of my colleagues (health coaches, naturopathic doctors, and personal trainers) to offer this program monthly, so let me know if you ever want to give it a try.
If you know me at all, you know that I love food, I love cooking, and I love eating. I’m also nerdy about using food as medicine for my body. Feeling good…well, it just feels so good! The thing is, we can all feel good!
Food is information to your genes. We are not predestined to look, feel or age in a particular way. What we eat and drink impacts us completely.
As Mark Hyman says, “What you eat programs your body with messages of health or illness.”
Food is a complex issue for most of us. We project so much onto it and most people are not well educated about the effects of the foods that are tirelessly and manipulatively advertised to us.
In fact, the food we eat is one of the major reasons that our bodies need time to rest and recharge. It’s become increasingly clear that the foods and chemicals we expose ourselves to every single day are wreaking havoc on our general health. Day in and day we are bombarded by toxins that overwhelm our bodies’ systems.
Even the healthiest of us still benefit from a regular detox or reset.
I have discovered that giving my body a reset regularly (monthly or seasonally) is critical in keeping my systems functioning optimally. During my reset, I focus on more plants, fewer processed foods, more self love, and a more sustainable detox. It’s basically a clean eating challenge that incorporates a gentle detox.
By the way, did you know the rate at which you detox is extremely important? When detoxification occurs too quickly, many of the toxins turn into free radicals, which leads to disease and rapid aging. To slow the process, we need to eat food rich in phytonutrients – special plant chemicals that are not calories, protein, fat, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals, but special molecules that interact with your biology, special molecules that act like switches on your DNA to heal your body.
The image below really illustrates how this can play out.
5 Important Strategies for a Successful + Safe Detoxing Include:
Eliminate the foods that tax your liver (think sugar, alcohol, artificial sweeteners + colds, drugs, and other chemicals)
Drink more water than usual (at least 1/2 your body weight in ounces!)
Consume as many phytonutrients as possible to aid in the removal of the toxins (I supplement with phytonutrients from over 45 plants)
Give your body 12-14 hours every evening to take a break from digesting anything.
Add more self-care and screen-free time during any detox
Recently I’ve been partnering with other health professionals around the globe to offer a phytonutrient focused 10-day detox/reset every month.. We have a new group forming soon. Email me to see if it’s a good fit for you.