When you hear the word “detox,” does it conjure up images of unappealing juices or thoughts of dragging yourself around feeling drained, achy or nauseated?
If a really uncomfortable detox has been your experience, it was likely too severe and overwhelmed your body’s detoxification pathways. It is essential that your body is able to effectively eliminate the toxins that get released, which does not always happen if you go too hard right out of the gate. Another issue that can arise from fasting cleanses that last more than a couple of days is nutrient deficiency. The body requires protein plus numerous vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients to sufficiently detoxify and function normally.
With all of that to deal with, why worry about detoxification? Perhaps you’ve avoided trying one because it seemed to be too much of a hassle and isn’t that what bodies do anyway? It is, and the liver is particularly active in this regard, but these days the toxic exposure is exponentially higher than previous generations faced.
In addition to the natural by-products from bodily processes that have to be dealt with, consider the following sampling of toxins to which the average person is exposed every day:
Dietary: antibiotics and hormones in meat and dairy, mercury in fish, pesticides and herbicides in non-organic foods including animal feed, over-the-counter and prescribed pharmaceuticals, food additives like colours, flavours and preservatives, chemical components from packaging (e.g. BPA in plastics and food can linings), contaminants in water, coffee, alcohol
Environmental: air pollution, chemical exposures at the workplace, household cleaning and “freshening” products, personal care items, perfumes and cosmetics, off-gassing from carpets and furnishings, cigarettes
And the lists go on. Supporting the body’s natural, daily detoxification processes is a fundamental part of a healthy lifestyle and can keep you sleeping well, full of energy and on the path to long-term good health.
A formal detox period can also be a useful tool in kickstarting weight loss or as part of a yearly or semi-annual cleanup. Spring is a good time to undertake this in keeping with the natural rhythms of the changing season. Once the detox is over though, choosing not to go back to old habits and instead keeping the cleaner food intake is perhaps the most important part of all.
Visit again tomorrow for some simple tips for a gentle starter detox.
