Detox is a word that is thrown about pretty often these days. From the Master Cleanse, to juice cleanses, colon cleanses and Dr. Oz’s 48-hour cleanse, to more traditional detoxes such as fasting, sweat lodges and enemas. Some detoxification methods are a wonderful way of healing and ridding the body of toxins, while others are going to cause more harm than good.

What’s not talked about is that sometimes there is a reason your body is holding onto toxins.

Your body is pretty darn smart and is constantly attempting to remain in a state of balance. If it does not believe it is capable of clearing out toxins because one or more of its detox systems is functioning at a less than ideal level , it’s going to store those toxins in your fat and hang onto that fat until your systems are capable of flushing them out.

And if you force those toxins out, with drastic detox or weight loss diets, before your body is ready to clear them, they will flood your body and negatively impact your health. 

Toxins are everywhere from the food we eat, to the air we breathe, to our negative thoughts and emotions. Our bodies are bombarded with toxins every day.

We have many systems that participate in detoxification, including the Liver, the Digestive System, Cardiovascular System, Lymphatic System, Urinary System, Respiratory System and the Skin. I’ll touch on a few starting with where it all begins- digestion.

DIGESTION

Digestion plays a pivotal role in our body’s detoxing capabilities. Proper digestion is necessary to break down food, make sure nutrients are available in a usable form and kill off bacteria and parasites. If diges-tion is impaired, there is a very good chance that all of the other detoxification pathways will be impaired as well. And from what I’ve seen in my practice, most people could use a jump start on their digestive health.

LIVER

Acting as a filter, the liver strains out and neutralizes toxins in preparation for elimination. This includes the breakdown and removal of pharmaceutical drugs, used and excess hormones, certain foods like fructose and hydrogenated oils, and so much more. Poor fat diets and blood sugar imbalances seriously impair the liver’s capability to detox the blood. If all of the toxins are released from the tissue and not filtered out be-cause the liver is taxed, the blood will transport them throughout the entire body. Yeah, not cool.

LYMPHATIC SYSTEM

The lymphatic system is in charge of immunity and creates immune cells. The system also helps to shuttle away fluids from tissue in the body, as well as absorb fat and move that fat to the circulatory system to be disposed of. The lymphatic system is not controlled by muscles, so it requires us to move in order for it to work properly. Working out at OT is a game changer, but make sure to get your daily steps in too.

7 WAYS TO DETOX DAILY

Keep in mind that you don’t need to live on green juice or drink lemon and maple syrup for 2 weeks in order to help your body detox. Some of the best detoxes are gentle and can be done without any of the side effects of the more extreme ones out there. Just focusing on eating REAL FOOD in it’s whole form is one of the best ways to help your body detox. 

1. ADD THIS INTO YOUR DAILY ROUTINE– start your morning off with a warm glass of filtered water, a squeeze of lemon and a pinch of cayenne pepper.

2. SWEAT IT OUT!!! Daily sweating is a great way to help your body clear out those toxic materials. Some  things you can do are HITT exercises, sweaty yoga, get a bit of sun (or just step outside in the summertime here in the ATX), or go to a sauna or infrared sauna.

3. STIMULATE YOUR LYMPH- Dry brushing, jumping rope or bouncing on a trampoline all stimulate lymph. If you can’t do these every day, just make sure you are walking as much as can. Lymphatic massage can also work wonders. Lymphatic cleansing foods are dark green vegetables, ginger, sea kelp, citrus fruits such as lemons and limes, flax seeds, wheat grass juice, radishes and garlic.

4. SUPPORT YOUR LIVER- Try a castor oil pack to help clear out the liver. Also cut back on, or cut out, alcohol, sugar and crappy fats. Some liver supporting foods are beets, garlic, grapefruit, green tea, leafy greens, avocados, cruciferous veggies (broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage), and green tea.

5. TAKE A BREAK FROM FOOD- Fast occasionally to aid the digestive system. Intermittent fasting has shown to have lots of positive effects on health. Start with a 14 hour window by eating dinner by 6:30pm and breakfast at 8:30 am.

6. HYDRATE! HYDRATE! HYDRATE! The body must be properly hydrated so that toxins can be flushed out through the kidneys and the skin. Hydration also aids in delivering toxins to the lymph and liver which are the major detoxification sites. If the body is dehydrated, the toxins will not be filtered out. Guess where they wind up. Yep. In your fat. Filtered water is the best option.

7. AND MOST IMPORTANTLY- eat a NUTRIENT DENSE DIET full of whole, non-processed foods and good fats like avocado, olive oil, butter, coconut oil, nuts and seeds.

Confused about how to eat in a way that will support your body and it’s detoxing systems? I get it! There is a lot of conflicting info out there, which is why I love my RESTART program.  Join me in a small and intimate group for this 5-week, program where we will detox our bodies in a gentle and effective way. This is a REAL FOOD detox- no colon cleanses, fasts or liquid diets. I want you to feel great throughout the entire program, make some long-lasting changes and leave with the knowledge on how to keep your detox success going all year long. LEARN AND SIGN UP HERE.