Sometimes We All Need A Little Detox

Cleansing and Detoxing Signs and How To Go About It

The 21st century that we live in today doesn’t allow us to make wise food and lifestyle choices. On top of that, the highly competitive world only adds to our stress level. As such, it takes a toll on both our physical and mental health.

Our bodies are naturally trained to drain out toxins but sometimes this natural system gets slowed down due to the abundance of toxic materials inside our bodies. This is when you need to give yourself that extra push through detoxification.

But what is detox at its core? How reliable and effective it is? Is it feasible enough to be included in your daily diet? How can you detox naturally? We dig up the answers to these questions as we give you a 101 on everything there is about this path-breaking mechanism.

What is Detoxification?

Detoxification, in its very essence, refers to a medicinal or physiological process of flushing toxic elements from your body. It can range anything from adopting a healthier diet to withdrawing yourself from drug intake.

The toxic elements that are dealt with in a detoxification process include synthetic chemicals, pollutants, processed foods, and heavy metals; everything that negatively affects your health in some shape or form.

Let us discuss these toxins a bit more in detail. These toxins can come from the following sources:

  • Lifestyle toxins – The chemical substances we put in our body in the form of alcohol, tobacco, caffeine, processed food, sugar, prescription drugs, etc.
  • Environmental toxins – These include industrial products such as perfumes, hair sprays, make-up, pesticides, herbicides, and overall air and water pollution.
  • Intestinal microbes – There are bacteria and yeast residing in your gastrointestinal tract that help with the natural digestion process. However, an abundance of these bacteria can lead to toxins reaching your bloodstream, which can have adverse effects.
  • Emotional toxins – Depression, anxiety, stress, and fear affect your hormonal and nervous system thereby slowing down your body’s natural ability to detox.
  • Metabolic reactions – While breaking down fats, sugars, and proteins, your body naturally produces toxic waste. In the absence of enough nutrients, there can be a build-up of these toxic substances in your body.

In the medical field, detoxification can be done with the usage of antidotes, assistance of dialysis or chelation therapy, or decontamination of poison ingestion. But from a lifestyle or dietary perspective, as if you want to detox naturally, it can be done with something as simple as juice cleansing or fasting.

Misconceptions about Detox

As someone rightfully said, a little knowledge can be a dangerous thing. Many myths about detox exist online and it is time for us to bust those myths.

Detoxification is Compulsory for Everyone

One of the biggest misconceptions that people have regarding detoxification is that they feel everyone needs it. Well, to tell you the truth, no not really! If you follow a healthy lifestyle and indulge in minimal treats, then your body’s natural system is enough to deal with the toxins.

Your body has a natural and sophisticated detoxifying mechanism that operates through its liver, lungs, kidneys, and digestive system. If all of these organs of yours are healthy enough, you need not necessarily need external help for detoxification, although, it can’t be bad.

Overindulgence can be Compensated with a Single Detox Routine

Another myth that centres on detoxification is that people feel they can fix their months of overindulgence with a single detoxification process. In fact, people use detox as a cradle to eat whatever they want during the festive seasons.

The truth of the matter is, detox is not a button that you can switch on and off at your own will. The accumulation of toxic substances over months and months, and sometimes years of abuse to your body that you unknowingly do to yourself can’t be eroded in a single go.

Toxic substances leave long-lasting impacts on your body and it takes equal, if not more time for the detox to cleanse your body of the same. But remember, it is never too late to start.

Green Juice is the Ultimate Detox Weapon

Moving on, many people equate green juice as the ultimate detox drink. It certainly has numerous benefits, but if you are relying on pre-packaged drinks, you are not doing any favour to your body since they often come with at least one serving of fruit to drive the sugar content.

Therefore, eating whole vegetables is far healthier than their juice counterparts. In addition, juice lacks the much-needed fibre that would help you in digesting your food easily. Thus, make sure that your detox diet is rich in green and possibly fresh and organic vegetables. The heart of a detox diet lies in a green diet.

Signs that you need a Detox

In continuation with the first myth that we explained before, here are some of the most common detoxification symptoms that should alert you that you immediately need a detoxification routine.

  • Constant fatigue
  • Insomnia
  • Sudden weight gain
  • Sudden weight loss
  • Thinking impairment
  • Mood swings
  • Constipation
  • Diarrhoea
  • Inexplicable headaches
  • Unpleasant body odour
  • Skin rashes or acne
  • Muscle aches
  • Compromised resistance to infections
  • Frequent colds and viruses
  • Food and scent intolerances

How does Detoxification Help You?

Detoxification is a multi-beneficiary process, which is why it is highly recommended by doctors, physical trainers, dieticians, and nutritionists. Some of the most prominent benefits of detox are as follows:

Removes Toxic Substances

The most apparent reason for you to start a detox diet is that it helps in eliminating toxic substances from your body. Irregular eating habits can lead to the accumulation of unwanted wastes in the stomach. Detox meals taken at regular intervals help in purifying your body.

Stimulates the Natural Detoxifying System of Your Body

Your lifestyle choices can disturb the natural detox process of your body, and this is when you might need some external help in the form of detox therapy. This can help you in giving your natural system a rest and time to rejuvenate.

Energizes Your Body

Toxins have an inverse relationship with your energy level. The more the accumulation of toxin is in your body, the less energized you might feel. After detox, your energy level goes back to its normal rate.

Controls Excess Craving for Unnecessary Food

Detox meals help you stay away from carbs and sugar and you don’t feel the constant need to indulge in them. By controlling your craving, this process renders long-term benefits to your body.

Helps Your Skin Glow

The human skin is highly fragile and sensitive. It is one of the first areas of your body where you would see the negative as well as positive effects of your lifestyle choices. Detox meals help in cleansing your skin and making it glow. As such, you are left with radiant skin.

Promotes Healthy Weight Loss

When you go through a detox routine, you don’t have to rely on artificial supplements for weight loss. This is because detox promotes the consumption of natural weight loss meals.

What are the ways to Detoxify?

Detox is a wholesome process and has multiple layers involved in it. We recommend you incorporate the following aspects in your lifestyle and diet to help your body detoxify.

  • Limit the consumption of tobacco and alcohol.
  • Drink 3 litres of water every day.
  • Get 8 hours of sleep every day.
  • Reduce the portion of processed food and sugar from your daily diet.
  • Focus on prebiotics food.
  • Decrease the intake of uncooked salt.
  • Eat antioxidant-rich food
  • Stay active and perform meditation and exercise daily.

Easy Tips for a Quick Detox Session

Now, if you are looking for a quick detox session to get a feel of the entire process, we urge you to follow these simple and easy tips.

  • Drink a glass of lukewarm water with a drop of lemon first thing in the morning.
  • Load up your platter with green veggies instead of processed food.
  • Adopt healthy beverages such as herbal or green tea.
  • Invest in essential oil-rich makeup products.
  • Get a lymphatic massage or visit an infrared sauna.

Conclusion

Detoxifying is an essential part of your natural system but with time, the ability of your body to detoxify naturally erodes. Therefore, you need to step in with some external help and adopt detox meals in your lifestyle.

Imbibe the aforementioned tips and see the impact yourself. There is a reason why this process is being widely appreciated worldwide.

This can not only have short-term benefits but can also lead to some dramatic increase in your lifespan and a healthier old age. As you have seen from our discussion above, this is not rocket science and you can begin your detox process at home with simple hacks. So, get started.

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