IS A DETOX REALLY HEALTHY?

This topic is always on everyone's minds when Spring comes around - from juice cleanses to lemon detox's and even 'skinny' teas all claiming to clear your body of all the nasties. Now although I am not one to promote diets or labelled eating patterns, I personally do a detox every year and actually look forward to it after Winter because it is honestly like a natural version of a berroca, red bull and expresso martini  all mixed into one...you really do feel that energised and amazing afterwards (note: afterwards :P).    

The fact is that toxins are unavoidable in our world today; air pollution,pesticides and fertilisers on food, medication, plastic, fabrics, skin care products and the list goes on. No matter how healthy we try and live, we are all exposed to some extent. Common symptoms of toxicity include recurrent headaches, skin conditions (e.g. acne), muscle aches and pains, fatigue and lethargy, poor concentration and short term memory, anxiety and mood swings or difficulty shifting weight and more. Now of course these symptoms can be related to a number of health issues but a detox full of fresh whole foods and no processed food, sugar, caffeine and alcohol can't possibly do anyone any harm.

A detox is a great way to clear your body of these toxins and to give your liver and digestive system a bit of a re-boot, however I need to make this clear....THE DETOX PROCESS IS A COMPLICATED PROCESS! A 3 day juice cleanse can reduce the load on your liver and can draw toxins out..but there are essential nutrients required to make sure these toxins get eliminated from your body and aren't hanging around causing all sorts of headaches, breakouts and nauseousness.  The two phases of a detox include 1. Drawing out toxins and 2. eliminating the toxins and you must ensure both phases are completed if you want that energetic, happy and amazing version of yourself to appear at the end. 

To draw out the toxins you need to give your liver a bit of a break. A diet full of anti-oxidants, A, B group and D vitamins is important as well as removing any processed food and other foods that might be more difficult to digest. The second phase requires anti-oxidants along with protein and sulphur to facilitate the elimination of toxins. In this phase it is also important to include other toxin removal activities such as hydrating, sweating, salt bathing and lymph drainage. Both phases can also be further supported by particular herbs to support the liver, kidneys, lymph system, blood and gut. So unfortunately sipping on juice for three days simply won't cut it I'm sorry!

All of this plus making sure you get enough variety and balance in your diet to maintain energy levels, keep you feeling full and make sure you actually enjoy what your eating! Now yes, you may experience some unpleasant feelings as the toxins begin to make their way out of your tissues but this means it's working and the extent of these will depend on your current eating habits. However, different symptoms experienced can relate to different effects the detox is having on your body and it's important understand what is actually happening through all of this.

This is why I highly recommend completing a detox under practitioner supervision. Let the experts guide you and give you the knowledge to understand what's happening in your body because the last thing you want is for those toxins to be drawn out and be lingering within the body.  

If it sounds like something your body could do with after a sluggish Winter then I encourage you check out my 21 Day Detox Program. I write you an eating plan, all of your recipes, an exercise plan, a bathing/sauna/lymph drainage guide and send you out a gift pack including an organic herbal tea blend and raw protein powder which are called for in the eating plan. I will support you every step of the way, and even better, I'll be completing it with you!

If you feel hesitant or are not sure if a detox is for you, please feel free to email me any concerns and questions and I can help show why a practitioner guided detox is the only way to detox!