6 Scientifically Proven Steps to Naturally & Easily Detox Your Body!
Oh the word “detox”… it’s a very popular word that is thrown around!
Typically, detoxes involve the use of diuretics, laxatives, expensive, gimmicky diets, vitamins, minerals or teas.
But here’s the thing,
You really don’t have to pay for expensive juice cleanses to detox your body of toxins, I definitely don’t believe in them and unfortunately, the effects of them are extremely temporary.
Moreover, no evidence supports the use of these diets for toxin elimination or sustainable weight loss.
Your body is smart enough to eliminate toxins on its own, using certain detoxing organic - the liver, kidneys, digestive system, skin, and lungs.
Still, only when these organs are healthy, can they effectively eliminate unwanted substances.
So, optimising your bodies OWN natural detoxification systems should be everyones aim if you truly want to detox efficiently.
Here are 6 of the top, proven ways to make this happen!
1. Eat foods rich in antioxidants and liver & gut loving foods and avoid the nasties
Your liver is your biggest detox organ. The better it can function, the better your detox potential will be. So, eating liver loving foods is a must!
Also, foods rich in antioxidants and foods rich in prebiotics can help your body fight oxidative stress caused by excess free radicals and support your gut health for better elimination.
Here are some listed off…
The best liver loving foods to eat:
Berries
Citrus fruits (eg lemon and grapefruit)
Cruciferous vegetables (cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts)
Dark leafy greens
Nuts (especially walnuts and almonds)
Wild fatty fish (eg salmon)
Avocado
Olive oil
Eggs
Garlic
Foods rich in prebiotics to boost gut health:
Tomatoes
artichokes
bananas
asparagus
onions
garlic
Foods rich in antioxidants:
Berries
fruits
nuts
cocoa
vegetables
spices
coffee
green tea
Foods to avoid:
Refined sugars
Alcohol (definitely no more than 10 standard drinks a week)
Processed foods
Trans fats (look for “hydrogenated oil” – but if avoiding processed foods, this is easy anyway)
Factory-farms meats and dairy, farm-raised fish and GMO foods.
Try to avoid chemicals such as herbicides or pesticides by eating organic whenever possible
2. Focus on sleep
Ensuring adequate and quality sleep each night is a must to support your body’s health and natural detoxification system.
When you sleep, your brain removes toxic waste byproducts that have accumulated from the day.
When you are sleep deprived, your body doesn’t get the time to do this, therefor causing toxins to build up and can affect many different aspects of health, including:
stress
anxiety
high blood pressure
heart disease
type 2 diabetes
obesity
You should aim to sleep seven to nine hours each night, on a regular basis, to promote optimal health!
If you have difficulties staying or falling asleep at night, please read this blog to see my 12 best sleep tips and download my free checklist!
3. Drink more water!
Your body’s cells are continuously being repaired in order to function at their optimal and break down nutrients for your body to use as energy.
These processes release wastes (in the form of carbon dioxide and urea) which cause harm if allowed to build up in your blood.
These waste products are removed from the body via water, through urination, breathing and sweating. So staying properly hydrated is important for detoxification!
Aim to drink at least 6-8 glasses of water per day.
4. Reduce intake of salt
Like said above, removing waste products through water in the body is a form of detoxing.
When your sodium levels are too high, your body can hold on to excess fluid, causing less urination and therefor, less detoxifying.
This excess fluid buildup can also cause bloating and a false feeling of heaviness and weight gain.
While it sounds counterintuitive, increasing your intake of water is one of the best ways to rid yourself of excess water weight from consuming too much salt from processed foods.
So, try cutting out all processed and takeaway foods for a while, focus on eating whole foods and increase your consumption of water. This will help your fluid retention and therefor help you flush out more toxins.
Don’t be too worried about the salt you add to your home cooked meals - this is negligible compared to the amounts in processed foods!
5. Get active!
While there are MANY mechanisms behind the health benefits of exercise, reduced inflammation is one of the most vital.
While a little inflammation in the body is necessary for recovering from healed wounds of infection, too much of it promotes disease and weakens your body’s systems, including your detoxification systems.
Also, like said in point 3, your body removes waste through sweat! So, the more you sweat, the more toxins you can release too.
It’s recommended that you do at least 150 - 300 minutes per week of moderate-intensity exercise, such as brisk walking, or 75–150 minutes a week of vigorous-intensity physical activity, such as running.
6. Consider your environment and switch to natural products to decrease your toxin load!
It’s not just about cleansing internally, we need to also look at outside factors that can contribute to the toxin build-up in your body!
Look at the contents of your dish cleaning products – switch to natural detergents. I use all of the Ecostore products, you can buy the range here at nourishedlife.com
Switch to all natural household cleansing products – I use Koala Eco, you can buy the range here nourishedlife.com
Buy organic whenever possible. Wash or peel fruit and veggies to remove pesticides.
Use aluminium-free deodorant. I love this one on nourishedlife.com
Minimise exposure to plastics: use paper bags to store food, mason jars instead of plastic containers and don’t heat foods in plastic!
Invest in a good quality water filter and use glass or stainless steel bottles instead of plastic
Start to become wary of and use cosmetics wisely – try switching to natural skin, body and hair products. Lots here too
Other lifestyle factors to consider to boost detoxification even further:
Use herbs and spices such as turmeric, cinnamon, nutmeg and cayenne pepper to add flavour to meals without the added nasties.
Schedule a consultation with a naturopath to get some cleansing herb tonics specifically made up for you.
Block out time for YOU. Sometimes, side effects and emotions can come to the surface when you cleanse, so , ensure you have the space to take care of yourself, seek support and nurture your mental health.
With all of the detox noise out there, it’s so important to remember that nothing can be more powerful than focusing on the composition of your diet, and ensuring that you’re including all of these liver boosting lifestyle tips in your life regularly.
Want a REALISTIC, done-for-you detox meal plan?
One that uses all of the foods here and is calorie controlled to promote weight loss too? Without all of the guesswork?
I’ve got you!
