With Spring just around the corner, It's a wonderful time to let go of habits, behaviours, and foods that no longer serves us...it's time to detox!
Why is it important to detox or cleanse?
Before you dive in, I would like to clarify that my cleanse/detox approach does not involve fasting or skipping meals.
Cleansing is a way to recharge, rejuvenate, renew and a way to jump-start a healthier YOU!
It is essential to our health as we are constantly being exposed to toxins in our food, water and environment. Toxins are anything that can potentially harm the body tissue, including waste products that result from normal cell activity, such as ammonia, lactic acid and human-made toxins such as prescription drugs, cleaning products, air pollution and additives in our foods.
It seems like a lot, right? Our liver, intestines, kidneys, lungs, skin, blood and lymphatic systems work together to ensure that toxins are transformed to less harmful compounds and excreted from the body.
While our bodies are naturally equipped to remove them, our increasing exposure may mean that we cannot do it optimally. The cumulative toxins, called the "body burden" affects our acidity-alkalinity balance. Excess body acidity (acidic body) is proven to lead to cellular damages that will lead to illness and has been linked to hormonal imbalance, impaired immune function, nutritional deficiency, and an inefficient metabolism.
Our system gets backed up and cannot do its job. When this happens, many of the unprocessed toxins get stored in fat cells, and this toxic build-up gets re-circulated throughout different cells. Cleansing gives your body a chance to catch up, to reset and remove toxins built up in your fat cells. Like changing the air and oil filters in your car, it gives your liver and other detoxifying organs a chance to clean themselves. However, we have to do it correctly for it to work and heal our bodies.
During the Cleanse it is important to AVOID, if it’s not possible to avoid at least minimize the intake of the following:
1. SUGAR. Avoid table sugar and other added sugars. Added sugars inhibit your body’s ability to produce certain enzymes needed in the detoxification process. High fructose corn syrupshould be especially avoided.
2. ALCOHOL. Even small amounts of alcohol put a heavy detoxification burden on your body, especially your liver. During your cleanse, avoid drinking any alcohol to give your liver a much needed break.
3. ARTIFICIAL SWEETENER. Artificial sweeteners such as Aspartame, Equal and Splenda are chemically manufactured sweeteners which have been shown to create toxicity in the liver. Avoid artificial sweeteners (yes, that means diet sodas too!) at all costs.
4. COFFEE. Avoid drinking coffee during your cleanse. If you find this impossible, limit yourself to just one cup a day.
5. DAIRY PRODUCTS. Even if you are not lactose intolerant, digesting dairy products places a heavy burden on our body’s detoxification system. So avoid consuming milk, cheese or other dairy products during your cleanse.
6. MSG. Avoid eating anything that contains MSG (monosodium glutamate), also known as
modified food starch, carrageenan, glutamic acid and hydrolyzed vegetable protein. MSG is one of the worst food additives in the market. Although the FDA claims that consuming MSG is safe, many other experts say otherwise. It is known widely as an additive to Chinese foods, but it is also often found in packaged foods such canned meats, canned soups, crackers, frozen dinners, salad dressings, seasoning packets and much more.
7. PACKAGED FOODS. Don’t eat packaged foods such as cereals, sodas, canned soups, cookies and crackers. Most processed foods are laden with sweeteners, salts, artificial flavors, factory-created fats and preservatives, and stripped of healthy
nutrients.
8. RED MEAT. When your body cannot break down red meat properly or you consume more red meat than your liver can handle, the toxic waste products build up in your system. Avoiding red meats during your cleanse will allow your body to divert its energy to eliminating toxins from the body.
9. REFINED CARBS. Avoid eating refined carbohydrates like white rice, pasta, potatoes and white breads.
10.TRANS FAT. Avoid trans fat. Trans fatty acids impede your body’s ability to burn fat, hinder detoxification, increase fat deposits within the liver and thicken bile. Trans fats have been shown to be twice as dangerous for your heart as saturated fat.
11.WHEAT AND GLUTEN. You should avoid products containing wheat or gluten during your cleanse. This should reduce the workload on the liver and help your digestion making it easier your body to eliminate toxins.
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