It’s not very easy to stay and live healthy in an environment where we are constantly bombarded with food that is genuinely bad for our health. There are take away cafés around every corner luring us with their smells to buy greasy and oily foods. To every can of food on the grocery store shelves, preservatives are added to prolong their shelf life. Colorants and flavourings are in almost everything you buy and not even the fresh produce is free from harmful chemicals. These have all been treated with pesticides and hormones to protect against disease and enhance their growth. Now add to that the pollution and second hand smoke we inhale and we have a recipe for ill health.

Detoxification is the process by which your liver cleanses your body. Together with your lungs, kidneys and lymphatic system, your body cleanses itself from natural bio-chemicals on a daily basis. When toxins from outside the body are added, the liver and other organs fail to cope with the overload and they start to slow down. The toxins in your body builds up and soon you become tired, irritable and ill.

The process of detoxification is also a great help when trying to control weight gain. Because excess toxins are stored in your fat cells, you not only burn the fat during your calorie free detox, but the toxins are released back into your bloodstream and can then be removed. This process also works very well for those who are alcohol or drug dependant. Alcohol that is consumed before a meal causes your liver to work exceptionally hard as it sees the alcohol as a priority in the cleansing process and works on that first. The food that you then consume goes through your system without the essential nutrients being absorbed into your body. The liver is too busy with the alcohol in your blood that the absorption of nutrients becomes a secondary concern.

A detox can be done in many ways and that includes a detox diet whereby you only drink water for a few days to real and ongoing lifestyle changes. No matter how you decide to detox, maintaining a healthy lifestyle thereafter is important. Try to stay away from refined foods and sugars. Keep your carbohydrate intake low and get plenty of rest and exercise.

Water therapy allows your digestive system to rest and flushes out harmful chemicals and toxins. This is done for only one or two days at a time as all your energy resources will become depleted.

With juice therapy you drink as much as possible fruit or vegetable juices for a couple of days. This detox provides the body with much needed nutrients and gives you a fuller feeling when you get too hungry.  During juice therapy toxins are also flushed out. Include spinach, celery, carrots, tomatoes and cranberries in your detox.

A colon cleanse involves a hospital visit where your colon is flushed with warm water. This removes toxins from your digestive tract. Colon cleansing can also be done at home with the help of herbal tea or supplements. A cleansed colon means better absorption of nutrients and the possible loss of stomach fat.

Diet modification is said to be the mildest of all the detox programmes. It is more of a lifestyle change than a detox and is a good follow up after a strenuous detox. This involves eating mostly organic and raw fruit and vegetables and lean meat.

A good time to detox is after your holiday or a night of binge eating or when you just want to loose that extra kilogramme or two. An unhealthy lifestyle is usually due to laziness and emotional eating. Break your old habits, make the necessary changes and reap the benefits of looking and feeling healthy, vibrant and alive!

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