Detoxing is simple and should make you feel better, not constantly hungry and tired!
What is a detox and why do people do it?
Your body naturally detoxifies through the liver, kidneys, skin and lungs. You can also make changes to your day-to-day activities to assist your body’s detoxification process–an especially helpful way to kickstart a healthy diet or lifestyle change. It’s much more simple than you might think!
Can I detox to lose weight?
No, detoxes aren’t recommended for weight loss. Any weight you do lose is mostly—if not all—water weight and is a byproduct of your body using water to flush out toxins.
How long should a detox last?
Detoxes don’t need to last longer than three days. Your body detoxifies itself as part of the digestion process. It takes anywhere from 36 to 72 hours for your body to absorb the essential nutrients and flush out the toxins/waste inherited from the food you ate, and hence complete the digestion process.
What you should do for an effective, healthy detox is make minor, temporary changes to your diet and day-to-day activities. These changes can be categorized into three components: what you drink, what you eat, and your lifestyle.
Stay Hydrated: essential drinks
- Microgreen teas have high concentrations of plant compounds such as antioxidants, vitamins and minerals that support cognitive functioning, energy levels, quality of sleep and the immune system.
- Green tea protects against heart disease and cancer.
- Chamomile tea supports better sleep and has calming, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and liver-protecting properties
- Ginger tea fights inflammation, supports the immune system and is best known for its ability to relieve nausea
- Echinacea tea boosts the immune system and helps the body fight off viruses and infections
Limit alcohol consumption. Your body will always prioritize flushing out alcohol and the process requires a lot of energy. When your body metabolizes alcohol, it directly impacts the organs that naturally detoxify your body and it’ll detox less effectively since it won’t be functioning at its peak performance.
Sip on water throughout the day. Your body primarily uses its water content to flush out toxins so it’s vital that you stay hydrated. You can also add a lemon into your water for the electrolytes. The citrus will also stimulate higher enzyme production in the liver to promote a smooth digestion process.
Your Diet: foods that help your body detox
Eat foods containing prebiotics. These plant fibers support the production of good bacteria in your gut that help break down and digest the food you eat—an essential part of a good detox! Prebiotics occur naturally in a variety of foods including microgreens, bananas, onions, garlic and beans.
Eat foods high in antioxidants and fiber. Foods high in fiber help your gut and liver digest your food and flush out toxins, while antioxidants help prevent and/or delay certain types of diseases and ailments including cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and some cancers.
Eat microgreens! In addition to drinking them in teas, microgreens also provide numerous health benefits when eaten and their high nutrient content supports an effective detox. Check out all the benefits of our microgreens here
Lifestyle Factors: day-to-day activities
Exercise more often. Exercising helps your body flush out toxins through sweat, reduces stress, increases energy levels and improves your overall mood.
Focus on getting good sleep. Good quality sleep helps reduce stress, reduces inflammation, elevates your mood, improves cognitive function and lowers your risk for health problems.
Exfoliate your skin. A byproduct of a successful detox is clearer skin, and by regularly exfoliating, you can achieve clearer skin faster by increasing its cell turnover rate.
In a nutshell, a successful detox involves supporting your body’s natural ability to flush out toxins; no restrictive diet required! Eat highly nutritious foods, stay hydrated, exercise and get good sleep so your body can function at its peak performance. You’ll feel great–mentally and physically–in no time.
