It’s a fact: toxins are everywhere. About the only way we can avoid them is if we all lived in bubbles. But that’s not exactly a logical move. What is logical is removing as many toxins from our bodies as possible.
So, What’s Detoxification About, Anyway?
Despite popular misconceptions, detoxifying the body isn’t just about juicing, though juice cleanses can play a role in purging the body of unwanted and unneeded toxins. The thing you have to remember is that if you’re also thinking of detoxing to lose weight, it’s good in the short term, when you’re actually in the detoxification process, but not so good in the long term, because juice cleanses can rob you of lean muscle mass if done for extended periods of time.
Going “cold turkey” when detoxifying the body of all unhealthy foods, for example, isn’t good, either. It’s better to take detoxification one step at a time and swapping out unhealthy behaviours and replacing them with new, healthy behaviours that last a lifetime.
One week, you might start the habit of drinking more water, which is always beneficial for both the detox process and for overall excellent health. While you’re drinking more water, reduce or eliminate your consumption of caffeine, which is hard on the kidneys, and removes water from your body.
It’s commonly known that it takes at least twenty-one days to form a new habit, plus, if you try and detox your body all at once, you’re not going to end up feeling good. So, again, going slowly and forming better habits is the way to go.
The Power of Vegetables, Lemons & Limes for Detoxifying
There is a very good reason to eat plenty of vegetables and fruits, especially citrus fruits like lemons and limes. The liver, which is the hazmat specialist of the body, thrives best in an alkaline environment. By reducing your consumption of acidic foods such as meat, dairy and refined carbs and giving your liver—and your entire body—alkalinising foods like most vegetables and that slice of lime or lemon to your water, elimination of excess toxins and wastes is going to go that much smoother.
In the vegetable realm, some liver-scrubbers might include cruciferous vegetables, leafy greens, and sulfur-rich foods like garlic, onions and radishes.
Detoxifying your body: Fiber
Fibre is another big clue to detoxification, especially your bowels and intestines. But eat slowly. Fibre is challenging to your body to digest in large quantities, especially if it’s not been chewed thoroughly. If you wish to reduce your meat consumption, you can’t go wrong with beans, which are both protein and fibre-rich.
These are just some of the best ways, via food and beverage, that you can start detoxifying your body in order to live a happier, longer life. Kicking emotional stressors to the curb also aids in your health and well-being, so eating healthy and learning to handle stress in healthful ways will go a long way towards your having a healthy life, overall.
