If you’ve ever done a detox before – you deserve a high five, because that’s tough stuff!
Most detoxes should come with a warning sign for your loved ones telling them to stay away because … moodiness and poop, lots of poop.
Oh c’mon, you know what I mean.
And if you’ve ever googled “detox” before, you know how confusing and contradicting all that information can be. How are you supposed to find out if they’re safe, healthy, or right for you? How do you know which one to choose? And how do you know if the symptoms you’re experiencing are normal or not?
Unfortunately, Google can’t answer that for you because there’s just too much crap out there (sorry, I had to!). So I want to give you the honest truth about detoxes …
TO DETOX OR NOT TO DETOX
The argument against detoxes on the world wide web is simply that your liver is constantly flushing toxins out of your body, so a detox is not necessary. In all fairness, that does seem like a logical conclusion, no?
But while it’s true that your liver is constantly clearing out toxins, the problem is that we’re adding in toxins much faster than our liver is able to deal with them. That’s no bueno.
Think about it: packaged and processed foods, environment, stress, lack of sleep, inflammation, breakdown of food – all of these things (and more) create toxins in your body. You know these things are at an all-time high in your body right now – which puts your liver in a bit of a pickle.
When toxic build-up happens, you begin to experience symptoms of fatigue, irritability, indigestion, acne, troubles sleeping, etc. As these toxins continue to build up, they can bring on more severe symptoms like food allergies, chronic inflammation, and other digestive issues (like leaky gut!).
But a well thought through and good quality detox can help to flush out the excess toxins and help reduce or eliminate your symptoms!
So, though your liver does regularly flush things out, a detox can be helpful to take some of the extra load off of your liver – allowing you to feel energetic, relaxed, and healthy, while keeping the nasty symptoms away.
BUT IS A DETOX RIGHT FOR YOU?
A detox isn’t for everyone, though. Depending on the type of detox, you’re likely getting one that’s high in sugar, low in calories, or imbalanced with nutrients.And some are based on really weird ideas … oh, you know it’s true.
If you have low blood sugar, SIBO, or a specific food allergy, then it may not be the best thing for you. But if you suffer from inflammation, fatigue, acne, or cravings, then it could change the way your body feels!
The most important thing to note is that you need to pick the right one – because they aren’t all created equal, safe, healthy, or beneficial for your body.
HOW TO PICK THE RIGHT DETOX
There are a lot of components to a great and effective detox, while also being healthy and manageable – but I won’t go into all the nitty-gritty details right now. Here are the most important things to look for:
- A detox should use food. A detox that is based on juice, water, or broth alone will leave your body under-nourished and low on calories – which will leave you fatigued, craving food, and your body ready to hold on to every delicious calorie it gets back in its life when you start eating again.
- A detox should be plant-based. Vegetables and some fruits are key components to flushing out your system in a gentle way that is easy on your digestive system and pumps you full of good nutrients to keep your energy up and the detox symptoms low.
- A detox should be short, but not too short. One day isn’t enough time to properly detoxify, and a month of juicing is too hard on your system. An effective detox should be able to do the job in three to seven days.
If you’re still interested in trying a detox but really want to find one that is safe and effective, then contact me to learn more about my Reset + Reboot Detox Program.
It’s the best first step if you’ve got lots of symptoms and aren’t sure what the root cause is.
If you’re not quite sure you’re ready for a full on detox, download a free copy of my Detox Prep List and start taking small steps that will prepare you for this gentle and easy-to-do program.
You can also try my Limeade Green Juice recipe to get an idea of how delicious a detox can be. Though please note, my program is not based on juice alone and does use real, plant-based foods.
Contact me if you’d like to learn more!
