Detoxing the Right (Healthy) Way

Nutrition | November 20th, 2008 by Caroline Shannon

Search the Web for “detox” and you will come across a mind-boggling number of plans urging you to “drop pounds” with their lickety-split dietary rules.

But that’s not what a detox is intended to do – at least, that’s not why ancient alternative health healers came up with the flush-your-system plans.

“Fasting and cleansing to purify the body and mind were first embraced thousands of years ago as a pathway to connect with the divine and achieve higher levels of awareness and clarity,” Adina Niemerow writes in her book, Super Cleanse. “It’s more relevant than ever today.”

But “today” many people fail to interpret the spiritual elements of detoxing and instead focus on the weight loss aspects, choosing plans that can actually make them sick or have harmful effects on their health.

That’s why you need to lean on a detox plan that helps to cleanse your body and restore your health. A good detox can eliminate migraines, restore kidney function, get you a rosy-cheeked glow, increase energy and help you sleep like a baby – just to name a few.

Here are a few tips to help you get in detox shape

Eliminate all of those “triggers,” like caffeine, alcohol, soda and refined sugars. It might seem like a contradiction, – seeing as how all of these things give you an energy boost – but the truth is all of these triggers, like coffee or your favorite candy bar, only give you a temporary energy spike. When you eliminate them from their diet, you will experience a type of “withdrawal,” leaving you with headaches and mood swings. Hang in there, when the symptoms subside, you’ll feel glorious.

Take away red meat and poultry. And if you can swing it, even fish, choosing beans, raw and unsalted nuts, legumes, nut butters, and leafy greens to get your nutrients instead. If not, pick a wild, unfarmed fish, like salmon or halibut to get your fishy fix.

Honey I love you. If you need a dash of sweetness in your life, pick a little honey, maple syrup or brown rice syrup to fix your sweet tooth instead of choosing a refined or artificial sweetener.

Take away processed foods made with white flour. You know all that brown, icky stuff manufacturers pull away from foods like flour? Yeah, that’s actually the part that makes a whole grain, well, “whole.” Choose foods made with whole grain flour instead.

Eliminate packaged foods. Choosing fresh foods over canned or packaged foods means you are consuming whole, unprocessed food items – the best kind you can get.

Remove eggs and all dairy. Your body will thank you. Replace milk with almond or rice milk – not soy, it can cause allergies, too – and replace scrambled eggs with a bowl of whole grain oatmeal or cereal. You’ll stay full until lunchtime.

Seeing is believing

Taking these steps will detox your diet for the better. Enhance your experience by choosing 100 percent organic foods and mixing things up with a multitude of vegetables and fruits on your plate. Spice things up with flavorful herbs instead of condiments, and drink loads of water.

You may also want to start a food journal – writing down how you feel throughout the detox will help keep you motivated when your determination falters – you know, like when that chocolate cake looks, oh-so-yummy. Right about then you’re going to want to crack open that journal.

And remember you’re gonna feel great.

Photo by she’s a renegade.