When your body is telling you to detox
After our detox email on Sunday, we had quite a number of comments and questions around knowing when to start a detox program. “Can I have a sneaky cheat day on the weekend and enjoy a few wines without needing to detox on the Monday?” was a pretty common theme.
So rather than get all ‘prescriptive’ and medicinal on you (and bore you), we thought it would be great to send through some tell tale signs your body might be in needed of an internal reset, and of course give you some ideas on how you can do this from home.
Is It Time to Detox?
Detoxification is a process that your body undertakes every day to help eliminate toxins and restore a healthy balance. Your body is constantly exposed to toxins from the external world, as well as those created within. The human body is amazing in the way that it has evolved since prehistoric times to adjust to the everchanging world; but what happens when the toxins in our world are evolving faster than humans? This can increase the body’s toxic burden and impact on its ability to clear toxins.
Do you want your body to effectively and efficiently eliminate toxins you are exposed to? Or maybe you are interested in detoxing because you want to look and feel even healthier!
Have you noticed any signs or symptoms that indicate your body may be suffering from the burden of toxins and be in need of a good detox?
As Naturopath’s, we’ve broken down the most common signs that indicate you may benefit from a detox (notice how a sneaky Sunday session on the wines doesn’t feature here!):
- Digestive complaints
- Skin problems
- Hormonal imbalances
- Neurological conditions
- Poor energy
- Weight gain or difficulty losing weight
- Food intolerances
However there are also other environmental and lifestyle factors to consider too
- Exposure to pollution and chemicals
- Exposure to new cars and new furniture
- Smoking, alcohol and coffee consumption
- Diets high in saturated fats, refined carbohydrates, processed and packaged foods
- Fertility and pre-conception care
- Overweight or obesity
A feeling of continual exhaustion and tiredness is always a clear sign you and your body need a rest.
Detoxification involves reducing the toxins that you are exposed to on a daily basis, whilst strengthening the function of your detox organs to process and eliminate toxins stored in your body. This is known as reducing the toxic burden and improving your toxic resistance, enhancing your ability to cope with toxins.
We’ve found with our clients that a good Detox has greatly improved overall health and wellbeing.
So here’s a tip from the experts! We’ve found the following ingredients to help promote your detoxification abilities:
- Milk thistle, green tea, gardenia: Stimulate the liver, enhancing the elimination of toxins.
- Dandelion, ginger, meadowsweet: These herbs regulate healthy digestion by increasing digestive juices and enzymes.
- Glutamine and zinc: Nutrients to protect and heal the gut.
However, it is just as important to remove other “toxins” from your daily life that may be affecting your health. Stress is a major factor that may need addressing. Undertaking a regular detox may enhance your health and wellbeing, improving quality of life, but if you’re stressed to the eyeballs with kids, work, and general life, none of this will truly make a difference.
Many people schedule a detox every six or twelve months for optimal health to help improve the balance between their body’s toxin burden and its detox capacity.
Okay, let’s get started on something small
We love to give away from ‘quick win’ ideas that you can implement at home and get some immediate value from. Having the benefit of 20+ years of client feedback we’ve seen a thing or two that works for peoples well being. Now this might be a little contraversial, but the strategic tip for today is to Drop coffee for 30 days and substitute in Green tea.
We think the “green tea detox” is a simple way to flush out harmful toxins, boost energy levels, and promote better health all from home. A few daily servings of green tea to your diet can clear up blemishes, enhance immune function, and increase fat burning.Typically, a green tea detox involves adding 3–6 cups (0.7–1.4 liters) of green tea to your normal daily diet.
It doesn’t require you to avoid certain foods or reduce your calorie intake, but it’s recommended to exercise and follow a nutrient-rich diet during the detox.
What’s more, green tea and its components have been shown to boost weight loss and fat burning.
One study in 23 adults found that consuming green tea extract increased fat burning during exercise by 17%, compared to a placebo (3).
Another large review of 11 studies showed that certain compounds in green tea, including plant chemicals called catechins, could decrease body weight and support weight loss maintenance (4).
Nevertheless, these studies used highly concentrated green tea extracts.
So there you have it, cut the coffee for a month, give Green Tea a shot and let us know the results!
