It’s that time of year again – everyone seems to be promoting their latest detox regimen for a new you in 2020. Most of these involve extreme fasting, supplementation, or major shifts in behaviour. But detoxing doesn’t have to be complicated – your body does a pretty good job of it day in and day out without needing the latest fad or newest technology.
Most of the toxification issues that challenges our bodies come from one source – our food. Excessive sugar, industrial plant oils, conventionally grown produce, and animal products all take their toll on our detoxification capacity. When our body becomes overwhelmed, health issues will follow.
So to give your body a break from the toxicity and allow it to cleanse itself, all you need to do is to focus on a purely plant based diet for a period of time (I’d recommend starting with 3 days. This can be extended once you’ve got the hang of things). Ideally the fruits and vegetables you source are organic as much as possible, or at least adhere to avoiding the Dirty Dozen list of the most heavily sprayed crops.
Also aim for a variety of fresh produce (I’d recommend at least 8 different types of veg and 5 different types of fruit per day), and use the colours of the rainbow to dictate which foods to pick. There should be a variety of colour on every plate, and white foods (eg potatoes) should be generally avoided.
The influx of vitamins and minerals will give your body’s cells the nutrition they need to ‘clean house’, and the fiber will help bind the toxins as they pass through the gut to make sure they get eliminated. Easy peasy. And there is no need to limit food intake – eat as much fruit and veg as it takes to help you feel full.
Be sure to drink plenty of water, ideally around 2.5 liters per day. Even better, squeeze some fresh lemon or lime into every glass for an extra detox kick.
And just for the record I do think that from a health perspective a balanced diet that includes a small amount of occasional lean animal meat (with less red meat), as well as nuts, seeds, legumes and healthy fat predominantly in the form of olive oil, is the best way to go over the long term.
So go ahead, whip up that blueberry, watermelon and pineapple smoothie for breakast. Shred some carrot, cucumber and lime for a snack. Create a 5 veg salad for lunch. And have some zucchini noodle pasta with fresh tomato, basil and baked sweet potato for dinner.
Please let me know if you have any good detox strategies that have worked for you!
In wellness,
James
