I’ve had several people ask me if I am following a certain program for the body detox I’ve been talking about this week. Initially, I said that I was going to do a 2-week fruits and veggies ONLY detox. I’ve come to my senses and decided against that, but I AM still doing a detox. lol While I’m not necessarily following any specific program, I will share the information I found about detoxifying your body which I’m trying to do my best to follow.
First of all, I’m not big on mixing up concoctions or taking magic mystery pills. Everything to promote health and wellness was created naturally just like ME :) Mainly, the information I was seeking was which fruits and vegetables are BEST and HOW those things work with my body to cleanse itself of the toxins that build up over time for people like me who may or may not always eat the best things… I’m making my best effort to NOT eat anything BUT fruits from the time I wake up until at least noon because this is the time my body is going through it’s own detoxification process from the fasting period it went through while I was sleeping. Being careful as to what I put INTO my body throughout the day makes the process much more efficient!
Not eating really heavy, fatty foods makes your body feel lighter and less sluggish. We may LOVE how the food we eat tastes, but I think we can all agree that a lot of it makes us feel not-so-great after we eat it… you know, like those super fudgy brownies with whipped topping and a glass of cold milk on the side? Mmm hmmm. Not good. haha We rob ourselves of the energy we need because we don’t feed our bodies the things that give it the fuel to keep going. What I’ve found to be a rewarding realization is that I find fruits like strawberries and blueberries to be SO much more enjoyable than unhealthy sweets. I used to bake brownies every few days. Yes, that’s confession number one. LOL Now, I haven’t bought them in the last week and haven’t missed them at all. My melons, grapes, berries, and my snacky cashews with sea salt have totally curbed my desire for such heavy satisfaction of my sweet tooth.
It’s not just sweets and junk that keep our bodies from performing optimally, though. It’s too-large portions of even the moderately healthy foods we eat. It’s alcohol, caffeine, sodium, sugars, saturated fats, and red meat which is arguably the source of more concentrated toxins than any other food! The toxins in our bodies are the cause of SO many health issues. On a small scale, they contribute to fatigue, pain, headaches, and skin problems. Body detoxification is like getting regular maintenance on your car… it makes it run smoother, longer, and better. Your body naturally undergoes its own process continually, but some of the things you put into it from day to day have much the same effect as keeping the same oil going through your motor… eventually, your body’s filtration system needs a little help which entails YOU not introducing things into it that turn into sludge!
Broccoli and blueberries are two of the superfoods of the detox world.
Holy cow! Really?? That’s awesome because I LOVE broccoli AND blueberries. The only catch here is that I’ve read cooking broccoli kills a TON of nutrients so it is best to eat it raw. If you must cook it, do it by lightly steaming it. Blueberries are delicious, have great detoxification benefits, AND *ding ding ding* are rich in antioxidants (which broccoli does too, by the way)! SCORE!
Spinach supports your body’s own detox process AND gives you energy!
Spinach is often referred to as a nutritional powerhouse because it contains calcium, folic acid, vitamin K, iron, vitamin C, fiber, carotenoids, lutein, AND bioflavanoids. Now I know why Popeye loved it so much… haha
Cranberries are MAGICAL!
Okay, so I lied. They aren’t magical. But cranberries pack a mean punch when it comes to flushing out your entire system. I don’t know many people who can just sit and eat cranberries. I know I can’t… but the good thing is that cranberry JUICE is just as great – and much easier to ingest than those bitter little berries LOL
The high acidic properties of lemon juice have outstanding detoxifying effects!
If you value the enamel on your teeth I wouldn’t recommend eating a ton of these babies straight out of their skin, but their acidic properties present a gold mine of cleansing agents into the body. Try a little freshly squeezed lemonade or lemon juice in a glass of water. Your body will thank you!
Grapes, oranges, and other Vitamin C containing fruits work WONDERS…
One thing I found extremely interesting is that Vitamin C converts toxins into water-soluble forms. This means that Vitamin C paired with the right detoxifying agents gives you a double bang since water soluble elements in the body can easily be flushed out during your detox.
WATER, WATER, WATER!!!!
If anyone has a question about why increasing your water intake is important, I’ll just have to shake my head. This one is common sense, homey :)
Later in the week, I will be posting some great ideas for how to introduce foods that support your body’s natural detoxification process into your daily diet. I will also be letting you all know how it’s going for me. In addition to the detox, I’ve also started an exercise routine which I’m going to talk about in a separate article :) Stay tuned. My body is going to be loving me a WHOLE lot more soon!
Did you enjoy this post? Subscribe to my blog to stay up to date on all my posts!
Sponsors:
TwitPics
