Maybe you have been consuming a lot of junk food, alcohol, and drugs in your life and you have decided that you want to turn your life around. You have decided to complete a full body detox but you do not know how to do this or where to start. Detoxification involves the cleansing of the internal organs of the body from food waste, poisons, harmful bacteria, environmental pollutants, and other substances. This is much easier than you can imagine, it just takes a few small steps to make your body healthy again and change your lifestyle.
- Limiting Alcohol
Limiting alcohol is important to prevent damage to your liver function, and to keep your body’s detox system running strong. About 90% of alcohol is metabolized into your liver and liver enzymes metabolize alcohol to acetaldehyde which is a chemical that causes cancer. Excessive drinking causes inflammation, scarring and fat buildup in your body. This prevents your liver from functioning properly and performing its necessary tasks. Your liver is responsible for filtering out toxins and waste from your body and it cannot do this properly with excessive drinking. If you struggle with alcohol addiction, you must seek help from centres such as inpatient rehabilitation, to live life addiction-free and healthy.
- Drinking More Water
Drinking enough water does much more than quench your thirst. It helps with digestion, nutrient absorption, lubricates joints, regulates body temperature and detoxifies your body. To function properly, and break down nutrients in your body and then convert it into energy, your body cells must constantly be prepared. Water helps remove harmful wastes from your body through sweating, breathing, and urination. It is important to stay hydrated to receive detox benefits. Your daily water intake depends on where you live, your diet, and your activity level. Women should consume 2.7 litres of water a day while men should consume 3.7 litres.
- Getting Enough Sleep
Getting enough sleep also helps support your body’s detox system and overall health. Sleeping allows your brain to recharge and remove toxins waste byproducts that have accumulated throughout the day. One of these waste products includes beta-amyloid which aids in the development of Alzheimer’s. If you do not get enough sleep, toxins can build up in your body and your body cannot perform natural functions. Lack of sleep causes heart disease, obesity, high blood pressure, anxiety, and stress. It is important to get 7-9 hours of sleep every night.
- Reduce Intake of Processed Foods
High processed foods are linked to obesity and diseases such as diabetes, cancer, and heart disease. These diseases make the body unable to detoxify itself because it harms your organs such as your kidney and liver. Even sugary beverages like soda can cause you to have a fatty liver which decreases your liver’s ability to function. By eating healthier foods, you can keep your body’s detox system healthy.
Adding fruits and vegetables to your diet can help guide you to eating healthier. Foods that are rich in antioxidants protect your cells against damage. Damaging body cells can cause heart disease, asthma, and cancer. Antioxidants help your body fight stress and other toxins. Antioxidants with Vitamin C, E, AND A are commonly found in fruits, nuts, spices, vegetables, and green tea. Prebiotics is a fibre that puts good bacteria into your body and it helps keep your immune system and detox system healthy.
- Decreasing Salt Intake
Decreasing salt intake is very beneficial to your body’s natural detox system. If you consume too much salt, your body will retain excess fluid. This can cause bloating but if you drink more water you can eliminate this excess water weight. When you consume a lot of salt but don’t drink enough water to cleanse your system, you will be unable to urinate. Urination is what helps eliminate excess water and waste products. You can also increase your intake of foods with potassium to balance sodium’s effects on the body.
- Exercising
Exercising helps you to increase your life span and reduces many diseases and conditions including heart disease, cancer, high blood pressure, and diabetes. Too much inflammation can cause your body to be weak but if you exercise you can reduce inflammation and allow your body’s detox system to protect you against diseases and allow your body to function properly. Walking or running is recommended during the week to keep your body in shape.
Exercise also helps the body detox by reducing fatty tissue and eliminates them through the cleansing organs. Moving the body helps circulate blood and the more blood circulates, the more the liver can work towards purifying and cleansing lymph and blood. We eliminate a lot of toxins when we sweat so when we workout we are cleansing our body’s out when we perspire.