Have you heard about detoxing, but thought it seemed too hard? But you would love to feel fresher, more energetic, have a glowing complexion and a happy digestive system. Doing a gentle reset doesn't have to be extreme - find out how.
Feeling congested and sluggish and wondering if your body could use a break? It could be after the holidays where you have overindulged with celebrations, but now feel the aftereffects. Or perhaps your digestive system is playing up all the time and you feel it could do with an overhaul. There are many signs that the body is struggling with detoxification and could use a break. Here are some that might sound familiar.
Signs that your body needs a spring clean
- Feeling tired and sluggish all the time.
- Your skin looks dull, you are experiencing breakouts all the time, or skin conditions have flared up and spread further on the body.
- For the ladies - your PMT symptoms are through the roof.
- Bowel motions would mostly be described as irregular.
- You experience burping, bloating and indigestion frequently.
- Allergies seem to be worse or you seem less tolerant to a growing number of foods.
- Gaining weight around the middle that won't shift.
- Poor tolerance to alcohol and easily getting headaches.
How do I go about it?
Reading the signs above, do you feel that a few of them resonated? Then you might be interested in starting a body refresh with a light detox. My top naturopathic hack is to always make sure your gut is in good shape first. The gut is essential for removing toxins, as this is where they get dumped by the liver for removal from the body, via the bowels. This means we need probably functioning bowels to achieve this optimally. Also, our gut walls need to be strong to keep toxins from being reabsorbed back into the body. If you are getting any of the signs above chances are that your gut is not at its best and you need to do some work on strengthening it first. This is why I suggest a 3-step approach.
Step 1 Supporting the gut
Implementing good eating behaviours and excluding food and drink that can adversely affect the gut can give the gut time to repair. Also, following the tips below will start to support beneficial bacteria. However, if you are looking for a speedier refresh taking a product that supports the process can be helpful. This is why Gut Soothe & Balance is great to add to your daily routine. Its unique formula supports the walls of the gut with turmeric and quercetin, which have soothing and strengthening qualities. It also contains Bacillus subtilis DE111® spore probiotics that support a healthy balance of gut bacteria. Gut Soothe & Balance | Clinicians – Clinicians - Science you can feel
Whichever approach you are taking you need to support the digestive system with a healthy diet and lifestyle choices. Below are my top hacks for what to include and exclude.
Include:
- Fibre - is a food for our gut bacteria and encourages the proliferation of beneficial bacteria. Its rough texture helps to exfoliate the gut walls, for a spring-clean effect. It also helps create healthy stools that are easy to pass. Include foods like nuts, seeds, fruit and vegetables, remember your 5 a day at least.
- Fermented foods and enzymes - Fermented foods like sauerkraut and kimchi contain beneficial bacteria and help our gut. Also, many fruits like pineapple, papaya and kiwifruit are rich in digestive enzymes that can support healthy digestion.
- Water - Is needed for a healthy gut mucous and to support the flushing of toxins. Add lemon juice or apple cider vinegar to water once a day to support healthy stomach acid and to activate the liver.
- Good proteins - Lean meats, fish, and legumes are good sources of protein and collagen that support digestive repair.
Exclude:
- Challenging foods- If any foods seem to be giving you a gut reaction then cut them out for the time being. Gluten and dairy are often culprits.
- Processed foods - These are often loaded with sugar, salt, bad fats and artificial colours, flavours and preservatives that are not helpful to the gut.
- Coffee and alcohol - Should be excluded or kept to a minimum.
- Red meat and processed meats - These are pro-inflammatory and should be kept to a minimum.
Step 2 Activate the liver
Once your digestive system seems to be getting on track you can activate the liver to start detoxing. Keep up your new eating and lifestyle habits whilst you do this. Fresh fruit and vegetables are very important as they provide the necessary antioxidants needed to mop up toxins. Also, keep drinking water to flush toxins, this helps to avoid detox headaches. Additionally to this here are some other things you can introduce that will encourage the liver to detox.
- Bitter foods encourage the liver to produce bile, which is needed to remove toxins. This includes most fresh herbs and green leafy vegetables.
- Try juicing some liver-friendly fruit and vegetables for an antioxidant boost. Include beetroot which supports energy and liver cell support. Fresh turmeric can be added as it supports phases 1 and 2 of liver detoxification and is anti-inflammatory.
- Increase brassica vegetables as they are used in phase 2 detoxification. They are also very supportive for clearing oestrogen, which helps women who struggle with PMS.
- Add in sulphurous food like onion and garlic as they are used in phase 2 detoxification
- Include antioxidant drinks such as dandelion coffee, green tea (in moderation as it contains caffeine)and rooibos (red bush tea). Ginger and peppermint teas can be soothing for digestion.
- Cut down chemical exposure as this burdens the liver – e.g. garden sprays, and cleaning products.
- For additional support, you can add a liver-supporting supplement such as Clinicians Liver Support Plus. This contains several liver herbs, antioxidants and key vitamins and minerals needed to support your liver on its detox journey. Liver Protect Plus | Clinicians – Clinicians - Science you can feel
Step 3 Seed in the good bacteria
You may not need this step depending on how your gut feels after the detox. However, if you still feel slightly bloated or that your regularity could be better, you might want to top up on beneficial bacteria. This will help to maintain the great gut and liver work you have done. Clinicians Multiflora Digest is a good place to start. MultiFlora Digest | Clinicians – Clinicians - Science you can feel
Good luck with your fresh new start. Remember if you would like to get some more information or some personal health advice, please contact our naturopaths or make a free one-on-one chat. Ask our Naturopaths
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