Your body is a temple, it is often said. However, if you've been less than a pillar of health lately, you might want to try a detoxifying or cleansing diet to regain vitality and improve your digestion and overall wellness. There are a wealth of detox programs available, from cleansing fasts to prescribed meal plans. To be effective, though, your detox diet should focus more on health and wellness than on deprivation.
What To Eat
You don't need to fast to detoxify. Dr. Elson Haas, in an article for Healthy.net, advises reprogramming your diet to include extra purified water and increased fiber through fruits and vegetables. Naturopath Lynn Hardy recommends eating lots of organic produce, legumes, nuts and seeds, and monounsaturated fats. She also advises switching to purified water, and using extra virgin olive oil for its antioxidant properties. MindBodyGreen agrees, and suggests adding coconut water or kombucha, along with 12 to 16 glasses of water a day and as much fiber as possible.
What Not to Eat
Dr. Haas recommends that you eschew "refined food, sugar, caffeine, alcohol, tobacco and many drugs." You should avoid fried foods, he says, and reduce your intake of meat, eggs and dairy. To this list Dr. Hardy adds soda, aspartame, white flour and margarine, stating that all four can be legitimate dangers to your health. MindBodyGreen concedes that it might be difficult for caffeine junkies to quit cold turkey. Instead, "try to cut your intake to just to 1-2 cups in the morning." The author also recommends cutting out saturated fat, and avoid deli meats.
Physical Health
"Exercise," Dr. Haas writes, "improves our general metabolism and helps overall with detoxification." However, when exercising, be sure to replenish your fluids and vitamins. MindHealthBody recommends practicing yoga during a cleanse. If yoga is "not your thing," try walking 20 to 30 minutes a day. You may also want to try meditating, and be sure to get eight hours of sleep every night.
What To Expect
As your body detoxifies, you may experience physical symptoms. Weight loss can be one of them, according to Dr. Haas. However, you may also experience headaches, fatigue, irritability, congestion and other symptoms as your body excretes toxins. As the detoxification goes on and your body returns to health, Dr. Hardy writes, you will start to crave healthy and nourishing foods instead of junk.
Customizing Your Program
If you have never tried a detox or cleansing program before, start with a basic diet change. As you get more comfortable with the process, you can try fasts and other regimes. However, every person is different and you should always customize a detox program to suit your body and your needs.
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