10 Ways to Live a Detoxifying Lifestyle

When you think of detoxing you most likely imagine a juice cleanse, or diet change once a month to get your body back on track from poor eating or an indulgent holiday. Doing cleanses periodically can be incredibly good for your health, in fact I highly recommend it to keep your body’s system in good working order. However, this isn’t the only way you can detox. Try utilizing these 10 ways to live a detoxifying lifestyle in a daily routine. You can create cleansing, and detoxifying habits that will keep your body balanced all the time!

Lemon Water

Healthy Diet

“Doctors are learning that one of the best ways to reduce inflammation lies not in the medicine cabinet, but in the refrigerator. By following an anti inflammatory diet, you can fight off inflammation for good.” (https://www.health.harvard.edu).
Eating an anti inflammatory diet is essential for maintaining a healthy body
and is especially important after a detox. Anti inflammatory foods consist of
whole foods that are filled with nutrients. Foods that are full of fiber are great for flushing out the elimination system and preventing blockage and buildup of toxins.

Fibrous foods include :

• Fresh fruit
• Fresh vegetables
• Beans
• Nuts and seeds
• Whole grains

Eating clean with whole food improves gut and liver heath and promotes the highest level of functioning throughout the entire body.

When eating an anti inflammatory diet, it is important to eliminate unhealthy food choices including:

• Sugar and sugary foods, like sweets
• Fried foods
• Excessive red meat
• Processed food and junk food of any kind

Eating smaller portions of food can also allow the digestive system time to rest and reset. Small meals should be eaten slowly to bring a sense of fullness and greater satisfaction.

Celery Juice

When considering living a detox lifestyle, one important consideration is celery juice. Celery juice will not help clean toxins from your body, but what it is very good at is supporting optimal digestive health. According to Harvard Health, “Your digestive
system breaks down foods and liquids into their chemical components carbohydrates, fats, proteins, and the like that the body can absorb as nutrients and use for energy or to build or repair cells.” (https://www.health.harvard.edu)

Poor digestive health can lead to acid reflux, constipation, poor gut health, IBS and other conditions, all of which can make you feel awful, ruin your days, and drag you down.

Eliminating Allergens

Many people have food allergies that go unrecognized because they can be difficult to identify. Some allergies are obvious and serious and lead to difficulty breathing and swelling, but others are more subtle and trigger an inflammatory response that can lead to systemic inflammation.

This is known as a food sensitivity and can be much more difficult to identify. This systemic inflammation can lead to symptoms like diarrhea, eczema, arthritis, migraines and more.

There is a large possibility that you are allergic to one or more foods in your diet. It’s easiest if you remove all of these products from you diet, but you can also try eliminating one at a time and see if you feel better.

Common Food Sensitivities Include:

• Corn
• Soy
• Gluten
• Dairy
• Shellfish
• Eggs
• Caffeine
• Beef, Pork, and Lamb
• High FODMAP Foods certain carbs in food which are osmotic, fermentable, osmotic, and poorly absorbed leading to digestion issues.
• Source: https://www.verywellhealth.com/

An elimination diet or cleanse can help identify these culprits. Consider taking all of these foods out of the diet for a few weeks and then adding a food from each category back into the diet slowly.

Sugar Free

Eliminating sugar from the diet is an important aspect of maintaining your detox. Sugar is a difficult ingredient for the body to process because it is unnatural and can upset blood sugar levels in the body. When the blood sugar levels are imbalanced the body will need to use extra energy to stabilize the blood and energy will be
taken from detoxification and other essential processes.

According to WebMD, a high sugar diet can also cause weight gain and this can lead to long term chronic disease including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, metabolic syndrome and increase risks of cancer.
“Too much added sugar can be one of the greatest threats to cardiovascular disease.”
(https://www.health.harvard.edu)

Limit Alcohol

Antioxidants

Consuming antioxidants can assist in repairing cellular damage and can benefit the body by neutralizing free radicals. These free radicals are disease causing unstable molecules that are formed when the body undertakes certain processes. Free radicals lead to oxidative stress which can damage the cells and lead to various diseases including cardiovascular disease and diabetes, Alzheimer’s, and Parkinson’s disease.

Hydration

Drinking enough water will help to hydrate the body and allow the body to participate more fully in the detox process.

• Drinking warm water with lemon upon waking is recommended to begin the digestive process and gently warm the stomach.
• Herbal teas are another healthy way to hydrate and have been taken for centuries for health maintenance.
• Green tea is full of antioxidants and is a cooling tea great for summer months.
• In wintertime, warming herbs and spices like ginger, cinnamon and chai are good options for hydrating and warming the body.

Exercise

Participating in exercise on a regular basis is a great way to improve health. Exercising regularly reduces stress levels and can create more energy in the body. Breaking a sweat during exercise allows the body to expel toxins through the skin and improves blood circulation. (https://www.mayoclinic.org)

There are many forms of exercise that are beneficial to the body. Biking, walking, swimming, joining a dance class, hiking or other activities are all great for adding movement to life in a slow and steady manner for a true lifestyle change.

Sleep

Last but certainly not least, number ten of the 10 ways to live a detoxifying lifestyle…get good sleep! During restorative sleep, the body can begin to repair cellular damage from toxins and the brain is allowed to rest. Sleeping well is essential for proper brain functionality because the brain needs time to rest and regenerate each day.

How much sleep do you need?

The SleepFoundation.org recommends the following guidelines:

Young Adults 18-25 / 7-9 hours
Adults 26-64 / 7-9 hours
Adults 65+ / 7-8 hours

The Sleep Foundation recommends you assess your needs by following your productivity levels and increasing sleep as needed. Another consideration is how much caffeine you need to get through the day, which can be an indication that you need more sleep. Those with high energy expenditure may also consider the need for more sleep.

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