We are all exposed to many different toxins every single day, you probably don’t realise it but right now you are probably surrounded by an array of different chemicals, pollutants and other types of toxins.
There are chemicals in your many foods (preservatives, additives and sweeteners), modern medicines, in plastic containers, non-stick cookware, even in your sofa’s flame retardant coating.
Overtime these toxins build up and many natural health practitioners believe they can cause problems with your health, especially when combined with a modern, busy lifestyle, lack of exercise and a nutrient poor, processed food diet.
If you are suffering from weight problems, weak digestion, poor skin, a lack of energy or generally feel under the weather, it could be time you looked in to doing a detox to remove impurities from your body and restore yourself to optimum health.
Are you toxic?
Have a quick think about your diet and lifestyle, do you:
Do less than 3 lots of vigorous exercise each week?- Drink unfiltered water?
- Have stomach problems or constipation?
- Find you only urinate a few times a day?
- Experience headaches, lack of concentration, poor memory or fatigue?
- Live or work in a built-up area?
- Eat processed foods or foods that contain preservatives, colours or additives?
- Consume medications (including over the counter medicines)?
- Eat meats that are not free range, may have been injected with hormones or fed unnatural foods?
- Eat fish that may contain mercury e.g. tuna or swordfish?
The chances are you answered yes to at least 2 or 3 of those questions and unless you live a very clean, natural lifestyle your body is probably ‘acidic’ and ‘toxic’ and needs the help of a detox to bring it back in to balance.
Most of us live busy stressful lifestyles, where we don’t have time to relax – this puts our body under stress and affects digestion. We also eat poor diets which include processed foods (which often have additives, preservatives, simple sugars and other nasties inside them) and simple white carbohydrates. Even our fresh fruit and vegetables contain pesticide residue and our meat has been injected with hormones.
Although our body is equipped with amazing organs, such as the liver, to process and remove toxins and impurities, it simply cannot copy with the onslaught on toxins we ingest on a daily basis.
Key benefits of a detox
Depending on the detox you choose to do and the length of time you commit to it for, many people experience great results from cleansing and some the benefits reported include:
- Stronger digestion and improved bowel function
- Weight loss and better weight management
- Increased energy levels and reduction in brain ‘fog’
- A general feeling of good health and wellness
Nutritional cleansing is very effective
People have been cleansing for many years and the benefits are well known and documented, however as cleansing has become more popular in recent years so have the number of companies producing cleansing diet supplements, products, formula, pills and diets.
Often these companies use free trials, glossy marketing materials and other gimmicks to get you to buy their product. Whilst some of these products are effective, many of them have been poorly formulated and are not particularly effective.
We would suggest avoiding the harsh ‘colon cleansing’ products – these are usually diuretics or laxatives and simply strip your body of everything, can leave you depleted of nutrients and cause a stress on the body.
Instead we recommend looking for a program that will support the bodies natural detoxification processes and return the body to its natural balance.
Why cleanse? Why not just diet or fast?
A cleanse can be a great way to lose weight and improve health, if you have tried a traditional calorie controlled diet in the past you’ll know the results can be limited and often short-term. A detox however targets the root cause of the problem.
Once impurities and toxins have been released from the body through nutritional cleansing, and you provide your body with optimum levels of nutrients you body is able to naturally return to your ideal weight and you may experience some of the health benefits described above.
