Body detoxification and intestinal cleansing have become essential ingredients of a lifestyle that promotes a healthy body, proper weight management and disease prevention. Our modern-day life and the mounting cost of health care necessitates that more than ever. Most of us are exposed to hundreds of chemical substances every day. That, combined with poor choices in diet, lack of exercise, lean nutrition and lack of water causes our livers to get congested with its detoxification function
The result is fatigue, depression, sluggishness, poor complexion and a vulnerable immune system, which then makes us sensitive to to many types of disease and possibly even cancer.
Body detox and intestinal cleansing are most known as seasonal actions, performed a few times a year for 3 or 5 or 7 days, and then it’s complete. We then slip slowly back into our normal diet and lifestyle, and soon after, it’s time for another detox.
Although the seasonal body detox is a smart lifestyle choice that should be followed by most all of us, more important is cleaning up our daily routine. A better idea than the seasonal body detox program is a detox lifestyle, where you preclude as much as possible the need for a serious detox program. Here are some great ideas for creating a detox lifestyle for yourself:
Keep fresh fruit washed and ready to eat. Arrange it in a bowl in your kitchen. Instead of getting a treat from the cupboard when you need a quick bite, pick up a piece of fruit instead. Fresh fruit is low in calories, naturally hydrating, packed with nutrients and enzymes, and naturally cleansing. A general rule: the more sweet the fruit, the more calories and energy it will provide, the more tart the fruit, the more cleansing it will be. If it’s available, get organic fruit.
Dry skin brush a few times a week. Purchase a medium soft natural fiber brush (you’ll see them where stores sell loofahs). Brush your entire body, feet and legs first, buttocks and torso, then hands and arms. Avoid delicate skin. Take a couple of minutes to do this before your shower. You’ll give your skin a good little detox and energize your body in addition.
Drink fresh lemon squeezed into hot water first thing in the morning. Your liver will benefit from it and it may also stimulate your colon. Heat some water, squeeze in the juice of half a lemon and sweeten with some honey or maple syrup. It is a great little mini-cleanse before you start your day.
Learn the difference between real natural and fake natural. The fake natural foods and ingredients are fairly easy to spot: we’re all more aware of the growing variety of artificial flavors, colors, preservatives and such that are in our food. Thanks to industry regulation, ingredients must be printed on every package of a consumable food or drink. Chances are, if you can’t pronounce an ingredient, you shouldn’t be eating or drinking it. More difficult to spot are the “natural” foods that are laboratory modifications of a natural substance. The sugar substitute Splenda is an example of a fake natural. Though it is, indeed, made from real sugar, by the time Splenda makes it into those tiny yellow packets, it’s been through so much chemical processing, it has become unrecognizable to the body as food. It might as well be plastic.
Treat yourself to a big, extravagant salad several times a week. Start with a bed of greens (a blend of the darker greens is best, include chard, romaine, spinach, even a few snips of parsley). Add at least 10 additional raw vegetables, chopped or grated. Go for bright color vegetables. These pack the most nutrients and phytochemicals. Red cabbage, carrot, radish, yellow bell pepper,… you get the idea. Be creative and make it an enjoyable. You can invite girlfriends for a potluck salad bar, or go out to one of your favorite salad bar restaurants. Skip the cheese, and choose an olive oil based dressing.
If nothing else, drink more water. If you do nothing else for your health and vitality, drink more pure water, unsweetened and fresh. At minimum, drink 3 quarts a day. Other drinks do not count as your daily water requirement. There is one exception: decaffeinated herbal tea.
Bottom line, it is how you live your life day to day that really shapes the contours of your physical health and quality of life. Longevity and happiness are associated with a life of healthy habits. Make a commitment to trading in your bad habits with good habits, and at least once a year, add a few more good habits. You’ll live longer, stay healthier, keep trim and fit, and probably become a shining inspiration to those you know.
