Detox is one of the most effective ways to help your body start functioning at its best. It helps to strengthen the immune system, improve your sleep, speed up your metabolism, decrease gastrointestinal stress, and lose weight.
Plus, it may help you prevent and treat symptoms, such as constipation, breathing problems, canker sores, gas and bloating, obesity, poor concentration, fluid retention, headaches, fatigue, intense food cravings, muscle aches, heartburn, postnasal drip, joint pain, skin problems, puffy eyes, sinus congestion, and sleep disorders.
However, with a host of detox plans available online today, it’s difficult to choose the healthiest out of them. The most important thing to remember when detoxing is that it doesn’t mean starvation. You still have to eat those 3 main meals of the day (or 6 mini meals) and you can still have a dessert. It’s all about the food you’re going to eat the next 30 days that will help you cleanse the whole body and achieve optimal health.
Here are the healthy ways to detox your body in 30 days without starving yourself and ruining your health.
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1.Eliminate foods that trigger inflammation
These are all types of sugar, salt, red meats, gluten-rich foods like bread and pasta, vegetable oils like sunflower, safflower, corn, and canola, soy products, dairy products, processed and fast foods. If you have allergies to particular ingredients, make sure you don’t include them in your detox plan. The foods you eat should heal you, not kill you. This is the major rule of detoxing.
2.Include natural detoxifying foods
While all raw and natural foods have some detoxifying and healing properties, the following foods are must-eat:
- Garlic
- Onions
- Cilantro
- Sage
- Parsley
- Spirulina
- Red clover blossom
- Artichoke
- Beets
- Plantain leaf
- Green tea
- Olive oil
- Lime
- Lemon
- Broccoli
- Cabbage
- Brussels sprouts
- Cauliflower
- Grapefruit
- Carrots
- Avocado
- Turmeric
3.Drink a lot of water
Plain water or water infused with fresh fruit, berries or veggies will enhance your natural body detoxifying abilities and keep your hunger pangs at bay. Moreover, it will increase your energy level, speed up your metabolism, and aid in weight loss.
While detoxing, be sure to remove dairy drinks, soft drinks, alcohol, black tea, and coffee from your meal plan. Herbal teas like chamomile and peppermint are the healthier alternatives that ward off toxins and reduce the whole body inflammation.
Try these Creative Ways to Drink More Water
4.Bring sulfur-rich veggies into your 30-day meal plan
When creating your 30-day detox diet, be sure to include 3 cups of veggies high in sulfur into your daily meals. Brussels sprouts, onions, cabbage, arugula, broccoli, mushrooms, and cauliflower are all excellent sources of sulfur, a compound known for its detoxifying properties.
It helps to detoxify substances such as heavy metals, environmental toxins, and pharmaceuticals. Sulfur also plays a critical role in the function of several essential amino acids, promoting healthier skin, hair, and nails.
5.Discover the detox magic of blue-green algae
If you have trouble ditching coffee and latte for a month, consider replacing those drinks with blue-green algae beverages. Add a teaspoon of chlorella, spirulina, or blue-green algae to a cup of nut milk of your choice and enjoy this epic detoxifier.
6.End your day with a cup of dandelion tea
Dandelion tea tastes a bit strange but you’re going to get used to its taste in a few days. It helps to fight stress, cure inflammation, and support methylation, as well as help your body flush out harmful toxins faster. Aim to drink a cup of this tea a day and it’s better to drink at the end of the day as it has some soothing and sleep-promoting effect.
7.Eat 4 cups of dark leafy greens a day
It seems like a lot, but it doesn’t mean that you should sit and eat all 4 cups of leafy greens in one set. You can use them in salads and smoothies, or just sauté with your favorite veggies. Dark leafy greens, such as collards, kale, chard, and spinach contain folate (vitamin B-9), an essential nutrient for methylation.
8.Sweat
Detox isn’t about eating only. You should also activate each organ of elimination by sweating. Sauna may be the first thing that came to your mind, but the best way to sweat is by exercising each day. Sweating helps eliminate heavy metals, Bisphenol A (BPA), and phthalates, promoting toxin excretion. Running is one of the most effective ways to sweat, albeit any other exercise can do the same job.
Sweating in an infrared sauna is a good way to eliminate toxins and stop inflammatory processes in the body. However, this method isn’t suitable for everyone, so consult your doctor to be sure it won’t cause any harm to your health.
9.Include bitter foods
Bitter foods help to purge the liver naturally, stimulating a natural detoxification. They also help to control cholesterol, detoxify the blood, balance hormones, and metabolize fats. Bitter greens are chock-full of vitamins A, C and K, and essential minerals, including magnesium, potassium, and calcium, which all needed for an optimal health.
Include bitter foods, such as watercress, turnip greens, tatsoi, rucola, rapini, mustard greens, escarole, dandelion greens, Broccoli rabe, arugula, and amaranth greens, into your 30-day detox meal plan, but be sure to consume them in moderation – a cup a day will be enough.
10.Go raw 3 times a week
This means eating raw foods 3 entire days per week during your 30-day detox. During these days, aim to eat raw veggies and low-glycemic fruit, including berries, and avoid any baked, fried, and even boiled and steamed meals.
Not only will these raw food diet challenges help you treat the whole body inflammation and detox your system, but they will also slow down the aging process and reduce your cancer risk.
11.Get enough sleep
Detoxification may be hard on your body so it’s vital to give it a good rest. Get at least 7 hours of sleep each night to ensure your body has enough time to restore and rejuvenate. Taking a short nap in the afternoon is also a quick way to restore your body’s functions.
12.Purify the air in your house
Limit your technology use to a minimum and add more plants to your rooms and garden (if you have). This is an awesome way to purify the air you breathe at home. Think about getting peace lilies, garden mum, dracaena, and spider plants, which are all well-known nature’s air purifiers.
13.Fall in love with fruit smoothies
Since a detox diet doesn’t include sugar and other sweet treats, it may be hard to satisfy your sweet tooth. This is where fruit smoothies will help you. Experiment with your favorite fruit and berries to create different smoothies each day.
Feel free to add raw cacao to some of them for a detox-friendly chocolatey treat. Raw cacao contains antioxidants and minerals that will support the body before, during, or after a 30-day detox.
It feels a bit overwhelming right now, but once you grab your pen and a piece of paper and create a 30-day detox plan that will suit your body, you will get used to it in a few days. If you have certain health issues, though, it’s best to discuss your detox plan with a nutritionist or doctor.
References:
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26026145
- http://www.livestrong.com/article/317807-sulphur-detox/
- https://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-15166/why-sweating-is-the-best-way-to-get-rid-of-toxins.html
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1749210
