Cleanse Your Body with a Detox Diet
The detox diet has become popular all over the world. Among other reasons, people detox to cleanse their bodies. People normally detox after indulging during holidays or before an important event such as a wedding or vacation.
Many of us lack the willpower to stay on a diet or eat healthily. As a result, our bodies are full of harmful toxins.
Even those of us who generally eat “well” have built-up toxins inside. Whatever your case might be, a detox diet can be just the trick to cleanse your body.
These diets ensure a clean body in just 24 hours. It can also help you shed some pounds. But they’re not for everyone and you shouldn’t expect magic results.
A common recommendation is starting a detox diet before changing dietary habits for the better. Or starting a detox as a means to complement treatments for a health condition. After the cleanse, dieters should refrain from eating harmful foods again.
Choosing the right detox diet
Detox diets are only effective when used every so often–for example, once a month–and they should never last longer than two days. You should keep them short because they don’t provide the nutrients that your body needs–and that could present a problem in the long run.
You shouldn’t detox to lose those pounds for your wedding or summer vacation.
Before starting a detox diet, educate yourself on the negative consequences of consuming white flours, sugar, fats, and packaged foods. After, change your dietary habits. If you don’t learn why you should change your diet first, detoxing won’t be much help.
Cleansing the body through a detox diet
“Detox” comes from detoxification, and that’s exactly what these diets do for your body. Basically, they eliminate the toxins in the liver, kidneys, and intestines. By eliminating these toxins, your organs can carry out their normal tasks more efficiently.
When you eliminate the excess, you feel lighter, lose weight and prevent many illnesses. However, you should follow some guidelines if you want to start a detox diet to cleanse your body:
1. Only fruits and vegetables
Fruits and veggies will become your best friends for the next 24 hours. Aim for skinless, uncooked options for easier digestion. The best part is that you can take them as smoothies, salads, soups, blends… there are plenty of options!
Some great vegetable options are artichokes (they’re diuretics and regulate digestion), celery (tones the liver), lettuce (reduces flatulence) and asparagus (improves digestion).
2. No fats or additives
A detox diet will help you eliminate the toxins that have built up after years of poor eating. With that in mind, don’t eat fats, sugars, carbohydrates, flours or salt. Here’s another important aspect: say no to processed foods that contain coloring, conservatives or synthetic ingredients.
3. Drink plenty of water
You’re probably well aware that you should be drinking two liters of water a day. But, if you want to start a detox diet, you’ll have to bump it up to at least three liters.
The liquids–you can try sugar-free, herb teas, hot or cold—will help you expel toxins completely through urine. In addition, the laxative and digestion-regulating effects of the fruits and vegetables will help you eliminate everything.
On a detox diet, you can expel the toxins that cause bloating, acne and extra weight. If you have any questions about detoxes, make an appointment with a nutritionist. A professional can help you set up meal plans and lead you to a healthier lifestyle.
All cited sources were thoroughly reviewed by our team to ensure their quality, reliability, currency, and validity. The bibliography of this article was considered reliable and of academic or scientific accuracy.
- Klein, A. V., & Kiat, H. (2015). Detox diets for toxin elimination and weight management: A critical review of the evidence. Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics. https://doi.org/10.1111/jhn.12286