I.
What is Detox or
Detoxification?
You would be surprise at the different
toxins that we take in on a daily basis and the unlikely sources that they come
from. It could be the packaging that your instant food was stored in or the wax
that’s used as a protective layer when shipping fruit. It could be too much of
herbal medicines that you thought were healthy or the overuse of prescription
drugs. Then there are the more obvious culprits – alcohol, cigarettes, eating
the wrong food, breathing polluted air; the list goes on and on. At some point,
you do need to give your body a break just to give it a chance to recover; and
that’s where a detox diet plan comes in.
Detox or detoxification is the process
of eliminating toxic substances from your body. When a dangerous chemical
enters your body, your organs (particularly the liver) work to break down these
chemicals into simpler, less dangerous chemicals that can then exit the body.
In a detox diet, your regular diet of chemical-filled processed food and bad
lifestyle habits are replaced with a boost of vitamins, minerals, and dietary
fibers from natural food sources. As an added plus, it’s also a good way to
lose a few extra pounds; a natural result of cutting back on processed, sugary,
and fatty food.
Your body has organs that take care of
detoxification for you which are the skin, the lungs, the colon, the kidneys,
and especially the liver. When you drink too much alcohol, it is the liver that
takes the brunt of it, sieving out toxins from your bloodstream. When you eat
artificial or processed food regularly, these organs also leech out the toxins
from the bloodstream and out of your body in one way or another. This
detoxification is happening inside you every day but if your organs are
overworked, they stop becoming efficient and effective at their jobs.
When you go on a detox diet plan,
several things happen. Your body is going to receive the vitamins, minerals,
and fibers that it needs from natural sources which means that they will be
complex vitamins and minerals. In its complex form, vitamins and minerals are synthesized
differently by your body and are put to better use (as opposed to just taking a
vitamin pill). The dietary fibre helps with your digestion which in turn helps
with your energy levels. Your liver, other than being the primary toxin basin
for your body, also plays a huge role in giving the body enough energy. By
going on a diet of fruit juices, whole wheat sandwiches, and salads, you will
also give your stomach a chance to shrink a size or two. This will help you
feel full faster and eat less in the future. Most importantly, by reducing the
amount of toxins going into your body, your organs can have an easier time
leeching out the toxins that are already in your bloodstream so that you can
breathe easier, feel better, and enjoy a general sense of well-being
.
For the diet plan to be fully effective,
you need to see it through the entire seven days. Don’t worry, the plan is
designed to give your body time to adjust to the diet change and to make sure
that you don’t go hungry. During the seven day diet plan, it is also important
that you adhere to the following house rules:
1. No
alcohol
2. No
cigarettes
3. Sleep
a full 8 hours
Before starting our seven day diet plan,
it is best for you to consult your dietician or nutritionist to make sure that
you don’t have any dietary problems that may put you at risk during the diet.
This is an excerpt from the book: The 7 Day Detox Diet
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