The process of getting rid of toxins from your body is called detoxification or “Detox” to make it simpler. Toxins are anything that can adversely affect our health, things such as synthetics, chemicals and metals etc. Humans have been aware of the concept and have tried multiple ways to detox their bodies for hundreds of years. “Detox” is a buzz word right now and people try various diets and methods to eliminate the toxins from the body.
Our bodies are naturally capable of getting rid of toxins and we don’t really need complicated diets for a detox. However, we certainly can try out ways to assist or enhance the natural ability of our body to flush out toxins.
Below is an excerpt from Dr. Oz’s article on detoxification:
The Body’s Detox System
Oftentimes people don’t realize that the body has its own extraordinary internal detoxification system. Here’s a brief look at three critical organs involved:
The Liver: Your first line of defense against toxins is your liver, which acts like a filter in preventing toxic substances contained in foods from passing into your blood stream.
The Colon: This organ has bacteria that produce both healthy and unhealthy chemicals. You want to keep your colon flowing regularly since its main role is to flush out toxic chemicals before they can do you any harm.
The Kidneys: Like clockwork, the kidneys are constantly filtering your blood and getting rid of toxins in the form of urine.
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As is evident, anything we can do to assist our liver, colon and kidneys to be healthy and perform at optimal levels will help with the detoxification process as well. Even before we talk about detoxification we should take measures to keep toxins out of the body by avoiding foods that are highly processed and high in sugar. Liver which is the first line of defense again toxins in the body gets really strained whenever it has to process high quantities of sugar. Consuming high amounts of sugar often leads to people with a fatty liver which inhibits the proper functioning of the liver and hence opens up the body to consuming higher amount of toxins. As is rightly said, “Prevention is better than cure”, we should start with cutting out processed and sugary foods from our diet to avoid toxins.
Assuming that we are doing our best to avoid toxins, nonetheless some amount of toxins will enter our bodies and there are certain foods that help in the process of detoxification. Tea being a natural diuretic is a commonly used for detoxification. The commercialization of Tea has ensured that there is a separate category of Tea called Detox Tea which their manufacturers claim are better at the “Detox” process. Several brands have launched their “Detox Tea” claiming they are the best in the business. However, one must be careful when going after these drinks. Most Detox Teas contain herbs that are high in ingredients with diuretic or laxative properties. The idea is to get your body rid of excess water resulting into loss of toxins as well as excess water body weight making you look slimmer and healthier. This approach can work for many but can be counterproductive in many cases. Too much of water loss can result into making you dehydrated and that can cause problems of its own. When choosing a Detox Tea you must look at the ingredients carefully and ensure that the tea contains only natural and herbal ingredients and none that can cause excessive loss of water from your body. Also make sure that the caffeine content of these tea is withing limits as many brands would enhance the caffeine content of “Detox Teas” for their diuretic effects. This can result into several side effects such diarrhea, lack of sleep and anxiety among others.
Natural Ways to “Detox” Your Body
- Fasting – Fasting helps your critical organs such as Liver and Kidneys get some rest and repair themselves making them more efficient at their task of detoxification
- Avoid Processed Food and Sugar – Sugar and Processed Food with high amount of refined carbohydrates produce high levels of insulin, which then needs to be processed by the liver and hence puts a lot of stress on the liver. Avoiding these kinds of foods is key to keeping your liver healthy and ensuring that toxins are efficiently filtered out of your body.
- Green Tea – The simple organic green tea will do you a world of good due to its flavonoid content which functions as strong antioxidants. Any food with high antioxidants helps with the detoxification process. Please see our article on Green Tea Health benefits
- Exercise – Regular moderate exercise is key to many health benefits as it reduces the inflammation in your body and lower levels of inflammation is also associated with lower toxin levels in the body
- Good Sleep – Having a sound 7-8 hours of sleep not only helps with detoxification of your body it enhances your health overall. Resting is key to loosing weight as well! The fat burning process happens when the body is recovering from an exercise. That is the reason proper sleep is so important for your overall health
Before doing the Detox – If you are big on “Detox” with Detox Tea or otherwise, you must watch the following video from Dr. Eric Berg that outlines things you should do before starting the detoxification process
