A proper detox can reset your hormones and get your health back on track

Detoxifying the body involves minimizing incoming toxins and helping the body more efficiently remove chemicals, hormones, toxicants, and other environmental compounds. The main body organ that benefits during a detox is the liver. A detox helps remove substances that stress the organ and provide it with the best nutrients for it to function effectively.

There are a lot of harmful substances that directly or indirectly affect the body and harm health. These include substances that people are exposed to, such as air pollutants; industrial waste and car fumes; food preservatives, additives, and sweeteners; make-up, hair dyes, perfumes, and cleansing products with harsh chemicals; toxins in household cleaning products; heavy metal corrosion which can go into drinking water; and alcohol, cigarette smoke, and other harmful and addictive substances.

Thankfully, you can “reset” your body and keep it at its optimum health with a detox. For 21 days, detoxify your body by avoiding consumption of alcohol, sugar, caffeine, inflammatory fats, and common food sensitivities like soy, dairy, corn, and grains. These can overwork the liver, disrupt hormones, and keep the body inflamed. Listed below are the foods that you can eat during detoxification.

• Vegetables – During a detox, consume a minimum of three to six cups of vegetables (e.g. green, leafy and cruciferous vegetables, cauliflower, beets, carrots, garlic, onions, and artichokes) a day.
• Protein – The liver cannot complete the second phase of detoxification, wherein toxins are excreted, without enough amino acids. To prevent this, eat organic, pasture-raised meats, eggs, and wild-caught fish. For vegans or vegetarians, eat plant foods rich in protein, like organic legumes, nuts, and seeds.
• Healthy fats – Healthy fats are best in maintaining a well-balanced blood sugar and hormones. These include avocado, cold-pressed olive oil, coconut oil, macadamia nut oil, olives, and wild-caught fish.
• Water – The recommended daily water intake is half of your body weight in ounces, but if this seems too much, increase your water consumption by around 20 additional ounces daily during the detox over what you normally consume. If you get tired of drinking water, opt for coconut water or add a pinch of pink Himalayan salt to your filtered water.

Five techniques to optimize the body’s detoxification pathways

During the 21-day detox, diet is not the only factor needed to reduce environmental toxins, lessen stress, and support the body’s natural elimination methods. There are several ways to maximize the body’s detoxification process and reset the hormones within 21 days. (Related: 10 easy ways to detox heavy metals from your body.)

• Look at the ingredients – The skin serves as the filter of the body and is the largest organ of the body. Detoxify the skin by avoiding the use of skin products that interrupt hormones and increase toxicity.
• Exercise – The lymphatic system and blood flow are enhanced through moving, and the sweat produced when working out eliminates waste out of the body.
• Relax – To enable the body to efficiently detoxify, reduce stress with meditation, yin yoga, or deep breathing. Every morning, take five minutes to listen to your breath, body, and thoughts. These will calm the mind and help the lungs release metabolic waste.
• Journal it – During detox, a way to release your thoughts is to write them down. Keeping a journal can also help you identify toxic relationships and behaviors that you can let out.
• Get more sleep – During sleep, the brain detoxifies, according to scientists. Enough and good quality sleep can help recover, repair, and restore the body and balance hormones such as melatonin, cortisol, and growth hormones.

If you’d like to read more news stories and studies on how to properly detox, please visit Detox.news.

Sources include:

MindBodyGreen.com

OrganicNutrition.co.uk