Turn Your Body Into a Detox Machine – 5 First Steps!
Whether it’s a holiday, birthday, vacation, or you’ve just been off your nutrition game for awhile, we all have times that we need to do a detox and get our bodies back into a healthy routine. Here at Go2Kitchens though, we don’t necessarily love the idea of detoxes. There are a lot of detoxes on the market that can be harsh on the body, and unless you have a specific health concern, it’s better just to follow the five steps I’m about to share with you to bring your body back into balance. These tips are gentle and will help get you started on a path to wellness and health!
- Lose the added sugar.
I know you’ve heard this before, but it’s true, we are eating way too much added sugar! The average American is consuming 17 teaspoons of added sugar a day! This means we are eating more than double of what the American Heart Association recommends, at 6 teaspoons for women and 9 teaspoons for men. That is not good! You are getting this extra sugar in items such as drinks, pastry items, sauces, prepackaged foods, and more. Sugar is added to processed foods to add flavor and make it taste good so you will want to eat more of it. Think about this; one 12 ounce can of soda has 8 teaspoons of sugar! Also, remember that sugar is sugar, so honey, maple syrup, and molasses all counts! Here at Go2Kitchens, we recommend no more than 2 tablespoons of sugar a day. You don’t have to give up sugar altogether, just try to get most of it from naturally occurring sources like fruits and vegetables. Ready to break up with sugar for good? 10 Healing Steps to Break-Up with Sugar
- Hydrate yo’self.
Did you know that chronic dehydration can be the cause of the following: depression, anxiety, mood swings, constipation, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, allergies, weight gain, skin disorders, joint pain, bladder and kidney problems, and premature aging! Yes, premature aging! The average adult loses about 10 cups of water a day just by basic metabolic functions like breathing, sweating, and urinating. A good rule of thumb is to make sure you are drinking half your body weight in ounces of good, clean water. Remember that if you are exercising or sweating, your body will require additional water as well.
- Eat plants.
Plants are amazing at detoxification! Focusing on eating more plants in your diet, raw and cooked, will give your body the nutrients, minerals, and fiber it requires to be healthy. The plant world has a huge variety of foods in it that you might not have even thought about; cruciferous vegetables, root vegetables, stone fruit, berries, nuts, seeds, sea vegetables, and greens just to name a few. Don’t think that eating plants means just carrot sticks and iceberg lettuce! Eating plant foods supports your elimination organs and systems such as your liver, intestines, kidneys, lungs, skin, and lymphatic system. These elimination organs eliminate what? That’s right, toxins! So eat lots of plant foods, and you will become a detox machine!
- Functional foods.
What’s a functional food? I’m glad you asked! A functional food is any food that goes beyond its basic nutrition needs. An example of this is salmon which is a good source of Omega3’s. Other functional foods are probiotic rich items like yogurt, sauerkraut, fermented cheese, and kombucha, which all support gut health. A spice that is also a functional food is turmeric because of its anti-inflammatory properties. Green foods are also in this category with things like kale, spinach, artichokes, asparagus, wheatgrass, brussel sprouts, and anything well, green! These green foods have chlorophyll in them which helps detox metals out of the body! Citrus fruit, garlic, and onions are all also functional foods as well! Pshew!
- Ditch the booze.
Did I just lose you? Unfortunately, alcohol really is not good for our bodies in a myriad of ways, plus drinking alcohol also clouds our judgment, which makes it easy to eat bad food! It’s a double whammy that way. Like with sugar, I’m not saying you can’t have a drink now and then, but if you are trying to “detox” your body, you need to give it up for a while. I know I don’t have to tell you either about how bad alcohol is for your liver and how it completely dehydrates your body. If you want to have a special drink for the holidays or a special occasion, try drinking kombucha, sparkling cider, herbal teas, ginger soda, and mocktails (non-alcoholic cocktails) are becoming popular as well! Looking for more? 5 Things to Think About Before Your Next Glass of Wine
We don’t have to give up celebrating and enjoying life to be healthy! Hopefully, these five tips will help you get back on track if you do get off course from time to time! Leave us a comment and tell us what your favorite detoxing tricks are!
copy by Marci West
