Although we tend to think of detox in January after the heavy food and excesses of winter and the holiday season summer is an ideal time to detox. When the weather is warmer it is so much easier to follow the detox diet of plenty of fruit and fresh salads and leave the heavy stodgy hard to digest food behind.
By following a 7 - 14 day detox plan that focuses on nutrient packed fresh foods close to their natural state and avoiding processed foods laden with sugar, fat, salt and artificial additives you will allow your body to function more efficiently.
Detox
There is no need to starve yourself or go hungry. By eating food that is packed with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and fiber you will feel much more satisfied and still be able to shed those extra pounds. Restricted diets slow down your metabolism.
6 Golden Rules for a Successful Summer Detox.
1. Cut out the Junk
Avoid fast foods, processed foods, ready meals, salty snacks, fizzy drinks, high fat foods, foods high in sugar like cookies, chocolate, cakes, and most ready made desserts. These foods often contain artificial additives that poison your body. They lack vitamins, minerals and fiber that your body needs for the detox system to function efficiently. Limit red meat and dairy products as they are often contain hormones and antibiotic residues.
2. Feast on Fresh Whole Foods
Eating foods in their natural state will provide your body with high levels of nutrients that will support your body's detoxification system improving your health. Food starts to loose its nutrients once it is stored so look for fruit and vegetables that are in season and not imported. Organically produced food has more nutrients and taste and no toxic pesticides.
3. Eat a High Raw Diet.
Many vitamins and minerals are lost from food by cooking. It is easy to eat a high raw fruit and vegetable diet on a summer detox by juicing your fruit and vegetables or making them into smoothies, uncooked blended soups and salads.
Some foods need to be cooked to make them more palatable and easier to digest and steaming them lightly will help to retain their nutrients better than boiling them. You can stir-fry food in a little liquid instead of heating oil to a high temperature which will damage it and create toxic substances.
Living salads and sprouted seeds and beans are readily available in many supermarkets and whole food markets and stores.
4. Rehydrate.
Your body contains a high proportion of water and needs enough pure water to function efficiently.
Tap water is usually high in chlorine, fluoride and drug residue which are detrimental to health use filtered water. A glass of pure water with the juice of half an organic lemon is a good cleansing drink first thing in the morning.
Replace coffee and regular tea with fruit and vegetable juices, herbal or fruit teas. Green tea is high in antioxidants but still contains caffeine so avoid drinking too many cups. Aim to have 6 - 8 glasses of fluid a day and more in hot weather or when you exercise.
5. Essential Exercise.
Exercise helps the blood and lymph circulate to all the organs to take them nutrients and collect the wastes to be eliminated via the detox organs. Daily brisk walking, or rebounding is essential. Swimming in chlorine free pools, and running at least 4 times a week is beneficial.
Don't forget to brush your skin daily with a natural bristle brush to help with lymph circulation and make your skin glow.
6. Avoid Re-tox.
Look for natural personal care products to reduce the toxic chemicals that are absorbed from your skin. Buy natural household cleaning products that do not pollute the environment. Many are highly toxic when inhaled.
Although you won't get rid of a lifetime of toxins during a 7 or 14 day detox it will help to make you more aware of what you are putting into your body and learn to become attuned to what it really needs. If you stick to the principles of a healthy detox diet you will feel good and look good and dramatically improve your health.
Detox - 6 Golden Rules For a Successful Summer Detox
To learn more about detox get my Free Report at The Detox Specialist
(c) 2008. Sandy Halliday is a nutritionist and health researcher with over 20 years experience of many different types of detoxification programs. She is the author of The Definitive Detox Diet