As the environmental pollution is on the rise, the exposure to toxins in your daily life is consistently increasing. From the air you breathe to the water you drink and the food you eat, there are toxins everywhere and they make way into your body more easily than you can think. And if you believe that the natural detoxification capabilities of your system are enough to get rid of them, you may be totally mistaken. In fact, one of the main causes of diseases is that toxic chemicals that you consume every day are not eliminated and get accumulated in your body over a period of time. This happens when the intake of toxins is more than the body’s capacity to get rid of them, which could result in toxic overload.
The next question is whether you can do anything to improve your detox function and speed up the process of toxin removal from your body. Yes, you can do it by following a detox diet plan. As it promotes the removal of toxic wastes from your body, the benefits of such a plan extend from weight loss to increased energy levels, alleviation of common ailments, reduction in the risk of chronic diseases and more. But a detox plan is much more than eating right and exercising. You need to know much more about it to follow it the right way and get effective results. Let’s list the facts that you need to be aware about before starting with a detox diet plan.
Get your facts clear before you start
The best approach towards initiating a detox plan is to get your facts right even before you start. Visit a doctor and get comprehensive health assessment to identify any ailments. An expert can help you to establish the actual cause of your health problems, whether these are a result of toxic overload or an underlying medical condition. Furthermore, he can tailor a healthy detox plan with components such as the right diet and exercise routine that are likely to bring the best possible results in your case.
Focus on eating whole foods
As a norm, you should focus on eating whole foods and cutting out processed ones when you are on a detox diet. Fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lean meats, nuts, fish and low-fat dairy are the best options. If you can procure organic products, the results would be even better. Avoid processed foods as these are high in unhealthy fats, salt and sugar, all of which can contribute to the toxic buildup within your system.
Boost your fiber intake
While eating whole foods in itself is good enough for boosting your fiber intake, you should go an extra mile to include more of the dietary fiber in your every day diet. The reason is that dietary fiber plays a key role in bulking up the wastes within and stimulating their excretion. In other words, it improves your ability to eliminate and detoxify naturally, with food only. Soluble fiber in foods such as beans, apples and pears bulks up the bowel contents while insoluble fiber found naturally in leafy greens stimulates the movement in the intestines.
Drink plenty of water
Drinking plenty of water gives you the dual advantage of staying hydrate as well as eliminating the toxins naturally. Like dietary fiber, water too can improve the regularity of the bowel movements. It also increases the volume of urine excretion. The more you excrete, the better are the chance of toxin removal from your body. Aim to drink at least 8 glasses of water every day.
Opt for herbal supplements
Another fact that you should know before taking up a detox plan is that there are plenty of gut cleanse supplements that you can rely on for better results. While food and exercise are the key elements of these plans, these supplements can take things one step further and improve the results manifold. The best thing is that these supplements are based on herbs and are totally safe even if taken over a prolonged period of time.
Have a proper exercise plan
Diet is the mainstay of a detox plan but exercise is equally important to remove the harmful chemicals from your body. The liver is the main detoxifying organ and it removes toxins from your bloodstream. Intestines, on the other hand, eliminate them in the form of waste products. However, skin gets them out in the form of sweat and this is possible only if you exercise and sweat out the wastes. The importance of exercise cannot be undermined because skin is the largest organ of the body and can easily eliminate high volumes of toxins from your body if you sweat enough.
Stick to your plan
Perhaps the most important thing that you need to understand before starting with a detox plan is that you will have to be consistent. Be ready to stick to the plan, even if there are hundreds of temptations around. Also, people tend to lose patience and give up if they do not see visible results while they follow the diet. The tip is to remain consistent with the diet and lifestyle changes for at least a few weeks. Also, you should have realistic goals rather than expect magical results. Moreover, you should be prepared for the initial side effects of the therapy as symptoms such as aches, fatigue and irritability are common.
A detox plan should be a holistic one to be effective. You should not only focus on the physical aspects of detoxification but also try to get rid of the emotional toxins too. Stress and anxiety are the major culprits in this context as they can cloud your brain and hamper your physical processes too. Include the elimination of these negative emotions in your detoxification goals. Make meditation and deep breathing a part of your daily routine. Abstain from unhealthy habits such as smoking and alcohol as these too contribute to the toxic buildup within your body. Above all, realize that your health is your own responsibility.
