Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate!
Drinking plenty of water is one of the easiest ways to detox yourself. Water helps the body flush out toxins by moving along the cellular processes that are responsible for cleaning up toxins in the body. Although there is some discussion about the amount of water a person needs a day, making water your drink of choice and eliminating drinks life coffee, soda, and sugary fruit juices is a great first step to cleansing your body!
Sweat It Out!
When you sweat, your pores open up and toxins are released through the skin by sweating. Going to a sauna is a good way to sweat it out, and a great excuse for a spa day!
The best way to sweat during a detox, however, is by exercising. Not only does exercising allow the body to sweat out toxins, but it also relaxes you, helps lubricate joints, and aids in the functions of the circulatory and digestive systems–systems which are essential to detoxing the body!
Exfoliate your skin
After all that sweating, your pores could use a deep cleaning. Exfoliating the skin gets rid of extra toxins that reside in pores. Not only does exfoliating the skin scrub away toxins, but it also removes dead skin cells and leaves your skin feeling and looking way healthier.
Eliminate Processed Foods and Sugars
When people talk about toxins in the body, the ingredients in processed and junk foods are exactly what they have in mind. These kinds of foods are low in nutrients and contain chemicals added in their processing that are poisonous to the body. This also includes things like alcohol, coffee, and caffeine. Eliminating these kinds of foods from your diet will get rid of a huge source of poison in the body!
Incorporating fruits and veggies into your diet in place of junk food is always a great place to start!
Eat Organic
Organic foods are popular because they are pesticide-free, which is perfect for a detox program because pesticides are major poisons for the body.
Organic is generally a good thing. Foods like apples and potatoes, where the skins are typically eaten, should be eaten organic. However, there are some traditionally-grown foods whose nutritional values outweigh the potential pesticide risk, such as broccoli.
Get plenty of Vitamin C
Vitamin C is essential to many functions of body; however, the body does not produce it.
Eating foods rich in Vitamin C as a part of a detox program can help aid the process because Vitamin C is an antioxidant–it aids in removing poisons from the body. Vitamin C also supports the liver and the immune system and is important to maintaining healthy skin! You can read more about Vitamin C here.
Drinking orange juice is a great way to get your Vitamin C (of course, you should make sure it is all-natural, with no preservatives or high fructose corn syrup!). Strawberries, brussel sprouts, papayas, and bell peppers are among the foods highest in Vitamin C.
Eat More Fiber
Get things movin’ with fiber! Fiber helps support bowel function, which is another method of cleaning the body out that is popular in most cleanse diets. Foods high in fiber include black beans, oatmeal, almonds, pears, and raspberries!
Clean Up Your Environment
Toxins are not only found in what we put into our bodies–they are also found in our environments. Household cleaners, soaps, shampoos, and deodorants most often contain toxins that are harmful to the body.
To clean up your environment, opt for natural products. Or, if you are really committed to your detox program, you can stop using shampoo and deodorant all together! Just don’t expect to gain many friends that way.
Get Plenty of Sleep
Proper sleep is essential for a detox program to be successful. When the body gets the right kind of sleep for the right amount of time, it is given a chance to repair from the wear of the day. Sleep is also the time when the body has the best chance to rid itself of harmful toxins. Start getting a good night’s sleep and wake up ready to conquer your detox program!
