Health Weight Loss

How To Detox (The Easy Way)

31st December 2017

By Harriet Mallinson | Published on December 31, 2017


With the start of a brand new year comes the pressure to start dieting and show the world the ‘brand new you’.

Inevitably we’ll start to see the word “detox” crop up all around us, be it on chalky menus in cafes or in the pages of glossy magazines.  Endless fasting, disgusting-looking green juices and bizarre homeopathic treatments seem to be the only answer… and the whole thing sounds terribly daunting.

It can be easy to feel we too should be joining in all that complex (and expensive) “flushing out” as we eye up clean eating Instagram feeds. However, we must remember that going to extreme lengths isn’t even necessary: the body is always in detox mode as long as we’re alive.

“We don’t actually need to detox,” nutritional therapist, Jodie Brandman, tells MACROS. “Our body is naturally detoxing all the time as it tries to remove toxins – otherwise we’d be dead!”

She advises: “Forget the fad diets and the expensive cleanses, the most important and effective way to cleanse is to support one of your best assets: your liver. To easily boost the process, add herbs and nutrients to support this natural process, helping the body effectively remove toxins.

 

– RELATED: Alternate-day Fasting: Not Worth The Famine –

 

“We can also eliminate certain foods such as processed foods, fizzy drinks, vegetable oils, alcohol, non-organic meat and dairy,” Jodie adds. “Toxins from the environment can also affect the natural processes such as pollution, skin products, makeup and cleaning products. These all serve to slow down and negatively affect the whole cleansing process.”

Zack Nathan, founder of all-natural coconut snack company, Ape Snacks, agrees: “The prospect of summer shouldn’t stress us out,” he insists. “We should look at food as medicine which naturally helps our body’s detox functionalities. You don’t need high sugar juice cleanses to give your body a break!”

So how can we implement carefree cleansing? Jodie shares her top five tips on how to detox the easy way.

 

Fill up on fats

We need fat for our body to detox. The fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K, are essential for the functioning of our body. Without fat, we cannot expect our brain to function either. Incorporating natural fats like coconut into your diet is essential (bonus, it keeps you fuller for longer!).

 

Forgo Fasting

When we fast there are no nutrients available to support the body’s detoxification pathways.

 

Spice up your Life

Herbs and spices are an important part of the protocol: turmeric, milk thistle, coriander can help chelate heavy metals and speed detoxification in the liver.

 

Hydrate! Hydrate! Hydrate!

Drink enough water. Once toxins are neutralized they are made water–soluble, meaning they need water to get out and escape your body.

 

Be good to your gut

Make sure you’re helping the digestion process by getting enough fiber in. The toxins need to escape once they are neutralized, so heading down to a sauna or having a sweaty exercise session will help them leave your body. Keep high–fibre snacks in your bag to beat hunger on the go and keep your system running smoothly.