What Is A Detox?
Detox, short for detoxification, is the removal of potentially toxic substances from the body. Although detox is primarily thought of as a treatment for alcohol or drug dependence, the term is also used to refer to diets, herbs, and other methods of removing environmental and dietary toxins from the body for general health.
Normally it’s a two-week detox diet plan to support detoxification by eliminating toxins from the body and include, cleansing the colon, enhancing circulation to clear toxic substances, eliminating foods from the diet that require detoxification or are allergenic, and providing nutrients to support and protect the liver, the main organ involved in detoxification.
What are detox diet plans?
Body detox diet plans are used quite often when an individual wants to follow a consistent routine in their eating habits for a period of time to detoxify the body.
To detox is to get rid of all the toxins and heavy metals in your body, allowing your internal organs to function properly, making you feel better and giving you more energy. This creates and anti aging environment for the body.
Items that include a change in the diet for the purpose of detoxification are:
- Eliminating foods such as caffeine, alcohol, processed food (including any bread), pre-made or canned food, salt, sugar, wheat, red meat, pork, fried and deep fried food, yellow cheese, cream, butter and margarine, shortening, etc., while focusing on pure foods such as raw fruits and vegetables, whole grains, legumes, raw nuts and seeds, fish, vegetable oils, herbs and herbal teas, water, etc.
- Eating only raw foods
- Fasting, including water fasting and juice fasting
- Increased consumption of fish
- Restricting calorie intake
- Following a Lemon Cleanse and the Maple Syrup Diet AKA Master Cleanse. The cleanse involves drinking only lemonade made from fresh lemon or lime juice, maple syrup, distilled water and Cayenne pepper.
- Consuming teas. Most detox teas contain ginger, milk thistle, licorice, rooibos, black pepper and dandelion, ingredients known in folk medicine as digestive aids. Other ingredients help to protect the liver, alleviate urinary problems and help treats stomach ulcers.
Where do these toxins come from?
An individual will ingest these toxins through the polluted air we breathe, the preservatives in our food, chemicals and artificial colors and flavors, our drinking water and the bad habits they are doing like drinking alcohol, doing drugs and even smoking.
Signs and reasons to detox prior to detox
A person may feel tired, restless and be prone to many diseases like cancer, heart disease, diabetes and other serious ailments.
The regimin or routine followed can be targeted towards different organs in the body and can also be for specific periods of time, depending of the individuals personal needs as to why they wish to detox.
For instance a drug or alcohol dependency detox may last longer than one that an individual just wants to do a simple cleanse.
Things you must not forget
Again it is very important when going on a specific plan that you consult a medical professional first. Some types of detox can be dangerous and should only be done under the supervision of medical staff.
Some of the most common of these diet plans can be the 48 Hr. detox diet along with the 7 Day detox diet and also the longer 14 day detox diet.
