How to DETOX

How to Detox Your Body and kickstart better health with this simple 3 day detox that will leave you feeling refreshed, re-balanced and ready to focus on long-term health.

With the hustle and bustle of everyday life, more people are relying on fast food, prepared or packaged food products.  Unfortunately these options contain chemicals, sugars, preservatives and other additives that our bodies don’t easily digest or assimilate.  This “fake food product” can result in fluid retention, fat encapsulation and ongoing digestive concerns.  This 3 day detox will help you reset and refocus on the real food that our bodies can efficiently process.

While excess fluid elimination may result in a drop on the scale, this three day detox program is NOT intended to be a weight loss solution, but rather a kickstart to healthier habits.  Long-term adoption of these practices, may lead to fat and weight reduction in individuals carrying excess fat.

We always recommend consulting your physician in advance of any weight loss efforts to discuss your specific needs and goals.  

How to Detox Your Body

While there are numerous detox systems out there, our easy 3 day program focuses on simple changes, clean eating, proper nutritional support, hydration and movement.  Elimination of chemicals and non-natural compounds is a priority.  In just three days your body will release its addiction to processed foods, added sugars and fillers and unnecessary junk that weighs you down, makes you feel bloated, causes cravings and overall causes poor health.

1. Live Intentionally

For three days, live intentionally.  Think about what you eat, when you eat it.  Focus on fuel, but don’t forget about enjoyment. Pay attention to how you feel before, during and after you eat.  Focus on how to detox your body for long-term health, and not just short-term results.

Rate your Hunger

Because you’re eliminating fake food products that tend to cause cravings, you’ll need to be tuned in to what real hunger feels like.  Whenever hunger strikes, think about your body’s needs. Are you really hungry, or just bored or emotional?  Because thirst can be mistaken for hunger, start with a glass of water, and then re-evaluate your hunger.  When you eat, focus on balanced selection and reasonable portion size.  Include lean protein at every meal.

2. Eat Real

Focus on real, whole foods in their most natural form.  Our bodies have evolved to efficiently digest real food. When we introduce chemical additives or modified foods (i.e. fat-reduced products like low-fat milk or fat-free cheese), it takes more effort to process, and often provides less nutrients than the food it’s mimicking.

In general:

• Eliminate packaged and processed foods (including all commercially produced bread. Occasional sprouted-grain bread may be added back after your 3 day detox)
• Avoid genetically modified produce, cured meats and deli meats
• Buy organic fruits, vegetables, eggs and meat when possible
• Clean produce thoroughly to remove pesticides and other chemical residue
• Reduce dairy (except unsalted butter) – eventually you may add back minimally-processed yogurt and cheese
• Avoid alcohol during your 3 day detox
• Stave off sugar – eliminate sweets, chocolate, pastries and other sources of obvious (or hidden) sugar
• Reduce high-starch vegetables (such as potatoes and corn) and high-sugar fruit (like bananas and watermelon)

Nutritional support: Ideally, good food should provide all the nutrition you need. However, studies show that today’s food sources are less nutritionally sound than they were half a century ago, meaning you’d need to eat more in order to get your daily recommended nutritional intake.  While whole foods should always be your primary source of fuel, we recommend a daily greens supplement (Greens First is our favorite) to support your nutritional needs.  Consult your physician for any specific nutritional needs.

3. Drink More

Water makes up about 60% of your body weight and your body relies on water to flush toxins out of vital organs and carry nutrients to cells.

Hydrate first, then address hunger.  Many of us mistake thirst for hunger and immediately reach for a snack, when a glass of water may have satisfied the need.

How much water should you drink?

According to the Mayo Clinic, “The Institute of Medicine determined that an adequate intake (AI) for men is roughly about 13 cups (3 liters) of total beverages a day. The AI for women is about 9 cups (2.2 liters) of total beverages a day.”

What about sports drinks or electrolytes?

If you exercise intensely, electrolyte loss may be a concern.  Here’s what we found.

Someone exercising at an intense level can lose liters of sweat per hour and thousands of milligrams of the electrolyte sodium with it. He says this loss of sodium can make it tough for your body to retain the water you drink after sweating buckets, which means you could chug H2O without actually rehydrating. That sodium imbalance might lead to salt cravings and muscle cramping, so in that case, loading up on electrolytes could be helpful. However, in order to drip enough sweat to experience this kind of imbalance, you would have to be exercising at a highly athletic level—as in two or more hours at a high-intensity.  Source: Women’s Health, Do You Really Need to Load Up on Electrolytes When You Work Out?

Most people don’t exercise this often or intensely, and it’s not recommended to detox your body.  Read on to see what we do recommend when it comes to exercise.

4. Move Daily

Focus on breaking a sweat every day.  Exercising in the morning has the added benefit of revving up your metabolism all day long.  Keep it interesting by incorporating different activities to avoid the boredom and rut of the same thing every day.  Try swimming laps, or jumping on a trampoline.  Hiking and biking with friends, or paddling at a nearby lake.

You don’t have to train for a marathon, but a brisk 20-30 minute walk or jog each morning will turn up your metabolism and help your body run more efficiently all day long.

Add weights to boost muscle mass and burn more calories.  Adding even minimal weight can boost your workout and burn more calories.  Wear a weight vest or ankle and wrist weights when you walk or hike.  Incorporate kettlebells into your calisthenics.

Other helpful changes:

• Focus on sleep.  Studies have shown that “less than seven hours of sleep per night—can reduce and undo the benefits of dieting, according to research published in the Annals of Internal Medicine.” Lack of sleep can make you too tired to exercise, encourage poor food choice and not allow proper down time for your body to rest and heal.
• Dry brush before your bath or shower.  Remove dead skin cells by…” starting from the soles of your feet and moving upwards, as this kind of lymphatic massage helps to detoxify, too”
• A hot Epsom salt bath or foot soak in the evening can help your body release toxins, relax and prepare for sleep.