6 Ways To Jumpstart A Much Needed Detox
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Written By: Suzanne Kvilhaug
Everyone knows the feeling. You feel like crap, you’ve hit a wall and you know it’s time to do some kind of detox. It feels like the only thing you can do that will bring you back to life again, but you aren’t really sure what to do or how to go about it. Juice cleanses don’t seem like the answer, fasting isn’t for you (I’ll starve to death...), so what can you do that will help you start to feel better? When it comes to detoxing, it really depends on your goals and what you need to detox from. Whether it’s brought on by the inspiration of the new year, the post holidays overeating binge blues, or for no reason other than you feel it’s time, there are different ways to begin the detox process so you can start to feel good again.
1. Use bentonite clay
I first learned about Bentonite clay when my friend gave it to me as a gift years ago. At first I was like “and this is what...for where...and how do I...” but she’s the type you turn to for all health advice so I didn’t doubt its greatness.
Bentonite clay is aged volcanic ash that contains a ton of minerals including silica, calcium, magnesium, sodium, iron, and potassium. It is known as a detoxing tool because of its ability to absorb and remove toxins, heavy metals, impurities, and chemicals. Use it to take a detoxing bath (oh it doesn’t disappoint), add to a smoothie (read the directions carefully) or use it to make a face mask (you’ll look hysterical, it’s fun!). I really love this stuff and there’s a feeling of rejuvenation after using it that I haven’t found with anything else.
2. Start taking a probiotic
At this point if you haven’t heard of probiotics you may be living under a rock. With that said, maybe you haven’t tried any yet, but if detoxing is a goal, it’s a good idea to see what they do for you. High-quality probiotic supplements are packed with live, healthy bacteria that help to heal your gut environment. Your gut health is so important and if it’s unhealthy or overloaded with bad bacteria, everything will be off. Probiotics help to balance your microbiome and work to detoxify harmful toxins. There are different strains that do different things, so check out this helpful guide to see which one is best for you.
3. Add lemons whenever you can
For less than a dollar, lemons are the most inexpensive way to help your body begin to detox. Lemons are so common and readily available that it’s easy to forget how healing they really are. The Ancient Egyptians believed in their healing powers so much that they believed eating lemons was an effective way to protect against a variety of poisons.
Lemons have strong antibacterial, antiviral and immune-boosting powers that work as a digestive aid and liver cleanser. I’ve found that if I cut lemons up and put them in mason jars in the fridge, I am more apt to use them. Hot water with lemon during the winter is a great drink to warm you up, detoxify the body and boost your immune system.
4. Quit alcohol for 1 month
Oh how great alcohol feels for the first few hours and then things start to go downhill fast. How can something so good be so bad?! To me there is nothing worse than being hungover. Nothing! Not only does it make you miserable, but you can’t do anything productive, you crave crappy food (Imagine craving salads when you’re hungover…) and all around your body feels lifeless. It’s like a 24 hour nightmare where you need to push the pause button on life until you wake up the next day. So you have to think, what is alcohol doing to my body if it makes me feel so horrible? Here’s some information to let you see exactly what drinking alcohol does to your body. Regardless of what else you are doing to detox, if you are drinking alcohol you aren’t going to be able to get the results you want. With the booze, you’ll lose...so quit it for a while and see what happens!
5. Skip going out to eat for a while and cook all your meals instead
If you are going to start eating clean to give your body a bit of a detox, skipping restaurants is your best bet. It’s too hard to know every single ingredient that’s in the food and usually it’s not as healthy as what you could make at home. From the oils to additives and a bunch of other things that aren’t going to help you detox, it’s ideal to be able to choose everything that you are consuming.
6. Drink green smoothies
So you know there’s no way you’re doing a juice cleanse (and you don’t need to) but that doesn’t mean you can’t incorporate something juice-like into your daily routine. Enter, green smoothies. I have found them to be the best way to get the health benefits from greens while satisfying a sweet tooth. Spinach, kale or whatever greens you like mixed with some fruit and other healthy ingredients = this has greens in it?? Greens are super detoxing and there are so many different ways you can mix and match until you find a green smoothie that you love