Detoxes are very popular right now. Most involve drinking a series of drinks or juices and while you may temporarily feel better, it is very important to understand that you may not have accomplished as much as you think you have.
Ann (name has been changed) came to me after doing 3 different ‘detoxes’ in a few short months. She felt awful. She had daily headaches, her stomach was bloated regularly, moods were all over the place, and she was frustrated that she was gaining weight instead of losing it like she was hoping to. Unfortunately the detoxing had not worked for Ann, and only created more problems for her hormones, her metabolism, and her stress levels. I helped her work on her digestion first, then put her on my Hormone Reboot program. 3 weeks later she felt so much better! Her headaches had stopped, tummy was happier and moods a lot more even. She had even lost a few pounds as an added bonus!
It is important to understand what the goal of detoxing is supposed to be. The idea is that by severely reducing your food intake and existing on raw juices, the energy that is not being used for digestion, can be used to remove toxins a person may have been storing in their fat cells.
The nutrients in the juices may also support the detoxification processes of the liver. Many of these juices really ARE good for you, but possibly not as the only thing you consume.
The small flaw in this scenario is that juice does not contain fiber, which is essential for toxins that have been prepared, by the liver, to actually leave the body. No fiber = toxins do not leave. They stick around creating more problems than ever.
Good gut health is also essential for successful detoxification. Before anyone undertakes a liver cleanse of any kind, they should be sure their gut is in a state to handle the toxins that will be coming its way, on their way out of the body.
If you don’t have enough good gut bacteria, the toxins that were on their way out can detach and go back into your body. They will just head back to the liver but this puts even more pressure on the liver, which is already overworked, creating more problems for your health & your hormones.
In a perfect world, your liver would remove all toxins and any excess hormones immediately. If you feed your liver correctly, it will have all the nutrients and energy to do the work daily. This is great news!
The following are some key liver foods you should try to eat frequently to keep your liver & hormones happy:
- Cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, cabbage or kale
- Calcium d’glurcurate foods such as apples and grapefruit
- bitter foods like dandelion or collard greens
- sulfur-rich foods such as garlic and onions
- High antioxidant foods like berries, carrots, tomatoes, asparagus and other fruits and vegetables
- Jerusalem artichokes are extremely good for the liver
- Milk thistle tea is also very beneficialAnother easy way to help you detox is to do what is known as daily detox. This requires that you do not eat anything for 14 hours between your last meal in the evening and your first one in the morning. Again, liver foods are needed to be consumed daily in order to support the detox function during the night.
A safe ‘detox’ option is my 10 Day Hormone Reboot. It is designed with a combination of great liver foods as well as foods that support and boost your hormones. This is a great way to do a ‘detox’. You won’t starve. You won’t drink only juices. You will eat delicious foods that are helping your body reboot after the long Winter we just had so you can get ready for the summer months!
Detox reactions may occur but they should not be too severe unless you are really toxic, in which case I have all the tools you need in this program to help with those detox symptoms.
Gve it a try – by supporting your liver with this Reboot, you will feel better and it gives you foods that are good for all hormones so it will be a great start to re-balancing your system!
