5 Reasons to Detox and 5 Ways to Do it
For most of us detox sounds like deprivation, starvation—or worse. We think hunger, weird food, kale juice and colonic cleanse. While we know we might feel better at the end, is it really worth the pain and suffering? A detox doesn’t have to equate to torture. There’s another kind of detox that’s all about delicious, scrumptious food. It’s a new kind of detox that’s a giant jumpstart for your health and a reboot for your metabolism. It’s fun, easy to do and will set you on the course to feeling and looking your best.
Our body tells us we when we need to take it slow and detox, we just need to listen. Sometimes it’s annoying little symptoms such as achy joints or muscles, brain fog, fatigue, headaches, allergies or gas, or more serious problems such as autoimmune diseases, migraines, asthma, acne, irritable bowel, reflux, arthritis or worse.
Reasons to Detox
1. You have FLC Syndrome: Feel Like Crap.
You wake up feeling tired, blue and not ready to face the. Even individuals with optimum weight can have symptoms of being toxic like sluggishness, fatigue, brain fog, achiness, digestive issues, allergies, headaches and so on. Most of us don’t connect what we’re eating to how we are feeling.
2. You are struggling to lose weight and keep it off.
The nutritional science over the past two decades has convinced us that losing weight is just a matter of calories in/calories out, that it’s about energy balance, about eating less and exercising more. How’s that been working out for you? The new scientific research, however, shows that sugar and flour calories are very different from those of vegetables and fruit. Firstly, the former trigger addiction and overeating. Secondly, they spike insulin and fuel inflammation, which makes you store abdominal fat and blocks your ability to feel full.
3. You can’t control your sugar and carbohydrates cravings (you may be suffering from food addiction).
The fact is that sugar and flour are biologically addictive. The science behind it is clear and conclusive. We often judge overweight people and blame them for being lazy gluttons, however often times, their biology is being held hostage by the food industry. Food manufacturer constantly research novel ways to takeover of your taste buds, brain chemistry, hormones and metabolism. Sugar is the new nicotine. In fact, sugar is eight times more addictive than cocaine. If you are trying to use willpower to lose weight you will probably fail. You have to use scientifically based nutritional advice to unhook yourself from the addictive power of sugar, flour and hyper-processed, hyper-palatable food-like substances.
4. You never have detoxed.
Most of us have never taken a week or two to give our bodies a break and feed eat nothing but clean, fresh, nutritious whole foods. Even if we feel healthy and strong, we may not realize that our normal state might not be our optimal state. From time to time we need to supercharge health.
5. You need a STAYCATION.
At times, most of us stray from living in a way that promotes health: too little sleep and exercise, too much bad food and stress, not enough quite time and meditation. The best way to reset your life is a few days of detox. Simple, delicious foods. No toxins or addictive substances like sugar, flour, processed foods, caffeine or alcohol. Self-nurturing practices: deep breathing, sleeping 7-8 hours a night, a little exercise, a lot of self-love.
5 Easy Ways To Detox and Lose Weight
So now that you know why you need a detox, how do you do it without pain and suffering? This is a detox from sugar, and all things that turn to sugar.
1. Quit cold turkey and take a break from junk.
There is no way to handle a true physiological addiction except to stop it completely. Stop all forms of sugar, all flour products and all artificial sweeteners. They all cause increased cravings and slow metabolism, and lead to fat storage. This especially includes liquid sugar calories, which make you eat more all day and promote storage of abdominal fat. Quit anything with trans or hydrogenated fats and MSG. For a few days avoid any foods that come in a box, package or can or have a label, and stick to real, whole, food like fresh fruit and vegetables. One of the best way to really detox is to quit all grains. Give up all addictive foods and substances. Caffeine alcohol and nicotine are the three of biggest after sugar.
2. Start the day with protein.
Protein at every meal, especially breakfast, is the key to balancing blood sugar and insulin and cutting cravings. Start the day with a chia seeds pudding or eggs. Use nuts, seeds, eggs, fish, chicken or grass-fed meat for protein at every meal. (animal protein serving the size should be more than 0.8 g per kilogram of your current weight).
3. Eat complex carbs.
Did you know that vegetables are carbs? You may eat as much as you want, but the non-starchy vegetables such as dark leafy greens, cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, Brussel sprouts and cabbage as well as all others like asparagus, green beans, mushrooms, onions, zucchini, tomatoes, fennel, eggplant, artichokes, peppers, etc. Stay away from potatoes, sweet potatoes, winter squash, beets, grains and beans—just for a week or two. This will supercharge your body with nutrients from whole fruit and vegetables and accelerate the results of the detox.
4. Consume healthy fats.
Healthy fats doesn’t make you fat, sugar does. Healthy fat makes you full, balances your blood sugar and is necessary for fuelling your cells. Along with protein, have good fats at every meal and snack including nuts and seeds, which also contain protein, extra virgin olive oil, coconut butter, avocados and omega-3 fats from fish.
5. Use support power, not willpower.
Extraordinary new research shows that obesity is contagious. You are more likely to be overweight if your friends are overweight than if your parents or siblings are overweight. But health is contagious too. So, find a friend or form a small group and do the detox together.
If you would like to learn more about health promoting techniques we invite you to book a Health and Nutrition Consultation with The Health Coach academy team, do one of our Detox and Lifestyle Programs or join our Health Coaching Program.
Results may individually vary. Information and statements made in articles of The Health Coach Blog academy are for education purposes only and are not intended to replace the advice of your doctor. The Health Coach academy does not provide medical advice, prescribe medication and treatment plans, or diagnose illness. The views and nutritional advice expressed by The Health Coach academy are not intended to be a substitute for conventional medical service. Should you have a medical condition or health concern, consult your physician.
