Detoxes are a big thing right now. They cleanse your body, aid weight loss and give you that energy boost you’ve been needing…but are they healthy?
Detoxes are one of the most controversial topics in the health industry; some nutritionists love them, and others hate them. The truth about detoxes is that they can be dangerous, depending on the one that you do. In fact, if you know how to detox, they aren’t all that scary.
As a rule of thumb, any detoxes that force you to fast should be avoided. Not eating for days at a time, no matter what nutrients a cleanse is giving you, isn’t healthy, that’s a fact. However, detoxing isn’t all about starving yourself, there are plenty of healthy ways to detox.
Here’s what you need to know about how to detox safely and get the results you want.
Eat Whole Foods
Detoxing doesn’t have to mean vastly restricting what you eat. Processed foods, including chocolate and crisps, should be avoided, as well as foods that are high in fat. Stick to fresh fruits and vegetables, lean meat and fish, and eggs. The Whole30 is a great way to move yourself to a cleaner diet.
Clean eating and detoxes go hand in hand. So for a successful cleanse, you need to be eating foods that are as natural as possible so that your body can focus its energy on healing and detoxing.
Reduce Caffeine
Caffeine is addictive, which means that over time, you’ll come to rely on it. If you want a healthier body, you need to kick your addiction and go caffeine free. I’m not saying it will be easy – caffeine addiction is a nightmare to get past. Think headaches, cold sweats and nausea-it’s really, really uncomfortable.
That being said, it might be tricky to kick the habit, but once you have, you’ll feel much better for it. Rather than a cup of coffee each day, I much prefer to use my Le-Vel supplements and my Thrive DFT for all day energy and appetite suppression.
If you can’t manage to go cold turkey, instead slowly wean yourself off it. Once you’re free of caffeine, you’ll find that you have a lot more energy and those nasty 2 pm headaches will be a thing of the past.
Drink Smart
Coffee aside, there are also other things that you need to cut out. Alcohol and sugary, fruity drinks should be avoided. The best things to drink while detoxing are water, infused water, and energy tea. Detoxing teas are another great drink that is becoming more popular.
When it comes to how healthy you are, it’s not just about what you drink but also about the liquids you consume. Be smart about what you drink – ensure you’re getting, at least, eight pints of water a day as water flushes out toxins, and you’ll feel better for it.
Choose Healthy Snacks
If you get hungry between meals, make fresh fruit, nuts, seeds, and raw vegetables your go-to snacks. The best things to eat are superfoods and antioxidants, so any fruits and veggies that fall into these categories, make sure to eat lots of them.
Grapes, red berries, green leafy veggies, sweet potatoes, and oranges are all antioxidant superfoods. In a hurry? Grab a real food bar on the run and skip the Frankenfoods.
Detoxing may be controversial, but if you do it right, it doesn’t have to be unhealthy. The benefits that come with cleansing your body are amazing, so if you’re feeling a little groggy, a detox is may be the perfect option.
If you’ve been thinking about detoxing, then you likely have reasons to want to get healthy. So what’s stopping you?
Thank you, Brea, for the post! I really learned a lot about how to detox in a healthy way. I like how you said that”Clean eating and detoxes go hand in hand. So for a successful cleanse, you need to stick to eating foods that are as natural as possible.”. I have never detoxed before, but knowing that eating healthy really helps with the detoxing process is a good thing to know if I ever do decide to detox.
I’m glad I could help!