How to Detox Your Body

“Detox” is a popular buzzword in the wellness industry these days, and you’ve likely heard about it if you’re interested in fitness and healthy eating. But what exactly is a detox, and what does it entail?

Table of Contents:

What is a detox?

A detox, or detoxification, is any specific protocol designed to help people cleanse toxins from their bodies and increase their health and well-being.

Toxins such as pollutants or poisons can find their way into our systems through the food we eat and the air we breathe, causing issues with a variety of bodily functions that can range from mild to significant.

The human body already has many safeguards against toxins, and it eliminates toxic substances naturally through the kidneys, liver, skin, and digestive system. However, a detox can help to speed up this process and lead to a drastic change in your physical and mental wellness in a short amount of time.

How Can I Tell If A Detox Would Benefit Me?

Different types of detoxes can help to ease a variety of unwanted symptoms. You may want to consider a detox if you’re experiencing any of the following:

Bloating
Acne
Fatigue or sluggishness
Brain fog
Worse than normal allergies
Irregular bowel movements

A detox can help to reduce inflammation in your GI tract and heal your gut, both of which have a great deal of influence over your digestive health as well as several other aspects of wellness.

How Does a Detox Work?

The intention of a detox is to reduce the number of toxins in your body, which can help to protect you from illness and disease while also improving the health and function of your internal systems.

This not only cleanses your organs of toxic substances but also lightens their load by encouraging the flushing of these toxins through specific practices.

Detox Examples

If you’re wondering how to detox your body to get the best results, there are many different ways to do a detoxifying cleanse that vary based on your needs and what types of toxins you’d like to focus on eradicating.

To detox your digestive system and get rid of bloating or other gut issues, your main priority should be giving your digestion a break by doing an extended fast, juice cleanses like the options we have laid out, or other special diet protocols.

If you’re looking to eradicate the harmful effects of stress from your life, you should prioritize getting enough quality sleep and including mindfulness practices in your daily routine.

However, some detoxes can positively affect more than one bodily function, leading to a healthier digestive system, clearer mind, and much more. Let’s take a look at some of the most effective ways to cleanse your body of harmful toxins and the specific health benefits that they can offer you.

10 Effective Ways to Detox

Detoxing doesn’t have to be difficult, expensive, or even time-consuming. In fact, you can balance many types of detoxes with your typical daily activities, making it easy to live your life as normal while enjoying the various health benefits of a cleanse. Additionally, you may even find that some of the practices you pick up during your cleanse become lifelong healthy habits.

1. Stay Hydrated

Drinking enough water is a crucial element of good health that many people neglect. The simple act of focusing on hydration can have incredible detoxification effects and reduce unwanted symptoms such as bloating, poor or slow digestion, acne or dull skin, and fatigue.

Start your day with a glass of water to kickstart your digestion and metabolism, and continue drinking throughout the day to feel the benefits. Adding lemon to your water can provide added health advantages as well.

2. Limit Stress and Increase Quality Sleep

Stress is more dangerous than one may first think and is one of the biggest detriments to good health. Unlike external toxins like poisons and pollution, stress is created within our bodies. It is closely linked to the hormone cortisol, which can create a variety of unwanted effects such as high blood pressure, weight gain, heart disease, and high cholesterol. Stress can affect your body, your thoughts, and emotions, as well as your behavior and is something we need to learn to recognize early.

By reducing your stress with mindfulness practices and focusing on getting enough quality sleep, you can reduce the cortisol levels in your body. Some of the things you can do to reduce stress include drinking tea, hiking or connecting with nature, meditation or yoga, and breathing techniques. You can do one of these things or a combination of a few of them but either way, you need to take time for yourself.

As far as getting enough quality sleep, one of the biggest ways to do so is to ensure you create a restful environment. You want to create a haven for where you sleep. This could mean cool temperatures (a fan or air purifier may help), blackout curtains, and perhaps a sound machine. Another good idea would be to do something calming right before bed like taking a warm bath or participating in a yoga cooldown. Whatever you do, it’s advised that you don’t look at a screen right before you close your eyes.

3. Eat Less Sodium

Though salt is a big part of what makes our food taste good, eating too much of it can cause uncomfortable bloating and excessive water retention in the body.

By reducing your sodium intake over a period of several days, you can slowly drain the excess water retention from your body and get rid of bloat and gut issues. This method works great when paired with plenty of water to make sure your body is flushing out any extra sodium being stored.

4. Eat (and Drink) Organic

Keeping your food and beverages organic is a great way to avoid the pesticides and other pollutants that can make their way into produce and other food items. Additionally, organic food is sure to have all of the vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients that your body needs to feel and function its best.

5. Increase Circulation with Exercise

Most people include exercise in their health routine whether they’re detoxing or not, but the increased blood flow that exercise creates can have significant detoxing effects. When your circulation is boosted, all of your bodily systems become stimulated with increased oxygen and are able to function at their best.

While detoxing or doing any sort of juice cleanse, it is important to note that you should avoid high-intensity workouts. Increasing circulation is a helpful way to detox your body and improve digestion, but try to keep your exercise routine light and don’t push yourself. Focus on low intensity, low impact opportunities to get your body moving such as walking, cycling, stretching, or swimming.

6. Add Prebiotics and Probiotics to Your Daily Routine

Did you know that your digestive tract contains bacteria, some bad and some good? Though we generally think of bacteria as a bad thing, your gut contains good bacteria that reduce inflammation, fight infection, and detox bad bacteria.

You can encourage the health of your good bacteria and improve your gut’s natural detoxing process with prebiotics and probiotics.

The Difference Between Prebiotics and Probiotics

Probiotics are living bacteria strains found in certain supplements that work alongside the good bacteria in your gut to fight infection and inflammation and cleanse your gut of harmful bacteria. Prebiotics are specialized fibers from plants that can help your body prepare for the probiotics and provide all of the nutrients they’ll need.

7. Let Your Organs Rest Between Meals with Fasting

For many people, the time they spend sleeping isn’t quite enough for their digestive system to get the break it needs, especially if they tend to eat right before bed.

You can jumpstart your digestive health and cleanse your gut and digestive tract of waste and toxins by fasting. For most, this means reducing your daily eating window by a few hours and only drinking water during your fasting period.

Like all forms of dieting, and nutrition remedies, it’s important to note that all bodies are different based on age, sex, health, and nutrition history- and it’s possible some bodies may not react well to fasting. Consult your doctor, or talk to a professional before taking on a major fasting process.

8. Prioritize Antioxidants in Your Food and Drinks

Antioxidants are crucial for fighting free radicals, a common toxin known to damage cells and speed up the aging process. Additionally, foods and drinks that are antioxidant-rich are also rich in other vitamins and nutrients that support good health and optimal bodily function. Consider adding antioxidants to your diet more often if you feel they’re lacking.

A few high antioxidant foods (in their most raw form) include:

Blueberries
Pecans
Artichokes
Goji berries
Red Cabbage
Acai berries
Dark chocolate

To find an even longer list of antioxidant-rich foods, visit this link.

9. Limit Alcohol Consumption

When you drink alcohol, your body prioritizes burning it off before anything else in order to eliminate it as quickly as possible. By the time your body gets to the other things you’ve eaten, it’s already worked hard and isn’t performing at its best.

Alcohol is processed and expelled by your body through your liver and even your lungs, which is why you can smell alcohol on someone’s breath—they are exhaling the ethanol from their lungs. If you are trying to detox, k eep your drinking to a minimum, or eliminate it altogether. Your body has to fight extra hard to process alcohol directly impacting the organs that naturally detoxify your body.

10. Take It Easy with Sugar and Processed Foods

Processed foods, which are often high in sugar, also require more effort from your body to digest. These foods are also low in nutrients that you require, causing even more stress to your body. Meanwhile, sugar can interfere with your glycemic control, or your body’s ability to keep blood sugar stable. This makes it more challenging for your body to metabolize and detoxify.

Excess sugar and processed foods can also cause weight gain over time, which has been linked to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. This makes it even more difficult for your body to detoxify.

What Type of Detox is Right for You?

If you’re interested in a detoxifying cleanse but you’re not sure what method is best for you, it’s important to think about the outcome you desire as well as the types of nutritional or lifestyle changes you’re willing to make during the detox period.

Cleanse for Weight Loss

Though the intention of a cleanse is to improve your health by reducing the number of toxic substances in your body, many cleanses can also create weight loss as a side effect, especially if your cleanse protocol has you focusing on healthy foods or drinking organic juice.

If weight loss is your goal, cleansing your digestive system with a series of specially designed organic juices along with increasing water intake, reducing sodium, and exercising regularly can be extremely effective. However, lasting diet changes will be necessary to maintain your weight loss after the cleanse.

Cleanse for More Energy

Detoxes are a great way to combat brain fog, fatigue, and general sluggishness. When you reduce the toxins in your body and help your internal systems perform their functions optimally, you’ll find that you have more energy throughout the day and enjoy a clearer mind.

Focusing on great sleep, mindfulness practices, and exercise are some of the best ways to boost your energy levels by getting rid of toxins.

Cleanse for a Healthier Gut

Gut health is closely linked with a variety of health markers, including your weight, your digestive health, and even your mental health. Encouraging excellent gut health and reducing the amount of bad bacteria in your gut using prebiotics and probiotics is a great way to heal your gut from the inside out and reduce bloating significantly.

Side Effects and Detox Safety

Detoxes are generally safe for adults that are otherwise healthy and are dealing with bloating, fatigue, and other common issues.

If you choose to undergo a juice cleanse, it’s important to understand that you’ll be taking in a lower number of calories during the days of the cleanse than you normally would, even if your juice cleanse allows for one or two regular meals per day.

This means those who struggle with low blood sugar issues, anemia, or diabetes may experience adverse effects from the detox.

Make sure to consult with your doctor before you begin any cleanse that includes significant changes to your daily routine, especially if you have an underlying health issue. Your doctor may be able to recommend detoxification techniques that are more appropriate for your needs and health status.

How Long Should a Detox Last?

Detoxes that are focused on eliminating toxins through a significant change in diet shouldn’t last more than a few days for your safety.

However, some cleansing habits such as increased water intake, a regular exercise regimen, mindfulness to reduce stress, and the inclusion of organic foods in your diet can simply be integrated into your lifestyle for more effective natural detoxing in the long term.

Tips for a Successful Cleanse

In order to receive the full benefits of your cleanse, it’s important to take a few steps to make sure you’re fully prepared. Going through the steps of a detox won’t affect your health that you’re looking for if you maintain certain unhealthy habits during the process.

Prioritize Rest

Various pollutants and waste products build up within our body throughout the day, and getting enough sleep allows our body to properly allocate the energy to remove them.

You can support high-quality sleep by reducing screen time before bed, finishing eating at least a few hours before sleep, and making sure your bedroom is at a comfortable temperature.

Do Some Research Beforehand

Before you make any significant changes to your health and wellness routine, it’s important to do as much research as you can about it, even if you’re embarking on a cleanse that is only set to last a few days.

If you have underlying health issues, you may end up exacerbating them accidentally with your detox if you don’t consult with a doctor beforehand and read about the detox’s specific effects.

Listen to Your Body

During any type of cleansing, it’s important to stay in tune with how you’re feeling, especially if you’re cleansing your gut and digestive tract with a juice cleanse.

Some temporary reduction in physical energy is to be expected at the beginning of your juice cleanse, but if you experience any significant side effects such as nausea, vomiting, or extreme fatigue, stop the cleanse immediately and contact your physician.

Limit or Cut Out Alcohol and Tobacco

During a detox, it only makes sense to drastically limit or entirely remove any alcohol or tobacco consumption, which are toxins themselves.

Alcohol, in particular, causes significant strain on your liver, which is one of the primary detoxifying organs in your body. In this way, reducing or cutting alcohol as well as tobacco can act as the first step of your detox.

Counterarguments to Detoxing

While we are all for cleanses and have seen their benefits firsthand, there are certain counterarguments that exist when it comes to cleansing and we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention them, especially when this is supposed to be the ultimate guide to cleansing.

To get a little more philosophical, if you really think about it, today’s human body faces an unprecedented amount of toxins–more than anyone has ever expected and that number has increased every single year. There is no way we could think we could get rid of everything just by drinking juice (although it is a start). Some long-term health effects from certain toxins are yet to even be categorized so we are still evolving, still understanding.

We aren’t separate from our environment and as the toxins increase within that environment (pollution, disease, etc), so will those within our bodies. We know that cleansing can greatly help but we also acknowledge that it is not the solution to all of our problems

If your main objective with a detox is to remove toxins, considering a different approach apart from detoxing may be even more effective, however that doesn’t discount the other health benefits a detox may offer your body, not to mention the natural vitamins you can receive from delicious fruits and vegetables.

Cleansing and detoxing is definitely a start to getting healthier, stripping away any impurities that exist within the body, but if you are looking to completely get yourself in check, this is only part of the solution.

Detoxify Your Body with Clean Juice

Nothing can rejuvenate your energy and improve your quality of life like a great cleanse. Not only will you enjoy a huge variety of noticeable health benefits, but your body will also enjoy a much-needed internal boost to help it function at its best.

At Clean Juice, we offer a wide variety of organic juice cleanses, 6 in fact, designed to fit specific needs. Our juices are made fresh and with organic ingredients, cutting out any harsh chemicals or unwanted minerals, and work very effectively to reset your body through a detox. Whether you are looking for a beginner cleanse to test the waters, improve immune function or increase your energy levels, we have a specialized plan to help you achieve your cleanse goals. All of our cleanse programs are safe, healthy, and easy to follow to make sure that you can stay on track with confidence.

Juicing has so many benefits that we know of and some that we are even still discovering. It can be instrumental in getting yourself back on track and will uplift you in so many ways.

Stay hydrated H20
Limit stress and get quality sleep
Reduce your sodium intake
Eat and drink organic
Increase circulation with exercise
Add prebiotics and probiotics to your daily routine
Try intermittent fasting
Prioritize eating foods rich in antioxidants

BONUS: Try juicing!

Disclaimer: The information presented here is for educational purposes only and is in no way intended as substitute for medical counseling. Consult your doctor before using any health treatment, including natural remedies, and tell your doctor if you have a serious medical condition or are taking any medications.

10 Effective Ways to Detox Your Body