The New Year often means having your screens filled with ads for many detox or cleanse programs, but not all programs are created equal. There’s always a new superfood promising incredible results, but the truth is, your body is continually running it’s detoxification pathways, and the best way to support them is to give them the vital nutrients they need to run efficiently.
Some “cleanse” programs fail by being too restrictive on calories, so you’re replacing meals with juice and feeling hungry and irritable, and it’s difficult to sustain. They often ramp up phase 1 detoxification without providing what phase 2 needs for the liver and kidneys to effectively flush out the toxins that your body begins releasing, causing sensitivity reactions, headaches or brain fog.
A well-planned detoxification program, however, can provide you with many benefits, such as decreased joint and muscle pain, more energy, and anti-aging effects, as well as break addictions to sugar and processed grains so you can continue to thrive with better nutrition choices after the cleanse is over.
Symptoms which may be relieved by following a detox program include digestive problems, fatigue, general malaise, headaches, skin rashes, difficulty losing weight, bad breath, irritability, constipation, itchy skin and eczema, joint pain, and poor focus.
What is Detox Really?
Our bodies detox continuously as a natural function. When our detox mechanisms become overloaded, the processes become less efficient and symptoms may occur. Pollution, pesticides and chemicals in food products put stress on our detoxification organs, the kidney and liver. Toxic overload is known to contribute to many chronic conditions.
Many detox programs eliminate animal protein entirely for the duration of the cleanse, but this is not a requirement for healthy detoxification. While it is possible to overeat meat, many animal foods, especially organ meats, contain many helpful amino acids necessary for liver detoxification. Glutathione is often called the body’s “master antioxidant”, and is needed to transform harmful components released from the body during detoxification. It is found in a large proportion, but not exclusively, in animal foods such as beef, pork, eggs, turkey, chicken, and lamb.
Ramping up your colorful vegetable intake, especially cruciferous vegetables like broccoli and cabbage, is a necessary component to healthy detoxification as well, to provide various antioxidants and micronutrients, but especially sulfur to aid the liver in phase 2 detoxification.
The PaleoCleanse
I’m hosting a special class on Nutrition for Healing and Detoxification as a primer for our group detoxification program. Whether or not you choose to join the program in the weeks following, you’ll gain valuable knowledge during this 1-hour class. The PaleoCleanse and VegeCleanse programs are designed to gently and slowly cleanse your body of toxins that add extra burden to the body’s ability to function with ease (omnivore and vegan options). I’m ready to do the PaleoCleanse again this year, and am getting a small group to do it with me, so we can all harness the power of group accountability and reach our health and wellness goals together this New Year.
Learn more about the PaleoCleanse/VegeCleanse and other upcoming events by clicking here!
