It is now the New Year and most of us lucky to live in affluent countries have more than likely indulged ourselves in the run up to Christmas and New Year.

This is also the time of year when we often make rash promises of changes that we are going to make in the New Year in the form of resolutions. That’s great but rather than make several individual resolutions, why not make a really critical one that will impact your body for years to come.

How about getting to know your body in detail and understanding what it needs to be healthy. That covers quite a few resolutions such as giving up chocolate, smoking and alcohol. Once you understand how your body works then you will know exactly what to do to keep it fit, healthy and last you a long lifetime.

The gentle detox is a gift that you can now give your body, preparing it for the year to come.

Our bodies will tolerate a certain amount of abuse but unfortunately, another by product of this modern day and age is that the sort of bingeing that we have just subjected our bodies to is repeated continuously throughout the year.

When I look at client’s food diaries over a two week period I now expect to see in excess of 21 units of alcohol per week. If a person is overweight they invariably have eaten too much or the wrong things including too many chocolate bars, cakes, sweets and biscuits. Christmas indulgence is actually a year long celebration these days and as well as following the healthy eating plan for life covered in the last few months, we also need to give our body a break from modern life from time to time.

I follow the Gentle Detox seasonally every three months. It marks the change in different eating patterns. The more stodgy, carbohydrate driven diet for the winter months to the lighter spring available food and the even lighter summer options.

To live long and healthy lives we need to nurture and sustain our body. Our organs, bones, tissues, skin and blood accumulate debris and toxins over a period of days, weeks, months and years. Under normal circumstances our body is very efficient in clearing out harmful toxins and has a number of systems in place to deal with them. Unfortunately, as I have just mentioned life is a little more toxic these days and we are bombarded through our skin, in the air we breathe and in the food we eat.

Our modern society is not just about what we eat and drink. The pollutants that are surrounding us on a daily basis attack every system in our bodies and we need to build a strong and robust immune system to cope with the age we live in.

Detox is a spring clean and a preventative measure. It will release the toxins from your body and improve your general health. For anyone already suffering the symptoms of toxic build up it should bring some relief to the symptoms and aid your recovery.

Unfortunately it would be impossible, short of living in a bubble to avoid all that modern day living throws at us, but we can cleanse and revitalise our bodies and enable them to deal better with our toxic environment.

SO WHY MIGHT YOU NEED TO UNDERGO A DETOX?

It is almost certain that unless you live on a remote pacific Island, you will be suffering from some form of general toxicity. If you look back at your life in detail you will be able to identify if there might have been specific exposure to toxins in the workplace such as heavy metals in industry, a dry cleaners or dentist surgery. You may have been a heavy smoker in which case you have certainly been exposed to over 4000 chemicals every time you inhaled tobacco smoke. You may have also used excessive stimulants such as coffee or alcohol that will not only have acidified your body but also prevented the absorption of essential nutrients it needs to be healthy.

If you are sick and in pain then it is very probable that you are suffering from an imbalance of acid/alkaline levels causing acidosis, which is an environment that toxins thrive in. More specific toxins would be ingested, inhaled or absorbed from the intestines, through the skin or into the muscle via injections. If you have undergone suppressive treatments such as radiation, chemotherapy or used medications that have driven the toxins back into the system, this will have resulted in stored poison.

You might also be suffering from either food allergies or more commonly food intolerances that are adding to the toxic overload.

An allergic reaction is immediate – it is a fast response. Intolerance is by contrast a slow reaction. Both however will lead to a build up of toxins in the body over time and they can lead to a number of diseases and certainly general fatigue.

Toxins surround us and their effects on us, as individuals, are varied. One person may have an immediate and life threatening reaction to a food such as peanuts, whilst another person can eat them everyday and not be affected in the slightest. You might be exposed to certain toxins on a daily basis but only notice the affects several years later when damage has already occurred. This is often the case in the one area of toxicity that that affects everyone negatively and that is Heavy Metal poisoning. Unfortunately we are not often aware that we have been exposed and the majority of us are storing these metals in our tissues in varying strengths. I have covered this area of toxicity in a separate article this month.

WHAT IS INVOLVED IN A DETOX?

To start with it is important that you get into the right frame of mind and also begin some preparations. You have to make some decisions about how you are going to tackle some of the more harmful habits you may have. For the detox to be successful you will need to give up smoking, alcohol and chocolate. Hopefully you will feel so fantastic at the end of the six weeks that you will never pick up a cigarette again, but you will not be giving up chocolate and alcohol for life. After the detox you can pick up the healthy eating plan for life and as you know you can enjoy all foods, just use moderation for those that are not as healthy as they might be.

Many people believe that going on a detox means starving their bodies into submission. Nothing could be further from the truth. It is vital that during what can be a very stressful experience for your body that it is supported throughout with nutrients and fluids to enable it to function efficiently. During the process you may well feel under the weather as the toxins are excreted firstly into the body from tissues and then out through the intestines. The last thing you need is a body that is already tired due to lack of nourishment.

There are certain foods or habits that you will need to give up for this six-week rejuvenating spring clean. If you are a heavy smoker then I am afraid you are not going to achieve great results because as I have just mentioned, you will be inhaling 4000 chemicals everytime you take a drag. You may however look upon this as an opportunity to give up smoking and clean your system at the same time.

Alcohol plays a role in most of our lives and at this time of year after all the Christmas parties and excesses we have probably drunk a great deal more than we would normally in the same period. To complete a successful detox you will need to give up alcohol for the six weeks.

The other item that you will need to give up for the time being is any processed foods including sauces, ready meals, ice cream etc. The only foods that you are going to eat are fresh, unprocessed and gently cooked vegetables, meats and of course fruit.

Caffeine does need to be taken out of the diet but I do make an exception for green tea, which of course in on our superfoods list. If you really cannot live without your morning cup of tea or coffee then that must be the only one for the day. You can then drink green or herbal teas to help your body eliminate the toxins.

Because some of us have food intolerances that we may be unaware of you will be avoiding the most common culprits and certain foods you will only eat every five days. Our bodies and our liver in particular are designed to deal with the occasional toxin that we take in. However if the toxin is present every day the body cannot deal with it and it therefore gets stored. To overcome this certain foods are only eaten irregularly and therefore do not have a chance to become toxic. You will find them highlighted on your food lists but they should be only eaten every 5 days.

Acidity in the body as I have mentioned is a contributory factor to toxic build up as it provides such a wonderful environment for them. To counteract this you will include certain foods in your diet that are ash forming rather than acid forming so that you can develop a balance throughout your system. We will take a look at the acidity and alkalinity issue at a later date.

Fibre is very important to move waste through the system and out through the intestines. We have two very important and nutritious superfoods that are perfect for the job. Porridge oats and brown rice are not only packed with nutrients, are slow burning to help you maintain energy but are also full of fibre and must be included every day of the detox. You may eat up to two slices of wholegrain bread per day; homemade would be preferable so that you are not taking in all the additives in store bought bread.

Last but not least is water. It is essential that you are drinking sufficient fluids to hydrate your body and to flush the toxins from the body as they are released. Fresh pressed juices and herbal teas also count towards the total amount of fluid you must drink every day so there is plenty of variety.

Be very careful about quick start programmes that reduce your calories levels to below 1400 calories for a woman and1800 for a man – it can cause your body to go into Starvation mode so that when you begin to eat normally again you will not only put back on the weight you have lost but extra weight as your body will be in storage mode.

I don’t think there is a day goes by that we are not reminded that our excessive lifestyles arn’t doing us any good. Whether it is mass consumerism and excess car use adding to the greenhouse effect or whether it is our excessive consumption of  junk food making us fat.  We need to seriously start to respect our bodies and the quality of the food we put into them if we are to avoid obesity and early death.

 http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/6875091/Number-of-people-dying-as-a-result-of-obesity-doubles-in-10-years.html

Is it really down to the Government to police obesity? Arn’t we capable of being selective about what we put in our stomachs? Unfortunately it can be difficult to eat healthily when we don’t really know what healthy is because the idea of healthy has been hijacked by food manufacturers so they can sell us their dubious “healthy” products. Remember genuine healthy food has no need to make health claims on the packet!