Recent research on Mormons who fast once a month for religious reasons suggests that fasting regularly may reduce the risk of heart disease. I’m not suggesting here that fasting is good for weight loss because study after study has shown that skipping meals on a regular basis upsets blood sugar balance and sabotages weight loss plans but what I am saying is that spending one Sunday out of four gently detoxing could be an effective way to redress the balance of toxins in and toxins out and by so doing boost your health and energy levels.

The word detox is a common buzz word for those who want to lose weight but before you panic about rumbling stomachs and spinach smoothies the one day detox I am going to recommend is not about fasting or dieting as such and more about re-educating your body on how and what to eat. It is also about nourishing your body with nutrient rich foods that can boost liver and kidney function so that the toxins that cause fatigue, bloating, skin breakouts, constipation, headaches, irritability and weight gain can be cleared out.

 

 

The day before you start:

 

Go shopping for the foods and supplements recommended below and a body brush. On your detox Sunday remember to only eat the foods recommended below.

 

Detox Sunday:

 

Start the detox day by drinking half litre of bottled water within 30 minutes of waking. Add some lemon juice to give your digestive system an extra detox boost

 

Thirty minutes after waking have a light breakfast of naturally high in fibre cereal like porridge oats or soaked muesli with a handful of nuts and seeds for energy and a glass of organic fruit or preferably vegetable juice. If you never eat cereal you could have a boiled organic egg with a slice of rye bread.

 

After breakfast keep drinking mineral water, and try to drink about half-litre every hour or preferably three-quarters every hour. If you keep drinking this amount for a few hours of the day you’ll notice the need to excrete will become regular, the passing will also become clearer during the day. This is simply because you are drinking more than required but this is necessary to enable your kidneys to flush out the waste products.

 

At some point during the day make time to do some type of activity, maybe a walk or some type of light exercise for at least half-hour, again remember to keep drinking water before, during and after the best exercise.

 

For your mid morning snack have a warm mug of herbal tea with a piece of fruit and a few almonds. Take 500 mg of vitamin C to encourage cell regeneration and repair detox damage.  (see Vitamin C Plus, an alkaline form of vitamin C on the Resources page).

 

For lunch have a quinoa salad with chopped beetroot, red onion, chickpeas, mint and rocket. Drizzle with cold pressed olive oil and a squeeze of lime juice. Chew your food thoroughly as this will help with digestion.

 

If you start to feel a bit tired and irritable now sip some organic green tea to perk you up.

 

For your mid afternoon snack go for a selection of berries to improve your circulation and reduce inflammation; and take a second 500 mg of vitamin C.

 

After your snack try some dry body brushing (or if the timing is inconvenient then do it as soon as you wake before you have a shower). If you have not done this before,  work from the feet up, in a circular motion, clockwise direction up from the heart. From your chest upwards start brushing in a downward movement as if encouraging the blood towards the heart.

 

Start to slow on the amount of water you drink 3-4 hours before bed.

 

For dinner have a warm salad of watercress (blanched), fresh (wild or organic not farmed) salmon, broccoli, green beans, and olives. Dress with olive oil, garlic, pepper and lemon juice. Take a supplement of milk thistle to support the liver.

 

Have a warm bath with some relaxing aromatherapy oils before you got to bed and try to be in bed before 10 pm; studies show that your body does most of its physiological repair work before midnight so if you want your skin to look great in the morning have an early night.

 

Well done!

 

After your detox Sunday you should feel lighter and may even have lost weight naturally without trying. Your digestion and absorption will have improved and your skin will feel softer and more elastic. Your body should be more in tune now with its own needs so keeping listening to it and continue to feed it the quality, healthy diet it needs to help you look and feel your best.

This entry was posted on Friday, February 1st, 2008 at 6:50 pm and is filed under Alternative therapies, Detox. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.