Spring is here, the birds are chirping, the cherry blossoms have snowed and everyone is getting inspired by the good weather to get healthier, more active and altogether better. The seasonal changes are key stress times in nature when we need to lighten up our demands and consumption. Spring is the time for detoxing as we start to shed some of the nasty habits we might have indulged in through the winter months.
Taking a break from the habits of day-to-day life is a great way to assess and check yourself. It is also a great excuse to improve your overall health. Most illnesses and diseases come from stagnation in the body, which usually means that something isn't working to its full potential. We acquire toxins in many different ways, from the environment, eating, medications, allergens, food addictives, your dog and even that book you touched. Not all are detrimental to your health but you best believe that your body is going try and push that shit out STAT. But if your system isn’t working properly, you will have a harder time doing it.
Proper elimination of toxins are essential to our overall health, a healthy functioning body is able to handle and quickly get rid of a certain amount, but it’s when there is an excess intake, or production of toxins and a decrease of the elimination process when we have problems arise. Simply put, if you are eating a healthy balanced whole foods diet most of the time, your body is able to function properly and get rid of the toxins you ate hungover in the form of pop and fritos.
According to American nutrition expert Dr. Elson M. Haas, a toxin is defined as any substance that creates irritating and/or harmful effects on the body. The body is constant state of achieving homeostasis, which is its balance that is disturbed when we indulge in regular unhealthy habits. Cleanses vary from gentle to extreme, and a four-day water fast vision-quest in the desert is probably not necessary. Cleanses also differ from person to person, and not everyone is equipped to take them on.
Is cleansing right for you? Consider these factors before diving in!
From juice cleanses, the popular Wild Rose cleanse, the Master Cleanse, to even a watermelon cleanse, there is an abundance of choices, all of which can have negative or positive results depending on your physical, mental, emotional, and nutritional state.
Who needs to detox or cleanse is purely on an individual basis and if you feeling like crap all the time and want to kick-start and rejuvenate your system, talk to a professional first before going extreme. You might just need to add more good things into your diet and exercise more. Remember that you can feel like crap and have low energy for many different reasons. It could be from an over-toxicity, or maybe you are deficient in essential nutrients/minerals, in which case you don’t want to cleanse, you want to build and nourish.
Think of it this way, if you are thirsty, you drink water, not deny your body its much-needed hydration.
Detoxing/cleansing isn’t the cure to everything and not all programs are created with individual needs in mind. You can achieve cleansing effects by simply adding specific foods and habits into your everyday life. Eat more fruits, veggies, whole grains, nuts and legumes and cut down on coffee, alcohol, smoking and late night Doritos binges.
Some people are attracted to detoxes and cleanses for the allure of losing weight. They use it as a quick “fix” which is unhealthy and at times pretty detrimental to your health. If you do choose to go on a rejuvenating journey, I advise you to talk to a naturopath or nutritionist that can safely guide you through the process and choose a plan that is best suited for your individual needs.
Recipe: Green detox smoothie
Ingredients:
1 nub ginger root
1 tsp cinnamon
1 handful spinach
1 cup coconut water
1 tsp chia seeds
1/2 apple
Directions:
• Blend together in a vitamix or blender. If too thick and chunky, add more coconut water.
• The more you mince the ginger before adding it in, the less bits you’ll have to crunch on once it’s all blended up.
