By Heather Nicholds
Some people can experience some serious symptoms when they go on a detox diet plan. From headaches to nausea to fatigue – they’re all pretty common, and happen because of the toxins that get released from where your body is storing them and they don’t always get out of your system very quickly.
So much of the focus of detox diet plans is on what foods you should include or exclude – basically controlling what goes into your body. But there are some other things that you can and should do to make sure the toxins you’re trying to eliminate can make it out of your body.
1. Drinking lots of water not only keeps you hydrated, but keeps your colon hydrated and functioning optimally to eliminate toxins, waste and extra food efficiently.
2. Eating lots of fiber has a similar effect, since it helps to push foods faster through the colon. Vegetables, particularly leafy greens, are a great source of fiber. An excellent fiber mix is a quarter cup of rolled oats with two tablespoons each of ground flax seeds and psyllium husks, all mixed with lots of water.
3. Colon hydrotherapy, or a colonic, is a more intense way to cleanse your digestive tract and is especially important when there are a lot of toxins to cleanse or when you’re doing a juice or water fast. It uses water to clean debris out of your large intestine.
It’s definitely not the most comfortable process, as I’m sure you can imagine, but it can clean out things that would otherwise not be passed out of your body. The downside is that they say you need to go for multiple treatments in order to get the full effect. Phil and I went for one treatment, but it gets pricey when they recommend you go back 8 or 9 more times. I think we paid about $90 each.
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4. A probiotic is a great addition to a detox diet plan. Since you’re working to clean out your system, this is an excellent opportunity to make sure the population of beneficial bacteria in your colon is strong and healthy. You can get probiotics in the form of pills, but I prefer a probiotic drink since it’s readily available to your system.
5. Exercise is important for an overall healthy lifestyle, but it comes into play specifically during a detox since the lymphatic system of your body (the one responsible for cleansing your blood of toxins) works best when you are physically fit.
Although intense exercise should probably be avoided during a fast, moderate amounts of exercise are helpful while following a detox diet plan. If you have low energy, stick with a low-impact exercise like walking.
6. Skin brushing is a fun process of massaging the skin while dry with a soft brush. The skin is a system of elimination, and can help to release toxins from the body. Brushing can also stimulate your lymphatic system and your glands, both supporting the process of detoxification. I’ve started allowing myself an afternoon skin brushing break. It’s like a mini self-massage.
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