The simplest way you can begin to detox and feel your best!
Detoxing misunderstood
Often times, when we hear the word ‘detox’, we immediately think of going on a ‘fasting’ diet or a pure juice cleanse. This is not true, as these are just the 2 types of ‘detoxing’ that you can go through to cleanse your body. So what is detoxing? Why is it that we need to detox from time to time?
What is detoxing?
To ‘detox’ means to abstain the body from unwanted substances for a period of time whereby the aim is to rid the body of toxins. In other words, it simply means to mindfully choose what we eat / drink so that we feel good in our bodies!
As we go through life, we may encounter stressful periods, work to be done, family to take care of, people to meet, and taking care of our own health may be the last thing on our minds. We may start to feel fatigue, get headaches, colds, cough, and generally feel low. This is where detoxing from time to time will be beneficial. Detoxing will ‘reset’ our bodies, give the nutrients it needs to heal, ward off stress and feel good again! When we feel good in our bodies, we can show up in our lives more fully. We can have greater clarity of mind, more vibrant energy, and be in a happier mood.
Detoxing doesn’t have to be a complicated process. We don’t have to stick to rigid rules that come out of a book, or purchase cold pressed green juices and only live off that for a week. Detoxing can be done with ease and it’s a decision that we can feel good about! Below I’m going to share the 3 easy steps in how you can begin your detoxing journey with ease!
How do you begin your detox journey with ease?
1. Be aware of how you feel after you eat
Each of us has eating habits, foods or drinks that we like to eat. But how often do you pay attention to how your body feels after your meals? How does your body feel after you’ve eaten a plate of spaghetti? How do you feel after you eat that grilled chicken or steak? How does your body feel after eating a bowl of salad?
Do you feel energized or lethargic?
Do you feel sleepy or awake?
Do you feel clear-headed or is your mind slightly foggy?
When you begin tracking how your body feels after eating / drinking, you will sense a pattern of which food / drinks make your body feel good and not.
2. Keep a food journal
Each of our bodies are different, some of us may feel energized after eating a plate of pasta, but some of us may feel sleepy. Some of us may feel okay after drinking milk, but others of us may feel uneasy in our stomachs. The foods we eat should be nourishing, energy giving, and feels good to our bodies! This is where keeping a food journal can come in handy. When we take note of what we’ve eaten for a few days, we can start to notice the foods / drinks that don’t make us feel good and those that do.
3. Make a conscious decision
After keeping our food journal for a few days (4 – 7 days minimum) we can take note of the foods that make us feel good and those that weary our body down. The most simplest way to begin a detox, is to make a conscious decision of not to eat the foods / drinks that doesn’t make us feel good any longer. For instance, if dairy doesn’t suit your stomach, then you may choose to not eat it any longer.
Now it doesn’t have to be drastic, and completely eliminate all the foods that is not making you feel good. The process can be gradual. You can start with lessening the amount of the food / drink daily and replacing it with something else. For instance, going along with the dairy example, you can choose to drink less milk and drink more water or soy (or other non dairy based milk like almond milk, etc) and see how your body feels. If eating too much carbs during lunch is making you sleepy, then perhaps you can replace some of the carbs with more vegetables or a protein source. Continue tracking how your body feels with the adjustments over the next few days and adjust accordingly.
There is no one rule fits all with detoxing. For those of you that are thinking about going on a detox, I hope that these 3 steps have simplified it for you! Everyone’s bodies are different and it’s our job to listen to our bodies’ needs and honor it. Here’s to feeling good in our bodies!
Next Post