6 natural ways to detox your body
By keeping these organs healthy, you can help optimize your body’s natural system of detoxification. Here are 6 natural ways to optimize ensure that your organs function properly, protect your body against free radicals that cause cellular damage, and keep diseases at bay.
1. Limit alcohol
Your liver metabolizes almost 99% of alcohol. While moderate drinking (1 drink a day for women and 2 drinks a day for men) is fine, too much alcohol consumption can damage your liver, causing the accumulation of fat and scarring (liver cirrhosis). This can hamper the liver’s ability to detoxify your body naturally by filtering out waste from your body.
2. Drink plenty of water
Your body is almost more than 80% water. Drinking water helps your body eliminate unwanted wastes through urine, stool, and sweat and prevents urea and carbon dioxide from building up in your blood. Staying properly hydrated is also crucial for your digestive system and can help with your bowel movements.
Adequate daily intake of water is between 91 and 125 ounces, although this amount may vary depending on your activity level, climate, and diet.
3. Reduce sodium
When you eat too much salt on a daily basis, excess salt causes fluid buildup in your body, called water retention. It can also cause you to urinate less, meaning less detoxification.
One way to prevent this from happening is to drink more water. Another way is to limit salt in your diet to less than a tablespoon per day, as well as incorporate potassium-rich foods such as bananas, potatoes, squash, coconut water, and spinach. Avoid or modify recipes that call for a high amount of sodium.
Having a regular exercise regimen and staying physically active is one of the best ways to detox your body. Not only does it help with weight loss, but it also reduces your risk of diseases such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and cancer that can affect the functioning of your organs.
Exercise flushes the lungs, cleanses the skin through sweat, and reduces inflammation. By promoting blood circulation, it also helps the liver and lymph nodes in their detoxification processes. It’s recommended to exercise for at least 150 minutes a week or 30 minutes a day 5 days of the week.
5. Avoid sugar and processed foods
Eating too many high-calorie, sugary, fatty foods can lead to lifestyle diseases such as obesity, diabetes and heart disease. For example, sugary food can cause fatty liver, which affects your body’s ability to naturally detox your body.
Replacing junk food with a healthy diet of whole grains, vegetables, and fruits can help your body organs stay healthy and maintain their efficiency.
6. Eat more fiber
Fiber helps your bowel movements by improving your digestive system and allowing the smooth passage of stools from your colon. Eating at least 25 grams of fiber through fruits and vegetables such as apples, pears, avocadoes, bananas, carrots, etc. can help you make sure you’re getting enough fiber in your diet.
FAQs
In theory, the detoxification process involves cleaning out your body of chemicals, pollutants, and other “toxins” that can negatively impact your health. However, the truth is that healthy bodies are able to do this on their own through the kidneys, liver, digestive system, and skin.
How do you know when toxins are leaving your body? ›
Nausea and vomiting: your body may react to the elimination of toxins by causing feelings of nausea or even vomiting. Muscle aches and pains: muscle soreness and aches can occur as your body eliminates toxins and readjusts to a healthier state.
How long does it take to detox whole body? ›
Detoxing from alcohol or drugs involves removing toxic substances from the body while managing the withdrawal symptoms that occur simultaneously. Detoxing typically takes three to ten days. However, a more severe addiction can extend detox by several weeks or even months.
How do you know if detox is working? ›
Toxins also contribute to fatigue and difficulty sleeping, food cravings and weight gain, reduced mental clarity, low libido, and joint discomfort. So if you're sleeping better, craving less, thinking more clearly, enjoying your sex life more, and feeling relief in once-stressed joints, you might have detox to thank.
What color is your urine when you detox? ›
Yes, your urine may be pale yellow or even darker if you are detoxing. In addition, they can even have a strong smell indicating an overload of molecules that need to be treated during detox.
Can detoxing make you sick? ›
Nausea, vomiting and diarrhea are all common symptoms of alcohol and drug detox as your body tries to regulate what you're now putting into your system versus what you have in the past.
Where does your body release the most toxins? ›
As the organs responsible for metabolizing and excreting toxic chemicals, the liver and kidneys bear the brunt of this exposure and are at the highest risk for toxin-induced damage.
Is detoxing good for you? ›
Just as there is limited evidence of benefit associated with detox or cleanse programs, there is limited evidence of harm. However, there are reports of side effects and complications. Examples include: kidney failure linked to the use of a juice cleanse diet, including a green smoothie cleanse.
What is the best drink to flush your system? ›
7 Healthy Detox Drinks You Can Easily Make At Home
- Lemon and Mint Infused Water. Start your detox journey with a classic yet revitalizing option. ...
- Green Detox Smoothie. ...
- Cucumber and Ginger Cooler. ...
- Berry Antioxidant Detox Water. ...
- Turmeric Detox Tea. ...
- Pineapple and Coconut Water Elixir. ...
- Herbal Detox Infusion.
Cleanses and detox products do nothing to remove toxic substances. The reason marketers tend not to define "toxins" is that there aren't generally any poisonous substances that these types of products can remove from your body.
Simply add 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar to a mug of Chamomile tea with a dash of honey and cinnamon. What we love most about this drink: These ingredients combined will help you to feel relaxed before bed and also set you up well for the following day ahead.
Do you smell when detoxing? ›
Another physical sign of detoxification can be a stronger body odor. This symptom results from the evacuation of accumulated waste and toxins. The process of toxin expulsion can lead to heavy perspiration, which in turn may cause a strong body odor.
Do you pee a lot when detoxing? ›
Detoxification can also lead to increased urination as the body flushes out toxins.
What not to do after a detox? ›
The biggest challenge after doing a detox is to not re-pollute your body when you go back to your daily routine. This is why we encourage you to eat whole natural foods and stay away from processed foods, processed grains, poor quality dairy, meats, alcohol, and SUGAR for as long as possible!
What is a total detox of the body? ›
Detoxing the entire body may involve following a particular diet, fasting, taking supplements, or using a sauna. Detoxes can encourage habits that may enhance the body's normal detoxification processes, such as eating a healthful diet, getting enough exercise, and staying hydrated.
What happens to skin when you detox? ›
Detoxing stimulates a healthier environment for your skin by fostering collagen and elastin development, boosting cell metabolism, increasing cell turnover, and improving the skin barrier.
How long do detox breakouts last? ›
If you do experience skin detox symptoms, they can last anywhere from a few days to a month – but your skin will regulate itself. It's important to remember that the skin detox will also be dependent on the chemical load on your skin, as the higher the load, the more intense the conversion.
