Detoxifying Diets - 4 Benefits & How to Get Started

These days, you often hear the words, "Cleanse" and "Detox" in relation to diet, health, and weight loss - there seems to be a new detox diet that hits the market every month. So in today's What's that?! Wednesday post, we talk about what detox diets are safest and most effective as well some of the benefits you may feel after detoxification. We are also offering a Special Sale Price on our 4 Week Detox Diet now through Sunday 1/3!

What is a Detox Diet?
A detox diet is a short term diet focused on cleansing the body to remove toxic environmental and dietary substances. These diets emphasize foods that provide vitamins, nutrients and antioxidants that the body needs for detoxification. The foods consumed in a detox diet are high in fiber and water content and help draw out and eliminate toxins from your body. These diets also focus on refraining from foods that can impede this process like refined flours, sugars, and processed foods, as well as dairy and grains. 

How Do Toxins Accumulate in Your Body?
A continuously growing amount of research indicates that we ingest chemicals daily through food, water, and air and that some of these chemicals get deposited in fat cells in our bodies.  Common environmental toxins include pesticides, antibiotics and hormones in food, as well as the chemicals from food packaging, household cleaners & detergents, food additives, heavy metals, pollution, prescription and recreational drugs, and cigarette smoke. These toxins get deposited in our fat cells and produce excess build-up that our bodies are no longer naturally able to eliminate on their own. This 'toxic load' makes our immune system work overtime which can lead to illness, disease, hormonal imbalances, and nutritional deficiencies - most commonly, weight loss resistance, digestive irregularity (especially constipation), weakened immune system, low energy, trouble sleeping, and mental sluggishness. 

What are the Benefits of a Detox Diet?

• Weight-loss & breaking through weight loss plateaus. These diets often result in weight loss, especially for those who are not at their optimal weight. A detox diet helps the body shed excess water weight and toxins. It also assists in resetting your metabolism so that you can be more successful at reaching and maintaining your ideal weight.
• Improves digestion and gets rid of constipation, bloating, heart burn, diarrhea, and nausea.
  Cleanses usually focus on alkaline foods that are high in fiber, like dark leafy greens, to calm your digestive tract and help improve digestive regularity. Clean, whole foods in the right combinations on a detox diet will improve gut flora by increasing good gut bacteria and making it tough for bad gut flora to survive. Bad gut bacteria live and proliferate off off sugar, so when you take sugar and simple carbs out of the equation, your bad gut flora dies off and allows more good flora to thrive.
• Nourishes and enhances your immune system. Since over 60% of your immune system resides in your gut, creating a healthy gut microbiome will go a long way to improve your immune system. In fact, it's the number one thing you can do to improve your immune system. Less toxic load and a healthy gut will make for a happier and more efficient immune system.

• Increases your energy and improves concentration levels.  By eliminating foods that slow metabolism or cause mental fogginess and incorporating only foods that energize, most people find that after the initial phase of a detox their energy and focus are significantly improved.
• Helps to regulate sleeping patterns By balancing and regulating the hormones that contribute to a good night's sleep.
  
  

What About Juicing or Protein Shake Cleanses?
Some detox diets are based on fasting, juicing alone, or replacing 2 or more meals with a protein shake. These types of diets can be difficult for most people to stick to, but more importantly, they lack enough nutrients to support the body through the detoxifying process.  If you are considering a detox diet, we generally recommend one that includes a large amount and wide variety of fresh vegetables and clean proteins to keep you feeling full and to give your body the energy and nutrients that it needs to detox, repair, and rebuild.

Our Detoxifcation & Cleansing Programs:
If you're looking to start the year with a simple, effective cleanse that includes easy and delicious recipes, shopping lists, and step by step instructions check out the details of our Nutritional Cleanse & Detox Diet Programs - On Sale now through Sunday 1/3/2016!

​All you need is a blender and a willingness to spend 40-65 minutes total in the kitchen each day. We take care of the weekly eating plan including breakfast, lunch, snacks, and dinner and give you weekly shopping lists along with a plan and the proper support to make sure you see results!

Both of us have personally been through detoxification and elimination diets and based on our experience and our training have created a program that is both effective and easy to follow. We've taken many clients through this diet with rave reviews and success stories...check out our testimonials to learn more and consider joining us today!

Happy Healing!
~Billie and Jen

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