Typically, the term ‘detox’ conjures up the idea of a quick weight loss stimulator, a diet choice to shed pounds. Then we can return back to a lifestyle of lethargy and glutton once we’ve paid our dues with lemon and cucumber spa detox water, right? Wrong. A periodic detox is fantastic for cleansing the bloody and mind, like an all-round reset button, so we’ve put together five reasons why we should all be doing it.
1. Prevention of Chronic Disease
Every day, we are exposed to various environmental chemicals related to our lifestyle and atmosphere, ranging from pollutants, waste, and preservatives to UV rays and positive charged ions. They can be stored for years in tissues and cells throughout the body, but a detox diet involving clean eating can really help to reduce the amount of toxins that our bodies retain. This reduces the likelihood and severity of chronic illness and disease caused by such toxins.
2. Boosts Immune System Function
When our immune system is compromised, for example when the seasons change, we are vulnerable to coughs, colds, and bugs that are transmitted through airborne particles. While a detox won’t make us completely off-limits to these nasties, a regular immune system boost will help our bodies to fight off germs quickly and efficiently. We may find that we still get poorly occasionally, but we bounce back quickly without having to raid the local pharmacy for symptom relievers.
3. Mental Clarity and Energy
A detox will encourage all of the body’s key systems to work together in unison, reducing the misalignment that can sometimes occur if we’re eating poorly, working excessive hours, and not getting enough sleep. When our main components are in harmony, we can achieve a higher level of focus, with increased attention span and elevated energy levels to help us to cope with a busy lifestyle. Because our body and mind will be working in unison, we’ll also enjoy restful, quality sleep – our brains release a “wind down” message to the nervous system, which our limbs quickly respond to.
4. Skin Tone and Complexion
The toxins in our environment, and those which we take in through our diet, can have a negative effect on the condition and tone of our skin. A poor diet and lack of natural daylight can lead to a sallow, pale complexion and leave us prone to spots and blemishes. A good detox will rid our bodies of impurities and encourage cell regeneration. Any foods high in vitamin C should form a staple of our detox as vitamin C promotes the development of collagen, which improves skin elasticity and fights the aging process.
5. Metabolism Booster
Yes, the humble detox plan can help to shift excess weight. But this is true of taking on ANY water-based drink: fluid (the right kind) is brilliant for flushing toxins through the system and warm water in particular will boost our metabolism. This is because our digestive tract needs to work a bit harder to process anything at a varying temperature to our internal body heat. The process of this will burn extra calories too.
Tell us why you are going on a detox - is there a reason outside of the above?
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