Detox With Raw Foods

Detoxification sounds appealing in theory – purge the toxins in your body, watch the kilos drop off and zits clear up. It has its supporters, including some medical experts, who believe detoxing is the key to good health. There are also other doctors who are concerned that there isn’t sufficient evidence to back up the claims.

But what exactly is detoxification? Its definition is very broad, and involves either a combination of fasting and colon cleansing.

A mini detox may be a three-day fast, where you avoid solid food and instead drink lots of water and juices. An occasional fast to give your system a rest from rich foods is fine, but if you detox on a regular basis, it can lead to a lazy gut. Beware of products which work as laxatives. Doctors warn that if you use those often as a method of cleansing out the colon, you could end up with one that loses the ability to function.

A full-on detox may take up to a week, where you fast and do colon cleansing every day. Colon cleansing or colon hydrotherapy essentially introduces water via a tube into your intestine to flush out the waste material.   

Is it just an extreme way to cure constipation? Yet, there are many people who have tried colon cleansing and who are thrilled with the results: they feel lighter, the stomach is flatter, skin is clearer and they feel more energetic. 

Raw deal 

What you put into your body after you detox can help maintain the weight loss. Some who believe in regular detoxing also advocate eating a diet of at least 75 per cent raw foods. 

The raw food movement, which is a growing trend in the US, claims that cooking destroys nutrients and enzymes in the food. By eating uncooked, unprocessed foods, mainly vegetables, they maintain that you get all the vitamins and increase the level of healthy bacteria in your intestine which will help you digest your food better. 

Doctors point out that not all cooking processes destroy the nutrients in food. Steaming for example, is one method which doesn’t destroy the nutritive value. Also some foods, like meat, are better cooked so that any harmful bacteria is killed off. 

Eating more vegetables and fibre-rich foods is at the top of every doctor’s recommended diet plan but do balance out your diet with a variety of other foods as well. 

Tips for Healthy Detoxification 

-     Detox if you feel toxic or congested. Common symptoms of toxicity are aches and pains, allergies and sinus congestion, sluggish digestion, or skin rashes. 

-     Eat wholesome, natural foods, drink good water, exercise regularly, and avoid junk foods and additives when you are detoxing. 

-     Detox in a way that feels right to you – through a combination of diet changes, juice cleansing, and supplements. Challenge yourself a little, but avoid the attitude, "No pain, no gain." The idea is to take extra good care of yourself. 

-     Create the time and space to detoxify successfully. You may want to do a weekend fast. Starting on Friday gives you the weekend to transition in and out of your program. 

-     Plan to include regular exercise in your life and create a balanced schedule of activity and rest, work and play. 

-     Do saunas, sweats, showers, and skin brushing to help detoxify. Drink plenty of good quality spring water or filtered water (8-10 glasses a day). 

-     Be positive – drop at least one old habit this month. Even a change as simple as giving up wheat or dairy products, sugar or caffeine, could make a big difference in your health. 

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