How to quickly and easily herbal detox your body.

Step 1.  Herbal Detox Your Body

Stop adding toxins to your system.  I know this sounds plainly obvious but many people don’t know how much of their toxicity is their own doing.  So, I’ll list out the major causes.

• Stop Smoking – stop hanging around areas where others smoke.  Sometimes easier said than done, but smoke is one of the most pervasive toxins around.  If you need help stopping, join a program like this one Stop Smoking or seek help from a medical professional.
• Stop Drinking Alcohol – I’m well aware that it is a natural product consumed for centuries.  It is also very taxing on the largest organ in your body, the liver.  Alcohol is a toxin and must be metabolized in the liver.  Drinking is directly contrary to a detox program.
• Stop Eating Processed Food – generally speaking, if it comes from the supermarket in a box, its processed – don’t buy it, don’t eat it.  Exceptions are things like oatmeal.  Come to think of it, that’s the only one that comes to mind.  (Things like rice in a box is processed.  Brown rice usually comes in a bag.)
• Stop Eating Meat and Dairy Products – they are the most difficult to digest foods you can eat (other than processed foods like hydrogenated oils and high fructose corn syrup – both are extremely nasty to your body).  You don’t want to eat anything that will hinder the digestive process.
• Stop Eating Wheat Products – most people have a low level allergic reaction to gluten, for some it is severe.  Since most wheat products are processed, they should already be on your ‘avoid’ list.

Step 2.  Herbal Detox Your Body

Eat lightly.  Herbal teas, vegetable broths and fresh juices (both fruit and vegetable, combined if you wish) should make up your first day’s food choices.  Slowly reintroduce salads, steamed vegetables and whole grains (brown rice, lentils, beans and even wheat in the form of wheat berries or bulghar).  These foods are not calorie dense (you can eat a lot of them) and are high in fiber.  Remember, the idea is to get the digestive system operating efficiently.

Drink plenty of water.  The high fiber content of the foods you are reintroducing require a lot of water.

Step 3.  Herbal Detox Your Body

Drink teas made with herbs that enhance the functions of the organs which eliminate the waste from your system.  Those organs are the liver, the skin, the kidneys (and bladder) and the colon/bowels.

You’ll find a list of herbs and what organs they enhance on this page.  Make your own teas or buy them pre-blended.

You could also take the herbs in powder or pill form.  If so, take with meals.

Step 4.  Herbal Detox Your Body

By drinking a lot of water and eating fiber rich foods, you will be eliminating toxins via your kidneys and liver (via the colon).  Now, we’ll get the other major organs involved.

Breathe deeply and purposefully and sweat a lot. I don’t mean ‘exercise.’   In any other context, this would mean ‘exercise’ but you will be on a low calorie diet for at least three days.  What I do mean for you is to exercise your lungs and lymphic system by doing some deep breathing exercises.  Don’t get dizzy or faint but really use your lungs.

Spend some time in a sauna or steam room if you have the opportunity to do so.  If not, take some diaphoretic herbs which induce perspiration.

Step 5.  Herbal Detox Your Body

Ending your diet.  Slowly re-introduce heavier foods.  After spending three to ten days on this diet, begin returning to your ‘normal’ diet.  Reintroduce easy to digest proteins in small amounts like white fleshed fish, egg whites and poultry before moving on to red meats.

Be mindful of foods which contain toxins – grilled meats, alcohol, sugar, etc.  Your body can digest these but, obviously, the lower the quantity, the less difficulty your system will encounter.

No matter what time of year you begin an herbal detox diet plan to be on it for at least three days in order to allow enough time for your body to adjust to the diet.

When is the right time to go on a Detox Diet?

Anytime you have a prolonged feeling of lethargy, are overly tired or sluggish.  Other appropriate times are directly after feasting (Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter, even post-Superbowl).  Detox diets are designed to rid the body of toxins and invigorate the organs responsible for waste elimination.  If you feel overly tired as a result of poor diet, this is the time for you to start.

Warning:  Always consult with a doctor prior to embarking on any diet.

What to eat on a Detox Diet

The best things to eat, not only on a diet but in general, are fruits and vegetables that have high water content. Examples are citrus fruits, apples, pears, melons and berries.  Examples of vegetables to include are lettuces, spinach and other greens, broccoli, cauliflower, tomato, onion, carrot, celery, beet, fennel, cabbage, zucchini and summer squash.

These can be lightly steamed, made into salads or cooked into soups.

If you don’t get a full feeling from vegetables alone, add brown rice, beans, or lentils – no more than 1/2 cup per meal.

What foods to avoid

Meat, dairy and sugar are to be avoided completely.  Processed foods and all manner of refined sugars in addition to alcohol are off the menu, as well.  (Natural honey may be used in moderation.)

How to begin your Detox Diet

For the first one to three days, drink as much herbal tea and freshly made fruit and/or vegetable juice as you wish.  If you have never done so in the past, you might be surprised to find how filling fresh vegetable juice can be.  Beet, carrot, apple, pear and ginger is a favorite.  (Be sure to indulge yourself if you wish.  Fresh pineapple, carrot, orange juice for breakfast is a staple in our house.)

For dinner, a hot vegetable broth (with pureed vegetables, if you wish) is a tasty way to end the day and adds a little textural and temperature variety to the rather restricted food choices.

This beginning phase is designed to give your digestive system a day or more to rest and you should as well.  Refrain from exertion.  Light exercise (yoga, walking) is fine but you don’t want to burn through too many calories.

The Next Phase of your Detox Diet

Re-introduce solid food in the form of fruits and vegetables and whole grain starches like brown rice, beans and lentils.

Drink plenty of herbal teas designed to enhance the functions of you detoxifying organs – liver, lungs, skin and kidneys/bladder.

When to stop your Detox Diet

Ending your diet is completely up to you.  You should aim for a minimum of three days (when only fasting for one day) to five days (when fasting for three days).

Stopping your diet can be as gentle as stopping your tea regimen and increasing your food intake.

If you plan on maintaining a vegetarian lifestyle, learn the proper food pairing necessary to ensure you consume enough complete proteins.