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.

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.

]]> http://herbaldetoxify.com/herbal-detox-diet/feed/ 1 http://herbaldetoxify.com/herbal-body-detox-program/ http://herbaldetoxify.com/herbal-body-detox-program/#comments Thu, 12 Feb 2009 01:52:00 +0000 admin http://herbaldetoxify.com/?p=17 In order to get the most out of an herbal body detox program, it is essential that you follow a good diet for the duration of the program.  Basic detoxification begins with diet.

Avoid eating anything that will add toxins to your system or in any way tax your digestive abilities.  This means eliminating alcohol and tobacco.  Eat as close to a vegetarian diet as you can.  If you must eat meat, eat extremely small portions gently prepared – steamed or poached are the best methods.

Increase your intake of water.  Either in its pure state or as an herbal tea.  Also increase your intake of fiber in the form of unprocessed fruits, vegetables and grains or, if needed in a supplement like psyllium.  This is done to increase bowel evacuation and urination which will eliminate toxins from the body.

The two other means of toxin elimination should also be enhanced.  Sweat often through exercise or a steam room/sauna.  Take time to practice deep breathing.  Respiration is a vital way of releasing toxins as well.

The main organs for detoxification in the human body are the skin, the liver, the lungs, the bowels and the kidneys.

Therefore, all herbal detoxification programs aim to enhance their function while eliminating the ingestion of foods and beverages which trigger digestive problems (such as wheat gluten and dairy products – often allergenic,  sugars which have no function but can bring on hypoglycemia, meats which contain hormones and are extremely difficult to digest and caffeine as it has many negative effects on digestion).

Herbs that enhance liver function:

• Milk thistle
• Dandelion Root
• Ginger
• Nettle
• Rose hips

Herbs that enhance kidney and bladder function:

• Hydrangea root
• Marshmallow root
• Ginger
• Parsley
• Juniper
• Golden Seal

Herbs that enhance lung and respiratory function:

• Astragalus
• Aster
• Bupleurum
• Licorice root
• Mullein Leaf
• Ginger root

Herbs that enhance skin function/perspiration

• Angelica
• Blessed thistle
• Camphor
• Cayanne
• Chamomile
• Hyssop
• Rosemary
• Peppermint
• Yarrow

Additionally, detoxifying teas clean the colon and the liver.  This is extremely important because as one of the liver’s prime functions is detoxification and the production of biochemicals – bile, for example – which are necessary for digestion.  The liver, by the way, is the largest gland in the human body.  Its proper functioning is vital to survival.

Herbal teas have been used for centuries not only as tonics and cleansers but for their taste and general enjoyment.  You can find them pre-made in the grocery store right next to other coffee and tea beverages or you can put together your own according to your tastes and needs.

Some classic herbal ingredients used in detox tea are:

• Chamomile – commonly used to soothe digestion, anxiety and insomnia.  It is mildly sedative.
• Ginger – historically used to calm nausea and cleanse the body via perspiration.  It is one of the most widely used herbal remedy known.
• Lemon – a vital source of vitamin C, historically used to ease rheumatism and fever.
• Lemonbalm – used to promote perspiration, relieve fever insomnia and anxiety and to ease menstrual cramping.  it is mildly sedative.
• Lemongrass – used to strengthen stomach functions and as a treatment for indigestion.  It is also used to loosen mucus and relieve headaches.  It acts as a diuretic is a mild sedative.
• Nettle – used as a whole body tonic and as a remedy for rheumatism and arthritis and as a general detoxifying agent.
• Rose hip – believed to enhance kidney function and maintain the urinary tract.  It is also used for the treatment of colds, flu, scurvy, diarrhea and gastritis.

You’ll notice that many of the ingredients listed above have sedative properties.  They are extremely mild and generally calming.  Don’t expect that consuming a tea made with each of these herbs will  knock you out.  They are as calming and sleep inducing as coffee is stimulative.

Whether you decide to make your own tea or purchase premixed blends from the store, herbal teas are a great tasting way to detoxify your body.

Now, how much time you need?  The more time you can spend, the better, but one complete 24 hour period is the minimum amount of time you should be prepared to spend.

What you will be doing is eliminating toxins that have built up over time due to environmental factors, food processing agents and any other chemicals you may have absorbed or ingested in the past.  These foreign substenses are regularly filtered out of your system and broken down in the kidneys, gall bladder, liver and colon.

Herbal detox products are designed to strengthen intestinal muscles, improve  digestion and generally remove  harmful materials in your gall bladder and liver in addition to eliminating any intestinal parasites.

The simplest method for undergoing an herbal detox is to have your herbs prepared as detoxifying tea.  This way, you can drink them all day long.  They are generally mild tasting and your body will benefit from a continual lower dose of herbs over a long period of time as opposed to a powder or pill once or twice a day.

You will also find herbal extracts.  These are prepared very much the same way as spice extracts, like vanilla.  These should be avoided because the preparation method involves steeping the herb or spice in alcohol, which should be avoided during this time.

In the very simplest of terms a detox involves consuming only natural products (i.e., not adding any toxins) while eating and drinking those products that will help you eliminate toxic buildups.

So, a simple diet of vegetables and broths with whole grains for fiber is a perfect way to start.  Add some psyllium for extra fiber which both fills the stomach, reducing hunger, and aids in evacuation.

Some common herbs in the detox process are dandelion root and milk thistle for liver detox.  Juniper berries help the entire ‘waste-water’ system detoxifying the kidnewy, bladder and urinary tract.  (And you thought it was just a flavoring for gin!)

Burdock root is thought to aid in ridding the body of heavy metals an is used to clean out the lymphic system.

Reference to gin aside, alcohol should be avoided while detoxifying.  That only makes sense, right?

However you go about your herbal detoxification, drink plenty of water.  It is the most natural way to flush out your system.  You should notice an increase in your energy and vitality in as little as 24 hours.  However, it is recommended you stick with a detoxification program for a few days to let the benefits of the herbs really take effect.