If you’re like me, after seeing all the scary detox diets out there, you’re probably wondering if there’s a way to naturally cleanse your body yourself without going on an all-liquid diet or cutting out meat and dairy products completely from your diet.
Every time I see one of the new fad detox diets, I just cringe because the idea of not eating any solid food for 10 days goes against everything I ever learned in my nutrition classes (and from my doctor).
The fact is your body knows how to detox itself… naturally.
You don’t need to fast or go on a liquid diet to lose weight or get rid of the toxins in your body.
Instead, you can simply change your lifestyle a little bit to include a number of good new habits that will enhance your body’s natural ability to detox itself!
A natural detox is much more effective… and much safer.
Here are 6 simple things you can do to naturally self detox and feel good from the inside out:
#1 – Drink 8 Glasses Of Water Each Day
You’ve heard it before and you’ll probably hear it again, but drinking plenty of water each day is really important. If you wait until you’re thirsty to drink some water, then you’re probably already slightly dehydrated.
Getting into the habit of drinking an 8-ounce glass of water at least every 2 hours helps your body detox itself. Water helps the fiber you eat bulk up and then push through your colon — taking toxins with it while being eliminated as waste.
Water also helps your body sweat better — and you release toxins that way too!
Here are 5 things you can drink when you’re tired of drinking water.
#2 – Exercise Regularly
When you exercise regularly, you sweat — which helps your body eliminate toxins.
Of course, exercise also has a multitude of other benefits — such as weight loss and fat burning.
Ultimately, exercise helps to get rid of the toxins that are in your fat cells while increasing endorphins that help you to feel happy.
Here are 10 ways to squeeze in a workout when you don’t have time.
#3 – Eat (Or Drink) Plenty Of Fiber
Adding adequate fiber and water to your diet are 2 of the most beneficial things you can do for your body when you’re trying to self detox.
Together, water and fiber push toxins through your colon and out of your body.
- Great detox vegetables include broccoli, cauliflower, broccoli sprouts, and onions. Artichokes are well known for their liver detoxifying properties. Also recommended are beetroot and red & green vegetables. Source
- Fresh fruit is great for a natural detox — provided it is eaten on its own (not before, with, or after food). A fresh fruit fast or fruit juice fast is often recommended for 3 days to cleanse and detoxify your body. Fruit can be fresh, frozen, or dried. The best all natural cleanse fruits are: apples, pears, oranges, grapefruit, bananas, raisins, pineapple, mango, kiwi fruit, raspberries, strawberries, blackcurrants, melon, sultanas, nectarines and peaches. Source
#4 – Reduce Your Intake Of Processed Foods
Try to eat whole foods (including raw fruits & vegetables) as often as possible.
Processed foods and fast foods are full of fats, sugar, salt, additives, and preservatives. Those things act as poisonous toxins inside your body! Plus, they make you gain excess weight that you don’t need.
See the real differences between whole foods vs. processed foods.
#5 – Reduce The Amount Of Sugar, Caffeine, Salt, Tobacco, Alcohol & Unhealthy Fats You Eat
That may sound like a lot to give up, but it’s really not.
Once you get a good handle on which foods are unhealthy for your body and which foods actually work with your body, it becomes easier to stay away from the “bad stuff”.
For example:
- Pre-packaged, processed foods contain very high amounts of sodium. Combine that with the fact that most people add salt to their food after it’s cooked — and you’re probably consuming way too much salt every day. A natural detox diet includes very little salt.
- There are lots of simple ways to do a sugar detox and start eliminating sugar from your diet. Sugar is the enemy when a natural detox is your goal.
- Caffeine and alcohol dehydrate your body — which works against your body’s natural detoxing efforts.
- Smoking or chewing tobacco can really mess up your body because the after-effects of such substances become toxins in your body. Tobacco gums up the villi in your lungs and can make it difficult to breathe. If you chew tobacco, those toxins line your mouth and throat.
Here are 50 foods that are super healthy and good for your body.
#6 – Bathe With Epsom Salts Or Ginger
Take a hot bath once a week with Epsom salts or Ginger. Doing this will help your body to sweat — which will help to release toxins.
Plus, Epsom salts have magnesium sulfate, which is beneficial when absorbed through the skin. When we’re stressed we lose magnesium, and this is one great way to replace it!
Here’s how & why detox baths work, plus when to use different detox bath recipes.
The Bottom Line…
The fact is detox diets really aren’t necessary when you want to cleanse your body from the inside out. That’s because your body already has the tools it needs to detox itself!
By following the 6 steps above, you will be able to speed up the process of detoxifying your body naturally.
In the end, a healthy self detox is much more effective than a fad detox diet.
Here’s a video showing how to incorporate yoga into your natural detox:
A Simple Way To Start Your Natural Detox Today
Here’s a great recipe for Healthy Green Juice:
- 1 cucumber (unpeeled), cut into spears
- 3 stalks celery, cut into 2-inch lengths
- 3 leaves kale, cut into 2-inch wide strips
- 1 apple (unpeeled), cored and cut into chunks
- 1/3 cup flat-leaf parsley sprigs
- 1/2 lemon, the peel removed with a knife
Toss each item into a juicer. Discard the solids. Enjoy!
Here’s a very popular quick cleanse to support your detox.
More Ways To Self Detox Naturally
In addition to the links I’ve included above, here are some other resources to help you cleanse your body internally with a natural self detox:
- How To Detox Yourself In 7 Days
- 101 Painless Ways To Detoxify Your Body, Mind, And Home
- Fruit & Vegetable Body Detox
- 7 Ways To Naturally Detox Your Home
- Tips To Help You Detox Your Body
- Blending Fruits & Vegetables vs Juicing For Detox
- How To Detox Your Entire Life
- 10 Tips To Alkalize Your Body & Detox Naturallysmokin
My favorite things to write about are topics that have to do with weather, pregnancy, weddings, saving money, living green, and my life with dogs. When I’m not writing, I love to spend time with my husband, read, create 3D artwork and Native American beadwork.