How to detox naturally

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Most of us know that when we’re sluggish, have gained unwanted pounds, and just aren’t feeling like ourselves that it’s probably time to detox.

But did you know that in modern society, you probably need to detox just based on the pollutants we take in regularly? Whether it’s of our own doing or not, we ingest harmful toxins regularly. Our bodies can benefit from a healthy cleansing now and then which can help with everything from shedding extra pounds to getting better sleep and having more energy.

If you don’t know where to start or need additional insight on how to go about detoxing, we’re here to share easy and simple tips on how to detox naturally. 

The number one thing to remember when cleansing our system is that our body is designed to detox on its own. But we can support it to help maintain open channels for detoxification and maximize its effectiveness.

How does the body detox on its own?

The human body detoxes itself in five fundamental ways – through the skin, kidneys, bowels, lungs, and liver. Each of these organs helps process and eliminate toxins in our bodies. Below, we’ve compiled the ways they do this and tips on how to support each of them.

Skin

Our skin absorbs everything we put on it. Think lotion, makeup, soap, and cleaning products – just to name a few. Some of these products can contain alarming amounts of harmful chemicals that ultimately seep into our system. 

But even though our skin may ingest elements we don’t want in our bodies, it also helps eliminate them, simply by sweating.

You can detoxify by sweating in two ways – passively and actively. Passive sweating occurs when sitting in a sauna or steam room, while active sweating (our personal favourite) is achieved by exercise.

Kidneys

All day our kidneys filter out waste products from the blood and body through urine output. The more hydration we give our kidneys via clean, filtered water, the more they can eliminate for us.

By ingesting half of your body weight in ounces (plus an additional eight ounces of water for things like a cup of coffee, a soda, a workout, etc.), our kidneys receive natural support to flush our systems. Add lemon to your water to enhance the liver’s filtering processes as well.

Bowels

Bowel movements are crucial for the body to rid itself of waste and toxins. They’re different for each person and, as we age, they may become more difficult. 

However, ideal elimination is one to three formed movements per day. If this is at odds with your current elimination process, consider encouraging more movement through:

• extra hydration, including a full eight ounces first thing in the morning before eating
• eating more fibrous foods
• including more movement/exercise throughout the day
• checking for any inflammation in the gut due to allergies or sensitivities
• release of emotional stress and/or trauma

Lungs

Breathing is one of the body’s most powerful detoxification processes. It may seem simple, but the right type of breathing can help discharge pollutants. Deep breathing even helps support the digestive tract as it relaxes the bowels.

Detoxification through the lungs is influenced by the way we breathe. Deep lung breathing is most beneficial and can be achieved through proper deep breathing exercises as well as exercise itself.

Pay attention to the way you breathe – is it shallow or slow? Can you take in deeper breaths? If you can, do you find yourself relaxing a bit more?

Liver

A primary detoxification organ, the liver plays an essential role in the body’s natural processes of ridding itself of waste and toxins. In addition to our healthy choices, it also processes our overindulgences by passing the unwanted extras to our bowels for elimination.

For proper liver support, think good, whole food. Specifically, go for:

• steamed or cooked cruciferous vegetables
• cold-water fish
• root vegetables
• broccoli sprouts
• lemons
• bok choy

There are plenty of products on the market that can detox our bodies, but look to your body for natural cleansing first. These tips are a great starting place to help support your intrinsic detoxification systems on a daily basis.

REFERENCES:

https://www.narayanahealth.org/blog/detox-foods-detoxification-is-an-essential-part-of-optimal-health/
https://www.fishertitus.org/about-us/healthy-living-blog/2018/what-foods-cleanse-your-liver/