The Complete Guide to Detoxifying the Digestive System

 Intro:

You’ve probably heard the term detox before and have maybe even tried to go through the process yourself, but what does it actually mean? Simply put, detoxing or detoxifying is the process of flushing toxins out of your body through methods like exercise, healthy eating, and drinking lots of water, while also avoiding anything that would add toxins to your body (like cigarettes, alcohol, and junk food). One important place that needs to be taken care of as you detoxify yourself – is your digestive system.

 

Why Cleanse?

After decades of poor diet and stress, our bodies are literally chock-full of impurities. And while you can’t really see it with your naked eye, there’s scientific evidence that these toxins affect every single aspect of your health. A cleanse—particularly a three- or seven-day detox—can help rid your body of harmful substances that can cause disease, slow metabolism, and even alter brain function. Cleanse fasts are nothing new; people have been doing them for thousands of years as part of religious traditions and cultural ceremonies. Today they’re still used in similar capacities (think: Juice Feasts), but they’re also prescribed by doctors to treat diseases such as diabetes and heart disease by removing specific foods from an individual’s diet. The most popular types of cleanses include juice cleanses, water fasts, and colon cleanses. These regimens vary greatly depending on what exactly is being cleansed (e.g., your digestive system versus just your colon) and how long you’ll be cleansing for. But all involve eating only certain foods or drinking only certain liquids during a set period—usually around three days or so—while eliminating others completely. As far as weight loss goes, most experts agree that short-term cleanses are not very effective at helping people shed pounds overall because any weight loss is typically regained once normal eating resumes after the cleanse is over.

 

How to do it right

The first step in giving your digestive system a clean bill of health is figuring out what’s making it sick in the first place. If you have symptoms like gas, bloating, and cramping that just won’t go away, you might have a sensitivity or intolerance to certain foods. There are different tests for different food intolerances, but an elimination diet—eliminating specific foods from your diet and then slowly reintroducing them—is a great place to start. It sounds hard, but keep it simple and just remove one or two foods at a time so you can learn which ones may be causing problems. By knowing exactly what you’re sensitive or intolerant to—and eliminating them from your diet—you’ll see a noticeable difference in how you feel right away.

 

Recipes for juicing

The best part about juicing is that you don’t need any special equipment. You can pick up a hand-held mixer at most dollar stores, or grab an electric one if you want to make larger batches of juice and keep them in your fridge. You can also buy blenders for making smoothies and soups, but I find that using a food processor does just as good of a job (and it takes up less space). As far as recipes go, there are thousands out there! Just Google juice recipes and you’ll have no problem finding something tasty. To get started, try blending together: ½ cup pineapple chunks ½ cup orange segments ½ cup strawberries 2 cups spinach (or other leafy green) This recipe makes two servings, so double it if you’re trying to share with someone else!

 

A-List of All Natural Supplements

There are some very simple and natural ways that you can improve your digestive system’s function. There are a ton of great all-natural supplements out there, from products that help fight food poisoning to ingredients that can boost your immune system. If you think about it, almost everything comes down to digestion in one way or another! To help you get started on detoxing your digestive system, we’ve put together a list of some top natural supplements below. Check them out!

 

Herbal Tea Cleanses

As we said above, cleansing your digestive system is a good way to jump-start healthy living. There are many ways you can do so, one of which is through tea cleanses. Teas have been used as medicine since early Chinese and Ayurvedic times. In fact, even today, most herbal medicines are made from teas. And some herbal teas were created specifically for cleansing purposes; two of these kinds of teas are goldenseal root and senna leaf tea. Both can be used in smoothies or brewed in hot water for at least 15 minutes (for best results). However, consult with your doctor before using any herbal products or supplements—especially if you’re pregnant or breastfeeding.

 

Foods That Help Cleanse

Green leafy vegetables and other vegetables contain detoxifying compounds such as glutathione and flavonoids. By drinking plenty of water while eating high-fiber vegetables, you help flush toxins out of your body. For example, a recent study published in Neurology found that postmenopausal women who ate a diet rich in fruits and veggies lowered their risk for dementia by 26 percent over ten years compared with those who did not eat many fruits and veggies. Eat cruciferous vegetables like kale, cauliflower, cabbage, broccoli sprouts, and bok choy regularly for maximum detoxification benefits. Cook these nutritious greens with generous amounts of garlic or onion to maximize their flavor. Garlic has been shown to boost glutathione levels in animals. Glutathione is an antioxidant that helps neutralize free radicals and reduce oxidative stress throughout your body. It also helps detoxify heavy metals like mercury, lead, and cadmium from your liver. Garlic has also been shown to boost the production of enzymes responsible for removing toxic compounds from cells, which can help lower cholesterol levels and reduce risk factors associated with heart disease and cancer.

 

Foods That Slow Down Cleansing

It’s easy to assume that all foods in your diet positively affect digestion. After all, you hear about probiotics and how certain foods boost your gut health. But some foods actually slow down your digestive system by making you produce more mucus, which causes stomach problems and bloating. So, to maintain good digestive health, it’s wise to limit processed sugars and fried food. If you have an autoimmune disease like leaky gut syndrome or ulcerative colitis, it’s even more important not to eat these detox saboteurs because they will slow down your gastrointestinal tract. Many people report having more energy when avoiding these five no-nos of digestion!

The Complete Guide to Detoxifying the Digestive System