Detox!
Detox, Fast, Cleanse
“Everybody’s Doing it!”
If you are sick, tired or overweight the first thing you need to do is DETOX. This will help your body rejuvenate and get back to homeostasis- perfect health!
Now what do I mean by detox?
Detox, short for detoxification, is the purification of the body through the removal of toxins. Our bodies naturally eliminate toxins through our skin, liver, kidney and lungs. However, due to the massive amount of toxins in our air, water and food supply today our bodies are unable to “keep up” with daily invasion. This leads to fatigue, weight gain and a whole host of health problems. Therefore it is necessary for us to take steps to detoxify our bodies in order to reclaim our health and vitality.
There are many methods of detoxification, but I will discuss only a few of my favorites here. I will first tell you what I know that works, and then you can feel free to try other methods. Don’t believe the media when they tell you that detoxing is bad for you. Think about it. What grocery store or fast food joint makes money when you stop eating their food for a week? Wouldn’t it be in their best interest for you to keep eating?
Detoxing, also known as fasting, has been used to purify and heal the body for thousands of years by many different religions, races and cultures all across the world. Fasting is as natural and safe as walking or sleeping. Even Plato and Socrates fasted for to increase their mental clarity. Hippocrates was a major proponent of therapeutic fasting and recommended it as a cure for thousands of ailments. The important thing to remember is that while you are fasting, the energy your body normally spends on digestion is now available and can be devoted to healing the body and jump-starting the immune system. You are effectively reducing the number of tasks your body is required to perform, so that it can channel energy into repairing itself, energy normally spent on trying to break down all the toxic foods we consume each day.
You need to detoxify your body of all the built-up toxins, hormones, preservatives, food additives, etc. that do not belong in your body. The faster you get these out, the faster you will lose weight and feel energetic and healthy.
My favorite methods of fasting and detoxing are The Juice Fast, the 21-day Cleanse, the Colon Cleanse and the Liver Detox. When you start a detox program, you will see the pounds just melt away in days. If you are severely overweight this will take a little more time, but the results will be well worth it!
The Juice Fast
The juice fast essentially means you drink juice throughout the day, every day. This can be done for 3 days, 5 days, 10 days or for brave souls: 30 days. It depends on your level of discipline, your size and your weight loss and health goals. If you have never done a juice fast before then you will start seeing results right away. You may have food cravings the first few days but in my experience those are gone by day three.
Your juice must be fresh and organic. You cannot get juice from the gas station and expect to lose weight. Juice sold in stores goes through the pasteurization process, which destroys the beneficial enzymes, vitamins and minerals. Additionally, all the sugar and artificial flavoring will put toxins in your body and will not aid in your weight loss. To do a juice fast you need to either: A) Buy a juicer and make your own juice, or B) Go to an organic health store to buy fresh-squeezed juice. I usually do a combination of both.
The first juice fast I did for five days and lost five pounds. All I did was make about three 8-ounce juices a day using fresh organic fruit. I didn’t stick to any particular recipe or routine. I just experimented with different combinations of juice. This is a great cleanse for people who work freelance or have hectic lifestyles because there is no schedule to follow. Now I do the juice fast for three days once a month. Some people juice fast once a week to maintain their weight. There are many ways to do the juice fast. You have to figure out what way is right for you.
Since fruits are simple sugars, they are digested best on an empty stomach, in the morning, by themselves. This will give you immediate energy. The rest of the day you may consume vegetable juices as desired. It is most important to incorporate lots of green veggies into your juice. There are so many different delicious juice combinations. You should experiment and see what you like the best. My favorite is a combination of equal parts orange, apple, and carrot, with a hint of ginger. Make up your own recipes!
21-Day Cleanse
It takes 21 days to break a habit and reprogram your body to employ new habits. During the 21-Day Cleanse, we give up the harshest elements of our diet, including caffeine, sugar, animal products and gluten –all for 21 days.
According to Kathy Freston, author of The Quantum Wellness Cleanse, giving up these things for 21 days will drastically improve your health by curbing cravings, reprogramming your taste buds, and giving you more energy.
“It’s about choosing foods that don’t tax the body and make it work so hard; it’s about taking a break, but not about starving,” says Freston.
By clearing toxins from your body, you will raise your energy levels, clear your complexion, stimulate digestion, and improve your all-around health and well-being.
“The more I studied and looked into the ancient practice of giving up certain foods for a designated period of time, the more I realized that fasting and cleansing are not only good for making physical improvements, but they can also be a pathway to greater clarity and even enlightenment,” says Freston.
Fasting can also be a very spiritual experience. By breaking with routine and retreating inwards, new insights into relationships, work and family situations come to light. It may also be a good time to take a break from television, movies and media and perhaps focus on creative activities or activities in nature. It is not our fault that we are drifting so far from nature, natural eating and health. We are constantly bombarded with messages to consume, constantly stimulated and jolted into a hyperstate of stress and fight or flight. Fasting can be an excellent way to restore balance to our hectic lives. When we return to the rat race after a period of fasting, we are able to maintain a certain inner peace that comes from connecting to the natural world and its wisdom that no one can take away.
Fasting is a great way to detox and speed up your weight-loss process, but once you are done with a fast/detox program you cannot suddenly revert back to your old habits. You must come off your fast slowly by upgrading to soups and then to raw organic fruits and vegetables so that your body gets used to digesting again. When you are done with your fast, it is time to eat real food again. But you cannot go back to eating processed food again or you will become toxic again. Now it is the perfect time to start your organic lifestyle!
Cleansing the Colon
In order to rid ourselves of harmful toxic buildup in our bodies, we need to cleanse our colons. In order to lose weight, we must have a clean colon. If you have not been living an all-natural organic lifestyle up until now, I can guarantee you that your colon is clogged up with toxins and hardened fecal matter. A clogged colon causes fatigue, constipation, obesity…the list goes on and on. If you want to get healthy and lose weight fast, it is time to cleanse your colon!
Colonics and Enemas
Colonics and enemas are a fast and easy way to lose weight. Other benefits include increased energy, beautiful skin and better digestion. The process makes some people feel hesitant or squeamish at first, but once most people try it, they are usually satisfied with the swift results. A colonic is the infusion of water into the rectum by a colon therapist in order to cleanse and flush out the colon. An enema is the do-it-yourself-at-home version of this, however colonics are able to get more waste out of the body.
Why colonics? Because if you have not been living a natural organic lifestyle up to this point in your life, then you absolutely have a buildup of toxins and waste inside your body that needs to be flushed out immediately. Not only is this buildup causing you to be heavier, but in the long run this buildup will start to poison your body, causing you discomfort and disease. If you do nothing else that this book describes, do your body a favor and clean your colon. You may have up to 20 pounds of undigested fecal matter inside you. Imagine getting rid of this. You will also feel an immediate relief and energy boost when doing colonics and enemas.
There are many celebrities who use colonics regularly to maintain weight and good health, including Jennifer Aniston, Janet Jackson, Kate Beckinsale, Ben Affleck, Demi Moore, Damon Wayans, Madonna, and even Paris Hilton. Everybody’s doing it! Princess Di attributed her small figure, youthful glow and silky hair to the regular use of colonics and enemas. Actress Mae West reportedly started each morning out with an enema. She believes this contributed to her beauty, youthfulness and vitality in her later years. Dr. John Harvey Kellogg, surgeon and creator of corn flakes, believed that the majority of disease began in the colon and used enemas regularly on himself and his patients. Tyra Banks believes in colonics so much that she had the first colonic session ever televised on her show, The Tyra Banks Show. Damon Wayans frequently talks about his belief in enemas on shows such as the Howard Stern Show.
The benefits of cleaning out your colon not only include weight loss, but also increased energy, renewed vitality, increased sex drive, and a clearer complexion…the list goes on and on. If you are extremely overweight or sick, colonics should be your first line of action.
The Liver Flush
“The liver is a remarkable machine for keeping weight under control, being both a fat burning organ and a fat pumping organ,” according to www.liverdoctor.com.
In order to lose weight, and for your body to function optimally, you must have a healthy liver. So if your liver is overloaded with toxins, do you think it is functioning at its highest capacity? Definitely not. So what should you do?
There are many methods of liver detoxification out there. By drinking tea, juice, and tonics you can flush your liver for five days. It is easier to then stick to a longer fast because it is designed for you to detox during the week.
Herbs, antioxidants and supplements that support liver detoxification include milk thistle, vitamin C, selenium, beta carotene, riboflavin, niacin and vitamin E. Broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts and cabbage can all be used as part of a juice fasting routine to help purify the liver.
Here is an example of a Liver Flush:
Note: You should do a colon cleanse prior to the liver flush. The liver flush will flush out gallstones, and you do not want to get these stuck in your colon. That is why it is essential to do a colon cleanse first.
Ingredients: Apple juice, Epsom Salt, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Lemons
1. For 3 days eat all the apples you can and/or drink as much apple juice as you can. 2. For 2 days drink at least 8 oz of apple juice every 3 hours. 3. On Day 5 you may eat a light fat-free breakfast. Avoid all dairy and animal products. 4. At 2pm mix 4 tablespoons of Epsom salt in 3 cups of water and let sit in the fridge. 5. At 6pm drink 1/3 of the saltwater mixture. 6. At 8pm drink another 1/3 of the mixture. 7. At 9:45 pm pour a half-cup of olive oil into a glass and mix it with the juice of 2-3 lemons (no pulp). Shake well. 8. At 10pm drink this mixture as fast as you can. 9. Lay down to sleep immediately. Try to fall asleep on your right side with your knee up toward your head. 10. When you wake up the next morning you can drink the remaining 1/3 of your Epsom salt mixture. 11. Take it easy. You should eliminate a lot of waste including gallstones if you have them. Do not eat solid foods again right away. Start with fresh squeezed juices, then soups, then when you feel ready you can start eating solid foods again.
Flushing the liver is integral to establishing good health. The liver flush will have many benefits, including clearer skin, increased energy and better digestion and elimination. Most people also lose weight. The liver flush is especially important for those battling serious illnesses such as cancer.
