What is detox
‘Detox’ is the buzzword of the new year, every year. It’s tempting to follow the hype, especially after the festive period where we’ve all overindulged a little. Let Booyah Vitality get you back on track with what your body really needs for the best start to the new year!
What is a Detox?
It’s that time of the year again where magazines and internet articles are aflush with the newest detox diet. The ‘juice cleanse’ has been quite popular recently, and this new year is no different- although, it’s safe to say they’ve improved massively since the days of drinking nothing but lemon juice and kale.
A detox is exactly what it sounds like: getting rid of toxins.
Our body is bombarded with toxins and stressors during the course of a normal day. Heavily processed food, caffeine, alcohol, sugar, synthetic preservatives, smoking, exercise (or lack of!), pollution… the list goes on. The argument behind commercial detox programs is that we periodically need to help our bodies clean out these toxic impurities that have built up in our systems.
There are countless different detox diets on offer across the internet. These include
· Juice cleanses- only consuming smoothies/juices for a set amount of time
· Fasting- intermittently or consistently
· Cutting out food groups, such as wheat or dairy
· Only eating raw, unprocessed food
· Consuming from a limited list of ‘acceptable’ foods
Many of these detox diets are backed by various celebrities, some of whom even have their own ranges of ‘cleansing’ juices, etc.
Do I need to Detox?
I’m sure you’ve had days when you’ve woken up feeling, for lack of a better word, bleurgh. You’re not unwell, but you’re lethargic or bloated or heavy. This feeling often comes from having followed a less than ideal diet or lifestyle. Some days are better than others, right? But it all adds up.
The toxins that your body takes in from processed food, stressful environments, or pollution build up in your system. When your body can’t keep up with filtering out these impurities, we get to enjoy the side effects such as
· Fatigue
· Headaches and migraines
· Insomnia
· Poor digestion
· Weight gain
· Skin problems
· Irritableness and mood swings
· Bloating
· Excess sweating
· Food cravings
· Congested sinuses
· And more!
Looking at this list, can you tick off several symptoms?
Have you overindulged a little at Christmas?
We’ve got good news for you; you do not need to embark on a detox diet!
How Does the Body Naturally Detox?
You definitely do not need to go out and sign up for a ridiculously overpriced week of juiced spinach. But that doesn’t mean you need to suffer with feeling less than sparkling. There is an easier, more natural (and cheaper!) alternative, and you more than likely already have everything you need to get started. If you have a working liver, colon, and kidneys, you are in possession of one of the most extraordinary detoxification systems available.
The liver is your first line of defence against toxins and impurities. Alongside its key roles in digestion, hormone metabolism, and vitamin storage, the liver stands as a barrier against potentially harmful substances contaminating our blood stream. It is also responsible for the conversion of ammonia into urea. Ammonia is an unwanted by-product created when the body metabolises (breaks down) proteins, which the liver converts into non-toxic urea, which can be passed along to the kidneys and secreted in urine.
Once you have eaten, your colon’s job is to take the now-liquified food, along with digestive liquids and form it into a stool to be defecated. Along the 12-24hour journey, the colon absorbs approximately a litre of water from the waste, as well as absorbing the much needed nutrients and electrolytes.
Your kidneys are responsible for filtering your blood- about a half cup every single minute!- and removing extra water and waste. They also take the urea that your liver created and turn all the liquid waste into urine to be passed to the bladder, and eventually expelled. Your kidneys also filter out unwanted acids that are produced by cells in your body, and help maintain the careful balance of minerals, salts, and water that your body needs to thrive.
To summarise, your liver works hard to filter out unwanted toxins, and your colon and kidneys work to remove them from your bodies. You already have an amazing detoxification system built right into you!
Why do I Feel Rubbish?
If your body does have this system up and running, why do we still have bleurgh days? Weeks? Even months?
Well, the popular detox diets do have one good point of reason. Sometimes our bodies do need a little bit of help. In a perfect world, where we all get the ideal amount of exercise, perfect amount of restful sleep, and eat a nutritious, balanced diet of organic, unprocessed foods, our bodies would filter out toxins in a seamless process.
Unfortunately, sometimes we just can’t keep up. If one part of our system is not working quite up to scratch, the whole system stumbles.
How Can I Help my Body Naturally Detox?
Thankfully, there are some easy things you can do to help support your body’s natural detoxification system. What your body definitely does not need is a sudden restriction of calories, or a limitation of food groups. Here are some things you can do that work to get your liver, colon, and kidneys back up to full power:
Drink lots of water.
Your colon absorbs about a litre of water every day. If your body is dehydrated, things are not going to move as smoothly, and toxins are going to be left to sit in your colon for longer than you want them there.
Eat the rainbow of fruit and veg.
Honestly, it’s not just something we tell our children- eating a variety of fruit and vegetables really is imperative to getting all the nutrients and minerals that your body needs.
Avoid caffeine.
Aside from the health risks of caffeine, which you can read about in our blog, caffeine also acts as a diuretic- meaning you’re dehydrated.
Support your liver with Booyah Vitality drinks.
As the key worker in detoxing the body, your liver will always benefit from a little extra boost. The turmeric in our Turmeric Shot has such strong antioxidant properties that it basically shields your liver from being damaged by toxins. The dandelion root in our Dandelion Coffee helps reduce stress on the liver to let it function at its best, as well as encouraging the production of bile, which is used to get rid of toxins. Dandelion root has the added benefit of being a fab source of potassium, which helps the kidneys filter impurities too! And our Kombucha is chock full of the probiotics, vitamins, and minerals that your liver needs to work properly.
So, Do I Need to Detox?
No.
Your body will detox for you.
But… your body would definitely appreciate a helping hand in working to its best potential!
Come have a chat with us at Booyah Vitality and start 2022 the healthy, happy way.