Detox Do’s & Don’ts

We are surrounded by toxins on a daily basis, through foods, water, skin care, gardening, driving on polluted roads…. the list goes on! So it is important to stop every now and then and try to give the liver a helping hand. Here are some simple tips to take the burden off your liver and get it detoxing at an optimal level.

Detox Do’s:

1. Focus On Whole-foods: Increase nutrition and limit artificial additives by focusing on fresh vegetables, fruits, lean organic meat, healthy fats, legumes, raw nuts and seeds and whole-grains (preferably gluten free).
2. Include Protein: The liver needs essential amino acids from protein to be able to detoxify, so if your ‘detox’ involves drinking lemon sugar water, then it is NOT detoxifying.
3. Drink Water: Increase water intake during a detox to help the kidneys eliminate toxins.
4. Go Organic: I often get asked is organic better, and in a word….YES! Eating organic optimizes nutrition and reduces toxin exposure as they are not contaminated with harmful pesticides or herbicides.
5. Seek Professional Advice: Our Naturopaths can utilise a variety of proven herbal and nutritional medicines to support detoxification whilst guiding you through a personalized detox program .

Detox Don’ts

1. Toxins: The point of a Detox program is to allow the liver to remove stored toxins, therefore we need to limit exposure so the liver can deal with the toxic ‘backlog’. Common sources include cleaning chemicals, cosmetics, body products, processed foods, air fresheners and solvents.
2. Artificial Additives: Artificial colourings, additives and preservatives can be derived from toxic elements such as coal tar and petroleum.
3. Alcohol: Alcohol is a nervous system depressive, which makes it a top priority for the liver, meaning other toxins will be automatically stored in body tissue when you drink alcohol.
4. Hit The Caffeine: Caffeine reduces the livers capacity to remove toxins, increases inflammation and puts our adrenal glands under additional stress.
5. Have Bland Boring Meals: Variety is key on a detox if you are going to stick to it. Speak to your Naturopath about some recipe resources that are healthy and DELICIOUS!