Spring Cleaning for Your Body

Detox your way to a healthier lifestyle

By Leticia Rodriguez

There are several good reasons for detoxifying your internal system, but there are many good and bad ways of going about it.

For every type of detox, there are at least two or three different pills or liquids and twice as many recipes and self-help books on how to do it the “natural” way.

It’s important to remember that just because something claims to be the natural solution doesn’t mean that it is.

Carlo Celotti, a personal trainer and holistic lifestyle coach, and Julie Mancuso, a registered holistic nutritionist both have experience with helping their clients do safe and healthy detoxification.

There are two types of ways to naturally cleanse your system: eating solids and juicing.

While each method has its own set of “rules” to make it successful, there are many common elements.

For anyone considering doing a cleanse, it’s very important to know why a cleanse is necessary and if you’re a good candidate.

Why do a detoxification?

The simplest reason for doing a detox is because we need to rid ourselves of toxins.

Celotti says years ago when we had less pollution and less processed food the need for a cleanse was minimal if nonexistent but today it’s something most people should consider.

“We’ve got chemicals all over the place, whether you’re indoors or outdoors you’re exposed to it now,” he says. “Our food is just for the most part garbage and a lot of people are eating processed stuff. You’re getting chemicals from there and a lot of it is causing digestive issues.”

Just as the reason for cleansing your system is simple so are the benefits. Mancuso says that a clean system just functions better; it can especially give you a boost if one of your goals is weight loss.

“It can increase your energy, it can also spark your metabolism so if weight loss is an issue or if people are hitting a plateau doing a cleanse and just getting rid of built up toxins in the system can help kind of drive the metabolism,” she says. “So, basically by doing a cleanse allowing yourself to go to the washroom more and clearing up the constipation, the gas and the bloating can definitely help.”

She also says there’s the mental benefit of knowing that you’re doing something good for your body.

Who should do a detoxification?

According to Mancuso, there are several distinct signs that indicate your body could use a detoxification. Some signs are quite obvious, others you may have just brushed off as a part of life.

“[If] your feeling very lethargic, very tired, [experience] moodiness and feeling irritable or always feeling hungry, it means that your body’s not absorbing the nutrients,” Mancuso says. “If you have a lot of abdominal fat, fat around the midsection, hives, breakouts, rashes, that’s your body’s way of telling you that something’s not clearing out.”

Determining if you need a cleanse is based on your general mood and physical being, if you’ve been feeling off for more than a few days and you’re not ill, your body may need a detox to get it back on track.

Basic tips to get started:

Whether you decide to eat your fruits and veggies or drink them, there are a few common tips for getting started.

1. Start your morning off with a cup of warm water and lemon. It gets the digestive juices flowing and starts cleansing the liver.

2. Water, water, water.

Water aids in digestion and generally keeps your body well hydrated which keeps it healthy. For both cleanses Celotti and Mancuso recommend drinking as much as you can.

“People should be looking at getting about half of their body weight in pounds in ounces of water,” Celotti says.

So if you’re 140lbs, you should be drinking about 70 ounces of water a day. That’s roughly nine, eight ounce glasses.

3. Choose organic fruits and vegetables, it will minimize the possibility of you putting more toxins into your body.

4. If you can, cut red meat out and switch to organic chicken or fish instead.

“During a cleanse you want to lighten the load on the digestive system as much as possible in order for it to have a greater focus towards cleaning out the body,” Celotti says.

5. Cut out or limit carbohydrates and dairy.

If you choose to detox by eating your veggies, Celotti recommends taking these out for the duration of your cleanse because they can often strain the digestive system. If you’re doing a simple juice detox, then Mancuso suggests eating plant-based carbs like brown rice and quinoa.

6. Supplements help.

There are several supplements that help boost you detox goals.

Chlorophyll- draws heavy metals out of your body.

Fish or Flax Seed oil- improves energy levels.

Milk thistle- helps metabolize carbohydrates, proteins and fats, also supports the liver in healthy functions.

Greens Plus- powders and capsules that have five full servings of fruits and vegetables, helps increase energy levels, and supports the immune system.

Bentonite clay- helps detoxify the digestive system and clean the colon.

There are two things you shouldn’t do:

1. Don’t start a detox or taking supplements you’re not used without consulting your doctor or naturopath, especially if you have underlying medical conditions.

2. Don’t rely on commercial products. Some commercial cleanses only focus on one organ, which can increase the toxins in your body if you don’t have a good digestive system.

Method 1: Eating your vegetables

If you’re already a fan of steamed vegetables then this method is a piece of cake. Doing a detox by eating your vegetables is really quite simple.

Celotti recommends increasing your vegetables so you’re eating more veggies than anything else and lightly steaming them.

He prefers fresh vegetables over canned or frozen.

While all vegetables can be in your diet there are some you should definitely include:

Broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, asparagus, spinach, kale, collard greens, and dandelion leaves.

You’re also free to season them however you like but Celotti suggests using the following because they aid either in digestion or detox:

Balsamic vinegar, olive oil, ginger, and turmeric.

Continuing this type of detox for at least a month will provide you with actual results and it’s safe to do for longer if you feel comfortable with it.

Method 2: Juicing your fruits and vegetables

Juicing uses vegetables and a few fruits to replace eating solid meals. Drinking your veggies gives the digestive system a break because your food is already broken down, therefore you’ll be using more energy to cleanse your system. As with method one, its best if all your fruits and vegetables are fresh and juiced yourself.

Vegetables you should definitely juice:

beets, broccoli, spinach, kale, celery, burdock, and dandelion

*Apples and carrots can be used to sweeten.

Fruits you should definitely juice:

papaya, pear, and pineapple.

The amount of time you should dedicate to juicing depends on how strict you want to go. Mancuso recommends for beginners to try one day of juicing and work your way up to three days.

As you start out, you can incorporate eating solid food and as you gain more experience you can stick to strictly juice.

Mancuso also suggests detoxifying four times a year.

“It’s best to do a cleansing when the season changes and spring is the most common time to start,” she says. “It’s like a spring cleaning for your body.”