January - the start to a new year, new beginnings and setting of good intentions for the year ahead, often involving, better health, weight loss, fitness goals and detoxing, after the indulgent festive period.
Detoxing is an over-used but little understood concept and more often than not a buzz-word attached to the latest “health and diet” fads, but what does it really mean?
Also known as cleansing or flushing, detox implies facilitating toxin elimination from your body to promote health, a sense of well-being and vitality. Weight loss is not the primary goal but may in certain instances be a welcome side-effect.
Detoxing takes on various forms each with different objectives and targets, ranging from total starvation fasts to juice fasts to food modification approaches such as excluding sugar, alcohol, caffeine, gluten and / or dairy and sometimes even the use of laxatives, diuretics, vitamins, minerals and/or ‘cleansing foods and herbs.
Truth is that there is no one size fits all when it comes to body therapy, each body is unique and what works for one person may not work for another. What is great for one person may be detrimental to another person's health.
Special care and consideration is highly recommended if you consider a detox program this time of year when it is cold in the northern hemisphere and our bodies are in need of more nourishing, warming and energy rich food. Typical “cleansing” diets tend not to be ideal for cold winter months and you are doing your body no favours by depriving it of much needed nutrition.
It is always advisable to consult a herbalist, nutritionist or a healthcare practitioner who specialises in cleansing programs, as detoxing may often be accompanied by harsh side effects such as fatigue, headaches, nausea, insomnia, anxiety and shakiness as a result of toxins leaving the body. Hypoglycaemia, protein or energy deficiencies may also result from unsuitable detox programs. It is also possible for low energy detox diets to increase stress in the body, thereby elevating cortisol levels which makes it difficult to loose weight, not ideal when weight loss is part of the objective!
The most common reasons for detoxing are environmental and dietary exposure to toxins, general cleansing/preventative medicine, gastrointestinal disorders, autoimmune disease, inflammation, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome and weight loss. And, although widely used the term ‘toxin’ remains ill-defined. In conventional medicine toxins generally refer to drugs and alcohol, and ‘detox’ is the process of weaning patients off these addictive substances.
Approaches to detoxification generally employ pathways that promote the excretion of chemicals and their metabolites in urine and faeces or extra-renal excretion in sweat or sebum.
It is well-established that some chemicals from both food and the environment accumulate in the human body and that high doses of some in the body can be toxic.
Persistent organic pollutants (POPs), for example, are industrial chemicals that accumulate in human adipose tissue. Something to keep in mind when considering a detox which may result in weight loss as the chemicals can be released back in to the blood stream when weight-loss occurs resulting in one feeling unwell. Caution and knowledge should therefore be employed when deciding on a detox /cleansing or weight loss program.
Detoxing is an over-used but little understood concept and more often than not a buzz-word attached to the latest “health and diet” fads, but what does it really mean?
Also known as cleansing or flushing, detox implies facilitating toxin elimination from your body to promote health, a sense of well-being and vitality. Weight loss is not the primary goal but may in certain instances be a welcome side-effect.
Detoxing takes on various forms each with different objectives and targets, ranging from total starvation fasts to juice fasts to food modification approaches such as excluding sugar, alcohol, caffeine, gluten and / or dairy and sometimes even the use of laxatives, diuretics, vitamins, minerals and/or ‘cleansing foods and herbs.
Truth is that there is no one size fits all when it comes to body therapy, each body is unique and what works for one person may not work for another. What is great for one person may be detrimental to another person's health.
Special care and consideration is highly recommended if you consider a detox program this time of year when it is cold in the northern hemisphere and our bodies are in need of more nourishing, warming and energy rich food. Typical “cleansing” diets tend not to be ideal for cold winter months and you are doing your body no favours by depriving it of much needed nutrition.
It is always advisable to consult a herbalist, nutritionist or a healthcare practitioner who specialises in cleansing programs, as detoxing may often be accompanied by harsh side effects such as fatigue, headaches, nausea, insomnia, anxiety and shakiness as a result of toxins leaving the body. Hypoglycaemia, protein or energy deficiencies may also result from unsuitable detox programs. It is also possible for low energy detox diets to increase stress in the body, thereby elevating cortisol levels which makes it difficult to loose weight, not ideal when weight loss is part of the objective!
The most common reasons for detoxing are environmental and dietary exposure to toxins, general cleansing/preventative medicine, gastrointestinal disorders, autoimmune disease, inflammation, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome and weight loss. And, although widely used the term ‘toxin’ remains ill-defined. In conventional medicine toxins generally refer to drugs and alcohol, and ‘detox’ is the process of weaning patients off these addictive substances.
Approaches to detoxification generally employ pathways that promote the excretion of chemicals and their metabolites in urine and faeces or extra-renal excretion in sweat or sebum.
It is well-established that some chemicals from both food and the environment accumulate in the human body and that high doses of some in the body can be toxic.
Persistent organic pollutants (POPs), for example, are industrial chemicals that accumulate in human adipose tissue. Something to keep in mind when considering a detox which may result in weight loss as the chemicals can be released back in to the blood stream when weight-loss occurs resulting in one feeling unwell. Caution and knowledge should therefore be employed when deciding on a detox /cleansing or weight loss program.
Don’t underestimate your body’s inherent ability to deal with toxic substances, the human body has evolved highly sophisticated mechanisms for eliminating toxins.
The liver, kidneys, gastrointestinal system, skin and lungs all play a role in the excretion of unwanted substances. The pathways used for detoxification depend on the particular chemical. Chemicals are generally converted to a less toxic form, metabolised or conjugated to produce a water-soluble form for renal excretion, conjugated with glutathione for gastrointestinal elimination, or intracellular metallothione in binding of heavy metals.
But when overloaded by environmental toxins, stress and unhealthy food these mechanisms take some strain and may not function optimally putting a huge burden on our body. Fortunately there are herbs and supplements which can facilitate the excretion of “toxic” substances.The use of both herbs and supplements is useful to enhance and support our bodies’ own innate ability to cleanse and eliminate as the need arises.
Kick start your year's health regime by being kind to your body, nourishing it with good food, herbs and spices:
1. Eat Simple, Nutrient-Dense Winter Foods, eating root veg, soups, healthy fats
2. Avoid sugar but take care to eliminate gradually by slowly cutting it down until you can cut it out completely as suddenly cutting out sugar when it is a regular part of your diet can come with surprisingly harsh side-effects.
3. Use Warming and Immune-Supporting Herbs – see below for some inspirations.
4. Keep active to make you feel good but also to help the process of elimination.
If you can manage this together with adding herbs to your life then you are well on your way to a healthy 2017. Here is a list of just a few of my favourite little miracle workers:
The liver, kidneys, gastrointestinal system, skin and lungs all play a role in the excretion of unwanted substances. The pathways used for detoxification depend on the particular chemical. Chemicals are generally converted to a less toxic form, metabolised or conjugated to produce a water-soluble form for renal excretion, conjugated with glutathione for gastrointestinal elimination, or intracellular metallothione in binding of heavy metals.
But when overloaded by environmental toxins, stress and unhealthy food these mechanisms take some strain and may not function optimally putting a huge burden on our body. Fortunately there are herbs and supplements which can facilitate the excretion of “toxic” substances.The use of both herbs and supplements is useful to enhance and support our bodies’ own innate ability to cleanse and eliminate as the need arises.
Kick start your year's health regime by being kind to your body, nourishing it with good food, herbs and spices:
1. Eat Simple, Nutrient-Dense Winter Foods, eating root veg, soups, healthy fats
2. Avoid sugar but take care to eliminate gradually by slowly cutting it down until you can cut it out completely as suddenly cutting out sugar when it is a regular part of your diet can come with surprisingly harsh side-effects.
3. Use Warming and Immune-Supporting Herbs – see below for some inspirations.
4. Keep active to make you feel good but also to help the process of elimination.
If you can manage this together with adding herbs to your life then you are well on your way to a healthy 2017. Here is a list of just a few of my favourite little miracle workers:
Milk Thistle (Silybum marianum)
A good herb to include within your health regime both during and after an indulgent period when your liver is taking some strain. Milk Thistle improves and inhibits liver damage especially when caused by excessive alcohol intake, and thereby supports the liver to function optimally.
A good herb to include within your health regime both during and after an indulgent period when your liver is taking some strain. Milk Thistle improves and inhibits liver damage especially when caused by excessive alcohol intake, and thereby supports the liver to function optimally.
Burdock root ( Arctium lappa)
A powerful and reliable blood tonic which also works on clearing your lymphatic system. With its bitter quality Burdock root promotes bile flow and has a mild diuretic action all in support of working toxins out of the body. I sometimes include burdock root in herbal preparations when toxic load manifests on the skin (acne, psoriasis, eczema etc…). Sometimes it may make the skin condition worse for a while as burdock pushes the toxins through the body before the condition gets any better.
A powerful and reliable blood tonic which also works on clearing your lymphatic system. With its bitter quality Burdock root promotes bile flow and has a mild diuretic action all in support of working toxins out of the body. I sometimes include burdock root in herbal preparations when toxic load manifests on the skin (acne, psoriasis, eczema etc…). Sometimes it may make the skin condition worse for a while as burdock pushes the toxins through the body before the condition gets any better.
Cleavers (Galium aparine)
Cleansing to the lymphatic system, great as part of a remedy for swollen lymph glands, also has blood cleansing, mild diuretic and detoxifying action on the body. Good fresh, washed and included in a juice. One I often include in my personal cleansing tea or when I start to feel run down.
Cleansing to the lymphatic system, great as part of a remedy for swollen lymph glands, also has blood cleansing, mild diuretic and detoxifying action on the body. Good fresh, washed and included in a juice. One I often include in my personal cleansing tea or when I start to feel run down.
Coriander (Coriandrum sativum)
A good herb to include fresh in juices when you are concerned with heavy metal exposure and toxicity as it has been shown to promote elimination of some heavy metals from the body. In addition it has the ability to stimulate digestion and dispel of wind, useful when your digestion is feeling overloaded and sluggish.
If juicing is your thing there is no harm in perhaps having in nutrient rich juice during the morning or afternoon in stead of your coffee or afternoon snack. My favourite for this time of year is beetroot, carrot, orange and ginger (I quite like revving up the heat with extra ginger....but this is down to personal preference) juice which is nourishing and gives your body that break you may feel it needs after a heavy meal or a sluggish system.
January and the start of a new calendar year holds a lot of momentum for creating new healthy habits. This time of the year here in the northern hemisphere is not the time to restrict your body but rather about including hearty nourishing foods, delicious warming spices and herbal teas to kick start your health and well-being regime.
A good herb to include fresh in juices when you are concerned with heavy metal exposure and toxicity as it has been shown to promote elimination of some heavy metals from the body. In addition it has the ability to stimulate digestion and dispel of wind, useful when your digestion is feeling overloaded and sluggish.
If juicing is your thing there is no harm in perhaps having in nutrient rich juice during the morning or afternoon in stead of your coffee or afternoon snack. My favourite for this time of year is beetroot, carrot, orange and ginger (I quite like revving up the heat with extra ginger....but this is down to personal preference) juice which is nourishing and gives your body that break you may feel it needs after a heavy meal or a sluggish system.
January and the start of a new calendar year holds a lot of momentum for creating new healthy habits. This time of the year here in the northern hemisphere is not the time to restrict your body but rather about including hearty nourishing foods, delicious warming spices and herbal teas to kick start your health and well-being regime.
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