Detoxification or detox is the removal of toxic substances from the body physiologically or medically. It is one of our body’s primary functions as we have our own built in body cleansing system.  But sometimes, that’s not enough, especially for women.

Let’s face it – sometimes – due to a period of unhealthy or sedentary lifestyle choices, our bodies can become overloaded with the process of detoxification, as this is an energy-consuming process. Fortunately, there are many methods available to facilitate detoxification or to actively detox your body from harmful substances.

Many alternative medicine practitioners suggest detoxification diets or detox regimens.

Why should you detox when it is one of our body’s own functions? Does detoxing really do wonders?

As discussed, our body can get loaded with the toxins we carry all the time within ourselves, making our organs work harder. A detox plan consists of changing our eating and drinking habits, switching to healthier, fresh, anti-inflammatory foods that are rich in nutrients including antioxidants, high vegetable consumption, hydration, use of herbal teas and avoiding known toxin inducing foods and drinks (yes sugar carries a heavy toll on our bodies. There are three stages of Detoxing:

1. Purification with fluid detoxification and avoiding unhealthy foods.
2. Restructuring: when our body starts remembering how good it feels to be healthy

In the final stage, benefits start to happen, and our body maintains what is already there.

There are many benefits of detoxification. Some of them are below:

• Helps in weight loss.
• Filters out the toxins from body.
• Boosts your metabolism.
• Reduces inflammation.
• Aids in digestion and reduces digestive ailments.
• Improves your mood, making you feel good both physically and mentally.
• Reduces overall stress on your body.
• Rejuvenates, refreshes and gives a healthy appearance to your skin.

In addition, detoxing is good if you are having difficulty in waking up early in the morning, or you feel driven towards alcohol and cigarettes to calm you down or perk you up or if you’re feeling tired or have been on an unhealthy food binge (yes, cartons of Ben & Jerry’s Cherry Garcia do not count as a fruit substitution). Along with detoxing, you should also consider some points such as setting yourself a regular schedule so you get good night’s sleep, including exercise in your daily routine, making sure to drink recommended amount of water to stay hydrated, and trying to drink coffee or tea without sugar.  One great solution is to just decrease the amount of sugar you use every few days until you become accustomed to not needing sugar or sweeteners in your drinks.