Do I need to do a Detox Diet?

simple tips to detox the natural way!

Every time I see an Ad on TV or in a magazine for a Detox diet I cringe... when I walk past a chemist and there are detox packs for sale and I just shake my head. I used to be a flight attendant and the amount of my work colleagues that were doing the Lemon Detox Diet trying to get a quick weight loss fix disturbed me!

Unfortunately a lot of us have had little or no nutritional education and think that a detox diet is the correct thing to do. I am here to help you take a step in the right direction.

Did you know that your Liver is your very own built in detox box. The main function of your liver is to remove toxins that you consume, such as alcohol, sugars and, processed meats. Your liver also processes the nutrients in your food, helps to regulate your metabolism, and produces 80% of your cholesterol.

The actions that you choose and the food and drink that you put into your mouth can make your liver work harder than it needs too. This in turn can make you feel sluggish and tired.

Do you think drinking a liquid made up of some lemon powder, syrup and water and hardly eating whole foods is really going to cleanse your liver? There is a very easy way to DETOX your liver CUT OUT THE RUBBISH in your diet. If you eat plenty of fresh vegetables, protein, whole grain carbohydrates and drink plenty of water (what we should be eating anyway) then your liver will be doing its job.

If you normally feed your body full of sugar and alcohol when you stop eating and drinking them you will feel pretty ordinary for the first couple of days. This is because you are more than likely addicted to these products and your body has to wean off them. So it's always a good idea to reduce it slowly so that you are not getting withdrawals from everything all at once. If you are craving something sweet then have a piece of fruit or a natural yoghurt. If you body is not trying to do a detox and get rid of all the junk it can concentrate on doing the other jobs that are more important.

Instead of reaching for the detox in a cardboard box follow these simple rules:

• Drink plenty of water to help flush out the toxins
• Eat plenty of fresh vegetables, protein and whole grain carbohydrates
• Limit your alcohol intake (try doing a month without any at all)
• Stay away from refined sugars, cakes anything that has been processed
• If you are consuming high amount of refined sugars, alcohol and caffeine try to wean yourself off so you don't suffer from severe withdrawals
• If you eat a balanced diet there is no need for a DETOX as you liver will be working the way it should to keep you healthy and happy.

Until next week, stay healthy.