Detox Diet

So I am starting a cleanse today... a detox of my body and organs to get myself back on track health wise. I already exercise and I don't diet but I figured a detox would be good to clean out my body and rid it of some of the toxins of day to day life (the environment and certain foods you eat and cleaners you use definitely put toxins in your body that need to be cleaned out.)

So to do the cleanse the right way (and there are many kinds of detox diets out there), I did a bit of research online. The right cleanse calls for at least 7-10 days minimum on a detox diet. You can detox with the Master Cleanse, which is a lemonade diet of lemons, water, and cayenne pepper and maple syrup or honey. You can detox with certain types of special detox supplement pills. You can detox by doing a specific program designed for the cleanse or you can detox using certain types of teas (non-caffeine). You could also detox using just water or all natural fruit and veggie juices.

While some cleanses call for just a liquid diet only, others allow raw fruits and veggies as well as certain types of nuts. However, they all forbid foods like rice, flour, bread, caffeine, etc, at least for the first few days.

I am doing a modified cleanse. No way can I stick with it for 10 straight days. But that's OK. A 10 day cleanse is only healthy once a year, no more than 3 times a year anyway. You could also cleanse your system once a month for shorter periods of time, like 3-5 days, no more than 7.

Detoxing is basically fasting, allowing your system to put itself back in balance by giving it a break from solid foods, many of which may contain some sort of toxin, be it from pesticides, smoke and fumes from pollutions in the air and environmental imbalance. Fasting is practiced by many disciplined people, but it's not for everyone.

For starters, detoxing is not a good way to maintain weight loss. We're not talking anorexia here, a disorder that is ongoing starvation to be thin. I know I am borderline at risk for slipping back into my old ways, but I am fasting for other, more healthy reasons and no more than short periods of time. So if you have an eating disorder, don't try a detox diet.

A detox diet can kick start your diet and put you on the right track for a healthier lifestyle. It can help with weigh loss, BUT it also promotes a well balanced way of keeping healthy by drinking TONS of water (and healthy liquids) and eating LOTS of fruits and veggies, which are are essential for all around health.

I started my detox diet today and I can't say it's not hard. It is a battle of strong will and determination , especially when faced with temptation. For me, I LOVE to cook and LOVE to eat even more, so cooking and then not being able to eat what I have so lovingly and skillfully prepared is hard. But I know I am doing it for a good reason: my over all health.

I have been so lethargic lately, due in part to a lack of proper sleep. But also due to other things, like I mentioned earlier. Detoxing can help you have more energy, after the first few days anyway, once your body gets over the first hump of thinking it's starving. It introduces more water and liquids and good for you foods into your diet and also helps curb temptation and over eating. Plus, I have to say the lemonade diet is pretty good. Tasty, actually. And the flax seed is filling.

So this will be my diet for the next 2-3 days:

* 8 or more glasses of water, mixed with limes/lemons, cayenne pepper and a touch of honey.
* Water mixed with a few teaspoons of ground flax seed.
* All natural fruit juice

If after the second day I am feeling great about the diet and not having too many cravings, I might go for another day or 2.

Obviously, like I said before, this is not something to be done constantly, but occasionally. Once a month I think is fine, 2-3 days. Maybe when I have the willpower and strength, I will try it for 10-11 days, but that won't be for a while yet. I hope the benefits are great once I come out on the other side. And not too hungry I hope, as I don't want to go through this diet only to eat everything in sight once I am done with it.