A good detox is the best thing you can do for your body. But there's a lot of incorrect information around about the process, so here's what you really need to know...
1 YOU DON'T NEED TO DO A TOTAL FAST Our detox diet doesn't involve fasting or even a juice-only diet. It provides you with enough to eat so that you can carry on working, exercising, and so on. You'll be increasing the amount you eat of some foods, while decreasing or eliminating others.
2 A PROPER DETOX WILL REJUVENATE YOUR BODY, RIDDING IT OF TOXINS Ingested poisons, negative elements, such as alcohol, tobacco and caffeine, excess sodium, sugar and fat, artificial additives, pesticides, hormones and other residues in foods are all avoided during a detox. At the same time, there's an increase in the consumption of foods that encourage the elimination of toxin buildup, helping the lymphatic system, liver, kidneys, skin and bowels work more efficiently. (Exercise also encourages the excretion of waste material.) A good detox programme will give the body all it needs to work exactly as it should, relying on 'superfoods' - raw or lightly-cooked wholefoods, high in natural enzymes and phyto (plant) chemicals, organic produce and other top-quality foods.
3 THE PROGRAMME HAS TO BE AT LEAST A FEW WEEKS LONG Some of the toxins in your body are stored in your body fat and can only be released when this fat is used for energy - that is, when you reduce calorie intake and increase exercise, and so begin to use up stored fat. That's why a short, sharp detox has you feeling worse for a few days, as the toxins are being released into your body, but have not yet been completely expelled.
4 A GOOD DETOX WILL HAVE YOU LOSING WEIGHT NATURALLY Not all slimming diets are detoxing - many calorie-controlled diets are based on foods which are high in artificial additives and toxic residues, and low in nutrients. Whereas almost all detoxing plans are slimming because of the type of food that you eat, which is naturally low in calories. Plus, it's hard to eat too much when you're eating low-density, high-water-content food, and when a range of high-calorie 'binge' foods are no-go.