HEALTH TIPS

Get In-tune! ‘Overhaul’ your system!

Your body aches, you hardly have much energy to last through the day, and your mind’s exhausted! Those are surefire signs that your body needs to detox! Inculcate a habit of detoxifying your body at least once a year. It's a way of getting in tune with your body. In other words, detoxifying is spring-cleaning your internal system to get rid of the massive toxins build-up.

Experts believe that body toxin build-up is the cause of a wide range of illnesses ranging from heart disease to cancer. There are many methods to detoxify your body and some may require some changes in the way you live and eat. Therefore, it is advised that you choose methods that you can follow. Most people fail at body detoxification and opt out before reaching completion because they have chosen methods that affect their lifestyle too much and finding it hard to stick with later on.

To start, detox your body by reducing food intake that are well known to contain high level of toxin such as coffee, saturated fats, alcohol and sugar. So what exactly are good for you and what are the no-nos? Well, fret not, we’re here to help!

The Goodies!

  • Fresh or frozen fruits.
  • All fresh vegetables. Vegetables thought to be particularly good detox foods include broccoli, cauliflower, onions, garlic, artichokes, beets as well as red and green vegetables.
  • All forms of rice, including rice cakes, rice crackers and rice pasta. Brown rice is typically preferred.
  • Other grains like quinoa, amaranth, millet, and buckwheat can be used instead of rice. They can be purchased at a health food store or in some supermarkets.
  • Green peas and lentils are easiest to digest and require the least soaking time. Other good options include kidney beans, pinto beans, mung beans, chickpeas and adzuki beans.
  • Unsalted nuts or seeds can be sprinkled over salads or eaten as a snack. Good options include flaxseed, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, almonds, cashews and walnuts.
  • Extra-virgin olive oil is the preferred oil during the detox period.
  • Vegetable salt, sea salt, vinegar, soy sauce and all herbs or spices.
  • Herbal teas and green tea should substitute your normal tea-drinking types.
  • Water, lemon water, pure unsweetened fruit and vegetable juices, rice milk.

Daily Detox Do's

  • Drink a minimum of 8 glasses of water per day, warm or room temperature.
  • Take the time to chew food well, especially grains.

Now, here comes the baddies!

  • All forms of natural and artificial sugars, such as sucrose, dextrose, corn syrup, brown sugar and turbinado.
  • Say no to milk, butter, cream cheese, sour cream and other dairy products.
  • Wheat and products containing wheat, such as pasta and bread.
  • All gluten-containing grains like wheat, rye and barley.
  • Although most detox diets recommend avoiding coffee, both regular and decaffeinated, one cup a day is usually acceptable and may reduce the occurrence of caffeine withdrawal headaches.
  • Other foods to avoid include yeast, alcohol, food additives and preservatives, chocolate and other high-fat foods.

Adapted and excerpted from:

http://www.detoxyourbodytoday.com

http://altmedicine.about.com/od/detoxcleansing/a/Foods_Eat.htm

http://altmedicine.about.com/od/detoxcleansing/a/Foods_Avoid_2.htm

 

Sham Latiff