Tuesday, September 30, 2008

How To Detox at Home - Eat and be Cleansed

By Lee Dobbins

When most people think of learning how to detox at home, they think about the fasting detox that requires you to give up food and drink glasses full of strange inredients. That is one way of detoxifying your body. But if you have never done a detox or it has been a long time since you have done it, you should be aware that going into it with full gusto can be shocking to your body. The best way to detox at home is to go healthy by cutting out foods and substances that are overworking your liver and add foods that have been shown to have beneficial effects.

Detox at Home - Foods You Need / Foods You Don't

Fruits and vegetables will be the mainstay of your detox plan. You can have up to three servings of fruit in a day and unlimited amounts of most vegetables. Do not eat bananas, potatoes or corn. If you eat peas, add them to your servings of legumes rather than counting them as vegetables. All of these are high in sugars and starch. You should get your starch from whole grains and legumes. Whenever possible, eat your food whole or put the fruit or vegetable in a juicer with skins intact. Remember to always wash your fruits and vegetables before eating them!

Twice daily, include whole grains in your diet. If you purchase bread, make sure the bread you buy is 100% whole grain. There should be no refined ingredients. Brown rice and steel-cut oatmeal are good choices for whole grains.

Learning how to detox at home is about learning how to eat a bit differnetly. Do not eat meat or any animal products such as eggs, cheese or milk while you are on your detox at home plan. There are other sources of protein you can use such as beans, raw almonds and unsalted seeds that provide protein and help to detoxify your liver.

There are only two acceptable fats and these are olive oil and canola oil. It is recommended that you have two servings of these a day. A good way to incorporate them is to add them to vinegar or lemon juice to make a dressing. Do not eat mayonnaise, margarine, bottle dressings, vegetable oil or butter.

Water is the most essential part of a detox at home. One gallon of water a day will cleanse toxins that are set free by your eating plan. It is even better if you can drink more than a gallon. When toxins start to circulate from the initial detox, water helps to cleanse it out of you faster. This can offset some of the worst side effects of detox.

If you are elderly, you should not detox at home. Do not put young children on this kind of plan. If you are fighting an addiction whether it is to alcohol or drugs do not detox without being under the care of professionals. If you are on prescriptions or have a health concern, talk to your doctor about whether or not a detox at home plan is right for you. Because of the nature of detox, your body will likely react with some harsh symptoms. It is always best to see your doctor before you go on a cleansing diet.

Learning how to detox at home involves an eating plan that is low in calories and as such, should not be maintained for longer than ten days. If you like the way you feel at the end of your detox, you can just add protein from salmon, tuna or chicken as well as low-fat plain yogurt with fruit you blend into it. It is inadvisable to eat more than two servings of fish a week. If you are concerned about anything during your detox at home, you should see a specialist or your family doctor.

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