Saturday, October 18, 2008

How To Detox at Home - You can Eat and Cleanse at the Same Time

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.

How To Detox at Home - The Guidelines

If you choose this milder form of detox, you will be eating mostly vegetables and fruits. Most vegetables can be eaten or juiced in unlimited quantities though there are some vegetables you should not eat during this time. Steer away from bananas (they can be constipating), potatoes and corn (too starchy). Peas can be eaten but should be considered a legume instead of a vegetable. The starches you consume should come from legumes and whole grains. You should always wash each piece thoroughly and eat the skins whenever possible.

Whole grains can be eaten twice every day. The best whole grains for detox are brown rice, steel cut oatmeal and 100% whole grain bread. Make sure none of the ingredients in your bread are refined. It is best to eat one portion in the morning and one portion in the evening.

For the duration of the detox, steer away from animal products, including meat, eggs, cheese and milk. Eating raw almonds, unsalted sunflower seeds, beans and legumes will give you enough protein to get you through your detox at home.

No vegetable oils, margarines, mayonnaises, butter or salad dressings that come from a bottle should touch your lips. Two tablespoons a day of omega 3-rich canola or olive oil are acceptable and even useful to your detox plan. You can make a dressing with these oils if you combine them with lemon juice or balsamic vinegar.

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.

There are people who should not detox at home at all. Children and elderly adults are advised to steer clear of a detox program. Those who are battling alcohol or drug addiction should only detox under professional supervision. If you take medicines or have a health condition you must talk to your doctor before detoxifying. Detox at home is a big change in your habits and can be shocking for the body. Make sure your health can take these abrupt changes.

Because of their low calorie nature, it is not advisable to stay on a detox plan for more than a week to 10 days. If you want to keep up with detox, you should add some more protein as well as some dairy in order to get the calcium your body needs. If you are adding meat, eat only chicken, salmon and tuna. Do not eat more than 2 servings of fish a week due to mercury levels. Add some fruit to plain low-fat yogurt that has live active cultures. If you have any questions or concerns, see a specialist and always ask your doctor before learning how to detox at home.

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