10 Tips To Detox Naturally

James Colquhoun JAMES COLQUHOUN

Sometimes people tend to think detoxing means having to go without, focusing on what we can’t have rather than what we can introduce and gain from the experience. 

Not all detoxification methods are intense, leave you starving or result in binging on the ‘forbidden’ foods and drinks afterward. 

But there are also things you can do each day to help your body improve its natural detoxification systems. We’ve covered 10 of our favorites below:

  1. Boost your glutathione production by including vitamin C rich foods in your diet every day! Glutathione is a powerful antioxidant that helps drive toxins out of the body.
  2. Practice breathing deeply for at least 5 minutes a day. It helps you relax and also allows oxygen to circulate throughout your whole system, helping to detox your cells. 
  3. Reduce or eliminate foods and drinks that tend to cause sluggishness, poor digestion and contribute little to no nutrition e.g. alcohol, caffeinated drinks, cigarettes, refined sugars and processed foods. 
  4. Switch to eco-friendly, natural household cleaners and personal health care products e.g. toothpaste, cleansers, deodorants. Better yet you can make your own for half the price of store-bought products!  
  5. Eat foods rich in fiber to help support your body’s natural digestive detoxification pathway. Fresh fruits, vegetables including lots of leafy greens, avocado, and small amounts of high-fiber whole grains or seeds such as quinoa, buckwheat, teff, and oats. 
  6. Sweat it out! Exercise promotes detoxification via our perspiration. Work up a sweat in your favorite gym class or try a sauna session. As you exercise, blood circulates throughout the body bringing fresh oxygen and nutrients to your organs and muscles, while toxins are released through the pores of your skin. 
  7. Drink up! Drinking plenty of water each day helps to flush out toxins and waste from the body. Aim for 2 liters a day, which includes fruit and vegetables with a high water content, and herbal teas. Discover the amazing benefits of drinking warm lemon water first thing in the morning.
  8. Cruciferous vegetables are amazing detoxifiers! Cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, Brussels sprouts and other vegetables from the same family provide a compound called sulforaphane, offering potent antioxidant activity that is anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer, helping to rid the body of harmful toxins and combat their negative effects. You can even make a super simple sauerkraut recipe with just 3 ingredients!
  9. Brush your body! Dry skin brushing is an easy and effective way to help improve the appearance of your skin by regenerating skin cells. It also helps to stimulate blood circulation and the lymphatic system, improving toxin elimination! 
  10. Massage it out! A great, firm massage focusing on pressure points within the body helps to release the toxins trapped in your tissues. When pressure is placed on these pressure points, the toxin buildup is broken down and released from its ‘sticking point’. Once they’ve been released, flushing the body out by drinking lots of water helps to expel these toxins. 

 

James Colquhoun

BY JAMES COLQUHOUN

James Colquhoun is the filmmaker behind Food Matters, Hungry For Change, and Transcendence Seasons 1 & 2 and founder of Food Matters and FMTV. Along with Laurentine ten Bosch, James founded the Food Matters community following the release of the 2008 documentary, giving people the tools (films, books, articles, and guided programs) to take charge of their own health. From here, FMTV was born! It was designed as a place where you can access vital information by watching all of your favorite inspiring documentaries, expert interviews, & recipe videos in one place, and in early 2020 FMTV found it's new home on Gaia.