You don’t have to be exiting the holiday feasting season to feel the need for a quick and easy detox or cleanse. The sluggish feeling you encounter when you just know your body is full of toxins is undeniable, you feel slower, less energy, maybe even constipated.
But if the idea of putting your body through the intense fasting process isn’t exactly an attractive option for you, then there might be another option that can help clear your body of toxins and get your energy levels, and overall health back on track that is free of the hassles of the typical 7 day cleanse, or fasting detox options.
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One main thing that many nutrition experts and healthcare practitioners will tell you is that a cleanse or detox doesn’t need to involve starving yourself, and that a sudden loss of nutrients has potential to really do your body serious harm.
What to Remember When Choosing an Appropriate Cleanse or Detox
Keep in mind that people’s bodies all respond differently to different cleanse programs. So while you might find one effective, switching up a program that has traditionally worked for you might not make you feel the greatest, however, starting small and working towards something more challenging is always a good plan of action.
Nutrition experts say that people should look at their cleanses as having varying degrees of difficulty. While some might be considered “beginner” and escalating up to the more “advanced” depending on the duration of time you need to be on it and the steps involved and ease of use.
Some detox and cleanse programs (to clear out toxins) say you can be on them for as little as three days, some recommend 7 days, and some can go on indefinitely with the correct nutritional advisement or supervision. The general rule of thumb is that the longer you are on a program, the better it is for you, but fasting or starving yourself is considered dangerous and these sorts of cleanses are considered separate from fasting, a point which many need clarified for their good health.
Consider the Toxins That Aren’t Just in Your Diet
This means alcohol and smoking, too. A lot of people think that cleanses are just nutritional ones, but a big part of what could be making your body so toxic are these two offenders. Another one you might be best to avoid at all costs is caffeine. There has been considerable research for and against coffee for health, but when going through a cleanse, if you find yourself needing to drink a pot of coffee in the morning, or reaching for a soda to get yourself out of a mid-day slump, this is a clear obvious sign you should cut back or eliminate caffeine while on your cleanse.
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Eliminating sugar, junk food and processed foods is another part of a cleanse program that is imperative. Sticking to the cleanse and detox program you have chosen can be difficult enough, but adding in these obvious variables might not have occurred to you. You could be putting yourself one step forward, and several steps back.
RELATED READING: Avoid the 7 Danger Signs of a Toxic Liver
After choosing your detox and cleanse program, whether it is an easy three day program, or a more complicated lengthly one, keep in mind there are two things you will need a lot of no matter what: Water and fiber. Fiber isn’t just in the form of bran or cereals, but organic fruits and vegetables can host loads of fiber too. Experts say when it comes to hydration, the rule of thumb for any cleanse is to drink a minimum of 12 8 ounce glasses of water every day your detox program is in effect to get things moving though you.
