Monday, May 30, 2016

HEALTH & WELLBEING

By Guest Contributor


Discover The Do's And Don'ts Of Detox

Photo courtesy of nationalnutrition.ca



Detox is the latest buzzword in the world of health and fitness. It used to be diet. Unfortunately with the crazy number of fads that emerged, each one claiming to be the best way to lose weight, everyone’s mind is boggled. Naturally, their attention is turned towards detoxing and how it is the ultimate beauty fix. Want glowing skin that is ageless? Here is your answer: detox.

What exactly is this miracle spouting remedy? Essentially, it is about a blood cleanse. The equivalent of a toner for our skin. The toxins in your blood, through detox, would be removed from important organs such as your liver and kidneys. Think of it as a restart button.



Photo courtesy of ZALORA Community



When should you go on a detox? Do it sparingly and only when you observe these symptoms in yourself: feeling sluggish, irritated skin, bloating, eye bags, allergies and for the ladies, experiencing menstrual issues.

How does one go about to do it right? This is where we take a look at some misconceptions and facts of detox to help you make the right decisions.



"Detoxing should take place once a month and last for a week."

Photo courtesy of ZALORA Community


Introducing a sudden change to your diet will shock your body. It is not accustomed and built for such a dramatic decrease in consumption. A healthy body is more than capable of handling toxins in the body. Frequent detoxing once a month is unnecessary. A woman in the UK had detoxed too frequently. The result: a damaged left brain.

The right way would be to go on a detox once a year for a week. Do not listen to Beyonce’s (Sorry Queen Bey) lemon-water master cleanse. Detox is a process - within a week, you body should be having nutritious food, followed by one day of juice fast and then the rest of the week have probiotic food for recovery. What you should be doing is increasing your intake of healthy foods and cut out smoking, oily, fried, sugary food. You do not have to go organic. Rather, stick to grilled or baked lean meats and boiled vegetables. If you need to take sugar, go for raw honey instead. So eating cucumbers or just having apple juice for a week is ineffective and counterproductive. Your body does not get the nutrition it needs. So when you detox, take note of the duration (a week), the frequency (once a year) and how you do it (healthy diet).



"The Mediterranean diet has the best foods to cleanse your body."

Photo courtesy of ZALORA Community


South of Italy, Spain, Greece, Morocco and Turkey are some of the countries in the Mediterranean region. Being near the sea and the climate shapes the kinds of food they eat. Instead of butter, they have olive oil, there is an abundance of fish (rich in omega and lean), cheese, legumes, fruits, herbs and spices. All these are rich with vitamin, minerals, protein and unsaturated fats. All aid in boosting your immune system.



"Drink Green Tea For A Week to Detox Effectively."


Photo courtesy of ZALORA Community


This is a tricky one. It does burn fats and boost your metabolic rate. It is also a good source of hydration and antioxidants. But to have ONLY green tea for a week would be detrimental to your health. There are no nutrients to help your body in carrying out its daily functions. Instead, you could swap your water for green tea while you detox the right way.



"Yoga helps to detox the body."


Photo courtesy of ZALORA Community


There are many ways to detox. Unfortunately, consumption has always been the focus. Exercise is an important factor too. Yoga proves to be the best as the deep breathing techniques coupled with the twisting motions help you to remove the toxins. Through perspiration or through breathing out.



"After Detoxing, You Can Resume What You Did Before."


Photo courtesy of ZALORA Community


WRONG. By committing to detox, you are taking the first step to treating your body better. Instead, continue with regular exercise, have a healthy meal at least once a day, drink green tea three times a week and reduce bad habits like smoking and binge drinking.


Thanks for sticking around for this edition of Fact or Fiction on detox. I hope this was useful in helping you be a healthier you! Share with us some of your remedies for detoxing in the comments section!




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