We all want to feel better, sleep better, lose weight, have more energy and enjoy life. We can all have this with a little work and commitment to a healthy lifestyle. It is little changes that we can make everyday that can change our outlook on life through balanced nutrition, exercise and lifestyle. Detoxifying our body daily can help us achieve this.

 

Here are 5 easy ways to help your body detox on a daily basis.

 

Drink at least half your body weight in ounces of water daily (more if you exercise and drink caffeine)

 

This is the easiest thing to change and it costs you nothing but a good water bottle. To help you remember to drink water carry a water bottle with you at all times and make a goal of how many times you need to fill it during the day to hit your water goal. If you can’t remember then fill up a glass pitcher of water at the beginning of the day and set it on the counter. Your goal should be to finish the pitcher by the end of the day. 

 

Remember to drink room temperature water in between meals and not ice cold water. Drinking ice cold water with meals will slow down your digestion as it dilutes the digestive enzymes and stomach acid you require for good digestion. If you use a Brita filter be sure to change the filter frequently or bacteria will build up in it. If you don’t like plain water then add a little lemon for flavor.

 

Cut out the refined sugar

 

There was a study done with rats where half were addicted to sugar water and the other half to cocaine. Given the choice, those rats addicted to cocaine ended up switching to sugar.

 

Food companies invest in a ton of research to hit what’s called the “bliss point” in their products - that exact point that offers you just enough sugar but not too much sugar so you feel blissed out...for all of a few minutes until you’re looking for your next hit. Sugar begets sugar.

 

You will be doing your body a huge favor by cutting sugar out of your diet. This can be tough especially if you crave sugar all the time. If you eliminate sugar the cravings will also go away after about 3-4 days. 

 

Sugar also interferes with your bodies ability to produce normal insulin causing insulin resistance,. Also is a major factor in diabetes, joint pain, allergies and immune weaknesses. Time to get rid of the sugar.

 

Breathe deeply and often

 

Have you ever noticed how you breathe. Do you take short quick breaths, long deep breaths or even hold your breath. Most of us tend to take very shallow breaths or suck in our stomachs and breathe solely into our chest. I am guilty of this! 

 

We need to bring consciousness back to our breath. To breathe deeply, breathe into your belly. Feel it expand. Try counting to 5 as you breathe in and another 5 as you breathe out. Repeat 10 times. 

 

Add more greens to your day. 

 

This can be easily accomplished by adding a green smoothie at breakfast, veggies to your omelet, salads, grilled veggies, raw veggies. Vegetables are highly alkaline and can help balance your body’s pH. They are also full of antioxidants, fibre and anti-inflammatory properties. (Oh yeah - veggie chips don’t count!)

 

Eat less meat

 

Meat that is organic and from pasture raised animals contains many essential vitamins and minerals. B12 is a big one that most people don’t get enough of and think eating meat daily will provide this. Sometimes the problem can be that you are eating adequate amounts of B12 foods but you lack intrinsic factor in the gut that is responsible for absorbing the B12. This is a digestive issue.

 

Meat can add to this digestive issue as it is very hard to digest and it uses up a lot of digestive energy. Try designating certain days as non meat days and give your digestion a break. If your worried about B12 it can be obtained through Brewer’s yeast, blackstrap molasses, sea vegetables and a high quality multivitamin.

 

So do your body a favor and detox it a little everyday. The long term results will be worth it.

 

 

 

Healthy Regards,

Cathy Falk

BA, Holistic Nutritionist

National Association of Nutrition Practitioners