Healthy Mama Magazine Issue 4 - October 2014 | Page 27

Should I

?

The gentle guide to
cleansing inside and out
By Larina Robinson – The Body Dietetics

hould I detox?
Despite the claims of cleansing and detoxifying your organs, removing toxic waste, and purifying
your body – there is very limited scientific evidence to support the use of a ‘detox’ program. In
fact, the majority of detox regimes available for purchase are simply restrictive diets, which can actually
do more harm than good. The “detox symptoms” you may feel such as dizziness, faint, hunger, headaches,
stomach upsets, and frequent visits to the bathroom – aren’t really ‘detox’ symptoms (unless laxatives are
part of the plan!), they simply mean your body is struggling to get by with the program you are
following e.g. little to no food, liquids only, and various tonics and potions.

Your body doesn’t like to be ‘shocked’ by such drastic changes to your food intake.
If you’ve stripped caffeine out of your diet and you were a heavy coffee drinker, there’s no doubt
you will likely have a headache and cravings. The same goes for chocolate and other sugary foods.
Going cold turkey via detoxes may feel like you’re making a change for the better, but they typically
only last up to a few weeks – if you can last that long. Once they’re over, it’s common for people to
just revert back to their old ways and then they’re back to square one!

Your body has a perfectly
good detoxification system...
the kind you get from a
healthy balanced diet

W

In all honesty, you don’t need to detox via a detoxification plan. Your body has a perfectly good detoxification
system that clears out the toxins via your liver, kidneys,
lungs and bowels. It occurs 24 hours a day, 365 days a
year. These extremely complicated and sophisticated
processes are supported by vitamins and minerals –
the kind you get from a healthy balanced diet.

hat are toxins anyway?

Toxins are substances created by plants and animals that are poisonous to humans. You can
find toxic substances almost everywhere, in varying amounts. You can find them in medicines,
air pollution, food, man-made products, chemicals produced in cooking, cleaning chemicals, and
other pollutants. This is why your body is constantly working to eliminate them. If your body couldn’t
do it naturally, all the time, you’d be in trouble!

H

ow can I reduce my exposure to toxins?

It may seem like the world we live in is full of harmful toxic substances, which to some point it
can be, but fueling our body with the right foods all year round, and switching over to more
natural products in our day-to-day lives will help to reduce the amount that we come into contact with.

Simple ways to reduce your exposure include:

“

• Using natural organic makeup and
beauty products
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• Using natural and organic body
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washes, shampoos and lotions
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• Consuming organic foods and plenty of
page
wholesome unrefined foods such as fruit,
vegetables, nuts, seeds and whole grains
MAG

if you don't

recognize an

ingredient, your

body won't either
- Anonymous

”

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