Naturalpath

If your cells don’t function well, then you don’t function well; and if these building blocks of your body are tired and stressed, then you, the sum of these tiny parts, will feel the same way. Many people interested in being healthier and feeling better choose a periodic dietary and lifestyle detox to power their cells with nutrients and rid them of the heft of burdensome toxins. Some report that a good detox helps them feel better, have more energy, sleep better, and even lose weight.

These toxins can originate from stress, hormones, sleeplessness, or difficulty in digestion. They can also sprout from external pollutants, such as the air we breathe, the water we drink, and even what touches our skin. But the greatest assault of daily toxins often comes from the food that we eat, particularly our ingestion of sugar, nicotine, alcohol, caffeine, and chemicals - what nutritionist and detox specialist Dr. Elson Haas calls "SNACCs".

A carefully-planned detoxification program is a chance to take a break and relieve your body of many of these stresses. The goals of the program are to remove SNACCs from the diet entirely (or to the best of your ability), and to replace them with nutrients that help the body function and repair at optimal levels, either through supplements or highly nutritious foods.

Choosing a Cleansing

There are as many detoxification programs as there are practitioners, but here are a few of the most common. Note that these can be undertaken independently or combined.

“When I look at the way we get out of balance nutritionally, we get either deficiency (we’re not getting enough of the nutrients we need from eating the wholesome foods of the earth) or toxicity.

“When foods are broken down, our body is left with either acid or alkaline residue. I think this is really one of the important cutting edge areas of understanding health and disease.

“Our body wants to be more alkaline, and when fruits and vegetables are broken down in the body, they create a more alkaline residue.

Natural health experts who recommend juice fasting as a cleansing strategy suggest that when breaking a fast, it's important to gradually reintroduce solid foods.

After a period of drinking only liquids, it's important to chew your food well so that it's easily digested. It is also important not to eat too fast or overeat.

Pay attention to symptoms of food sensitivities or allergies that occur, such as bloating or inflammation. It's important to reintroduce foods slowly so as to avoid irritating the digestive system.

Reintroducing foods after your juice fast may include a diet plan like this:

• Day 1: Two pieces of fruit. Each piece of fruit is divided in half so there are four servings for that day.
• Day 2: Lightly steamed non-starchy vegetables, such as greens like spinach or kale.
• Day 3: Brown rice, fresh salad.
• Day 4: Nonfat plain yogurt, eggs.
• Day 5: Meat, chicken, fish, or tofu.
• Day 6: Beans and other grains.
• Day 7: Other foods, as desired.

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The Master Cleanser diet, also called The Lemonade Diet, was created by Stanley Burroughs in 1941 and made popular by Peter Glickman through his book Lose Weight, Have More Energy and Be Happier in 10 Days.

The diet, according to nutrition and detoxification experts like Elson Haas, clears out toxins and speeds healing. The cleanse can remove congestion and toxins, and help you feel alert and focused. It can even help you feel younger.

The Master Cleanser diet consists of a liquid fast of:

• 2 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1/10 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 Tbsp maple syrup in eight ounces of spring water
• Ingest for 7 or 10 day

In addition, dieters drink lots of water and herbal tea, especially peppermint or chamomile.

The diet also keeps the bowels actively cleansing with proprietary laxative teas, enemas, and colon irrigations. Or, try this internal saltwater bath: First thing in the morning, drink two teaspoons of sea salt dissolved in one quart of warm water. Either way, some form of cleansing bowel movement should happen at least every other day.

Fasting means the removal of all food (and sometimes water) from the diet. While technically not a fast, juice fasting remains a mild but very effective cleansing strategy.