Mr. Boxy
|
Detoxing is the process of helping your body become healthy after stopping a bad dietary habit. Sometimes it's described as a "cleaning of the blood." It's actually a way to give your entire body a rest, while also letting it catch up on nutrients that your bad habit was depleting.
It really comes down to one thing: stop doing the negative things to your body you were doing before, and fix the damage it caused.
What happens depends on what you are getting away from.
Caffeine: Your brain has receptors that, when filled, keep you awake. Caffeine works by filling these receptors. Your body eventually adjusts, growing more receptors. When you stop your caffeine intake, you suddenly have lots of empty receptors, causing you to feel sleepy. You will also have a headache. Your body will slowly remove the extra receptors after about two weeks.
Alcohol: Drinking can cause deficiencies in many vitamins. The liver will process alcohol before it moves on to other nastier chemicals, like methanol, which is present in most wood-aged spirits. This is part of what makes a hangover so nasty.
If you are an alcoholic, you should seek medical attention. The side effects of alcohol withdrawal can be severe.
Tobacco: Like alcohol, tobacco use limits the absorption of vitamins, particularly calcium.
Food: Most detox diets emphasize unprocessed foods, particularly fresh fruits and vegetables. Sometimes fasting is recommended, but can be hazardous to people with metabolism-related diseases like diabetes. People with high sugar diets will find that their blood sugar won't swing as widely as it once did, keeping hunger in control.
Omega 6 fatty acids are used to create inflammation in the body. This is necessary for some body functions, but an overabundance of these fats in most Western diets can cause uncontrolled inflammation. Cutting down on Omega 6 fatty acids and eating more Omega 3 acids, found in fish and flax seed, can reduce this effect.
No matter what you are detoxing from, you can help move the toxins out of your system: exercise will help circulation, while plenty of water and soluble fiber will help with excretion.
 Posted 5427 day ago
|