3 Steps Guide for Detoxing The Body for Weight Loss

Before jumping into this article always remember Detoxification is not a medical term, it’s just a fashionable jargon used to denote cleansing the body internally, but it does have a basis in medical science.

In simple words, we could say letting your body take a day off i.e., Detoxing.

Doctors will often use it when a person has an addiction to certain substances or drugs that are causing them harm mentally and physically.

In these circumstances, detoxing the body refers to the medically supported management of a person experiencing chronic inebriation. The detoxification also supports with any withdrawal symptoms a person might experiences when they are trying to stop taking that specific substance to which they have an addiction.

The second most important thing is our body systems are very capable of cleansing itself, all we have to do is to let it cleanse, all these detox supplements in the market are nothing but pure marketing, we all have our kitchen full of ingredients which can facilitate and speeds up the detoxing process.

Detoxing is a process that usually begins with fasting, during which you are required to completely restrict food for a day or two, letting your body rest and heal any internal inflammation due to stress on the system.

After fasting it involving slowly introducing light on system foods, like salads and liquid diets to stop energy and nutrient loss and facilitates the flushing process.

Flushing is done through

1. Perspiration to eliminate excess salts.

2. Urination to flush blood impurities.

3. Bowel movements to cleanse the digestive tract. 

*Understanding how detox works.

Modern science makes us believe the detoxification process is needed to be done to keep our body toxins free, but in reality, nature has already given us an organ specifically just for detoxing.

The liver is the largest solid organ & our very own cleanser in the body. Its primary roles are to remove toxins from the body’s blood supply, maintain healthy blood sugar levels, regulates blood clotting, and perform hundreds of other vital functions.

Liver Facts

1. Liver filters out all the blood in the body and breaks down all the toxins and poisonous substances, such as alcohol and drugs.

2. Liver produces bile, a fluid that breaks down fat making it usable by our body and carry away wastage.

3. All the toxins and heavy food that we consume during weekends gets absorbed into our bloodstream, that blood leaving the stomach and intestines passes through the liver, which removes toxins, byproducts, and other harmful substances.

4. while the blood filtering process, the liver also removes bacteria and other microorganisms from the bloodstream. Preventing infections.

These are just detoxing processes of our liver, apart from these liver stores a significant amount of vitamins A, D, E, K & B12 as well as iron and copper. All the nutrients we need for normal life are produced by the liver.

So, detox works when we leave our body to rest and self-cleanse itself by helping it with fasting and light on liver diets reducing toxins and poison we consume in form of alcohol and processed junk food.

How to detox?

Step 1: Fasting

Fasting does not necessarily mean a complete absence of food. It is a method of cleansing the system with total awareness of food and all sensory experiences.

Here, when we say awareness of food, it means avoiding food items that are harmful to the system and wisely choosing a diet based on one’s own body type.

Following a proper method of fasting will regulate the digestive fire which is responsible for proper digestion of food, remove toxins or impurities which are accumulated in the body due to improper diet and regimen and maintain vital energy in the system, thus helping to maintain the homeostasis.

If you are a beginner start with fasting for 12 hours, fasting to 10 – 16 hours force the body to turn fat into energy-releasing ketones into our bloodstreams, encouraging weight loss

Why fasting is necessary

When we look into the process of digestion, the food which is ingested, with the proper digestion, will break down into vitamins, minerals, and fats which are vital for nourishment to the body leaving waste product that needs to be excreted.

This nourishment gives strength and radiance to the body. All mental and physical functions including the maintenance of a proper immune system depends on this. Good and properly maintained and regular balanced nourishment provides vital energy, which is a sign of health.

Improper diet, consumption of excessive alcohol, and depending on frozen, canned, and processed food hampers the functioning of the liver leading to the formation of Toxins.

This is nothing but the toxins which have accumulated in the body due to impaired metabolism leading to decrease in the functioning of the liver to break down nutrients and the blocking of the channels in the body leading to the manifestation of many diseases.

When too much toxins get accumulated in the system, it shows signs such as weakness, indigestion, bloating, malabsorption, body aches, headaches, fever, skin rashes, dryness, anxiety, etc. 

In Ayurveda fasting is a primary method of removing these toxins, to which the western world has given the name “Detox”.

General guidelines for fasting

1. Eat only when you are hungry.

2. Dandelions, Lemon, Turmeric, Red clover, fennel seeds, cardamom, mint, cumin, cilantro, cucumber, etc. are good to remove toxins from the body.

3. Make sure to drink lemon with honey mixed in Luke warm water to maintain hydration and cleansing of the digestive tract.

4. It is OK to feel weakness and fatigue on the first day of fasting. But you will feel more energetic and active from the next day. This is a sign of proper cleansing.

Step 2 Juices or Liquid Diets

After fasting don’t start with regular heavy food, it is recommended to start slow with lemon water or green tea so that your digestive system wakes up from the fasting slumber and starts producing digestive enzymes.

A liquid diet means you’re getting all, or at least most, of your calories from drinks. There are different kinds.

A liquid diet consists of clear liquids — such as water, broth, and juices that are easily digested and leave no undigested residue in your intestinal tract. One thing to remember is that a liquid diet can’t provide you with adequate calories and nutrients, as these are best to replenish the body with essential electrolytes to maintain energy. It shouldn’t be continued for more than a few days.

Step 3 Start with probiotics

After long fasting it’s time to restore the probiotic health of our intestines, there are tons of combinations of good bacteria and yeasts that live in our body which helps in breaking down the food particles in the intestine.

Probiotics are part of a larger picture concerning bacteria and your body your microbiome. Think of a microbiome as a diverse community of organisms, such as a forest, that work together to keep your body healthy. This community is made up of things called microbes.

How probiotics help

The main job of probiotics, or good bacteria, is to maintain a healthy balance in your gut. Think of it as keeping your body in neutral. When you are sick, bad bacteria enters your body and increases in number. This knocks your body out of balance. Good bacteria work to fight off the bad bacteria and restore the balance within your body, making you feel better.

Good bacteria keeps you healthy by supporting your immune function and controlling inflammation. Certain types of good bacteria can also:

1. Help your body digest food.

2. Keep bad bacteria from getting out of control and making you sick.

3. Create vitamins.

4. Help support the cells that line your gut to prevent bad bacteria that you may have consumed (through food or drinks) from entering your blood.

5. Breakdowns and absorb medications.

This balancing act is naturally happening in your body all of the time. You don’t actually need to take probiotic supplements to make it happen. Good bacteria are just a natural part of your body. Eating a well-balanced diet rich in fiber every day helps to keep the number of good bacteria at proper levels.

Secret Tip: Want to get rid of probiotic and laxative pills once and for all? Try Curd mixed with jaggery.

Homemade curd contains several species of the Lactobacillus like L. fermentum, L. acidophilus, L. confusus, and Leconostoc lactis is also present in curd prepared at home.

Curd chiefly contains the lactic acid bacteria genus that converts lactose into lactic acid. A probiotic on the other hand is loaded with a wide variety of beneficial bacteria. Though curd is not truly probiotic, its benefits are very similar to that of probiotics.

The benefits of probiotic vary for different bacterial strains. The health perks of adding probiotics to your diet include better digestion, boost immunity, and maintains the calcium levels in bones.

After this 3-step process you will surely feel the difference, make sure to include ingredients those flush toxins from time to time. Like

Eat sulfur-containing foods. Foods’s high in sulfur, such as onions, broccoli, and garlic, enhance the excretion of heavy metals like cadmium (Source).

Try out chlorella. It is a type of algae that has many nutritional benefits and may enhance the elimination of toxins like heavy metals, according to animal studies (Source).

Flavor dishes with cilantro. Cilantro enhances the excretion of certain toxins, such as heavy metals like lead, and chemicals, including phthalates and insecticides (Source,).

Support glutathione. Eating sulfur-rich foods like eggs, broccoli, and garlic helps enhance the function of glutathione, a major antioxidant produced by your body that is heavily involved in detoxification (Source).

Switch to natural cleaning products. Choosing natural cleaning products like vinegar and baking soda over commercial cleaning agents can reduce your exposure to potentially toxic chemicals (Source).

Choose natural body care. Using natural deodorants, makeups, moisturizers, shampoos, and other personal care products can also reduce your exposure to chemicals.