We often hear about detox, all over the place in magazines, on TV, or on the web. If you follow the trend on social media, you’ll see it everywhere. In recent years, it has become the holy grail of personal health; something everyone should be doing. Yet, beyond all hype and expensive teas, detoxification is something the body does naturally. So, to detoxify your body naturally, you just need to let it happen!

That being said, sometimes a boost is needed to stimulate this detoxification and the elimination that accompanies it, in order to flush waste out of the body. There are a number of natural solutions for this: water, fruit or vegetable juices, plants (herbal medicine), physical activity, … and so on.

In addition, there are quite a few products made from natural ingredients, presented in the form of tea, herbal teas, detox drinks, and other capsules. But once again, all these natural solutions or based on natural products are only there to stimulate, accompany, or drain the body, which detoxifies itself naturally!

Drinks to detoxify your body naturally

We often forget that the simplest is sometimes the best! In any case, this is true with water! Because this natural drink is certainly one of the first things to do to help detoxify your body, especially in the renal sphere.

Because the kidneys are part of the body’s purification system, they therefore must be supported during detoxification. Indeed, every day, nearly 190 liters of blood are filtered by the kidneys to produce an average of 1.5 to 2 liters of urine. So, in order to promote this filtering work, it is necessary to drink regularly during the day, whether it is:

• Water alone
• Water enriched with detox foods (juices, smoothies, etc.)
• “Detoxifying” herbal teas

In short, to detoxify your body naturally, you must first hydrate yourself properly! Thus, the body will be able to draw on its resources to cleanse itself, and evacuate the body’s waste, as naturally as possible!

Natural foods for a successful detox

In order to promote body detox, you can faithfully rely on mother nature. Because there are many foods that can do this. On the other hand, at the same time, it will be necessary to reduce the foods promoting the formation of excess waste or having a contrary action. That is, you will need to rebalance your diet so that your body can purify itself. Thus, it will be necessary to rule out all that is red meat, sweets, added salt, coffee, alcohol, and processed foods, during the detox, in order to promote the natural work of the body.

So, for a successful detox, start by eating healthy foods that generate fewer toxins, so that your body’s organs can come to rest a little more, thus facilitating the elimination of waiting wastes. Then increase your intake of the foods with the properties for a natural detox:

• Lemon: lemon is undoubtedly the essential food for a good detox treatment! Thanks to its properties, in particular astringent, it stimulates the internal cleansing of the body, as well as the evacuation of toxins. Nothing like hot lemon water for a few days, to boost the body’s self-cleaning function!
• Apple: the apple is rich in fiber and antioxidants, which boosts the digestive system and contributes to the proper elimination of toxins accumulated in the body. Its benefits are generally enjoyed as a monodiet, for example for 72 hours, once a year. On the other hand, it is important to get your apples from a local producer, making sure that they are free of pesticides.

And more generally, here are the groups of foods or nutrients, capable of stimulating the eliminative functions of the body, or promoting the movement and evacuation of toxins:

• Crucifers (kale, broccoli, white cabbage, red cabbage, Brussels sprouts, etc.), containing antioxidants such as sulforaphane, for example.
• Plant extracts (turmeric, artichoke, dandelion, black radish, etc.).

As you will understand, it is, therefore, a question of favoring plant foods, in particular those mentioned above, by reducing animal products, as well as all industrial products. Preferably, eat raw foods, in order to retain a maximum of vitamins and beneficial properties because cooking destroys them more or less, depending on the temperature.

Detoxifying drinks

Infusions

You can prepare herbal teas with rosemary, artichoke, dandelion, or black radish. These drinks are detoxifying and stimulate the liver.

Our naturopath also advises preparing lemon juice every morning. It should be drunk on an empty stomach. To do this, squeeze half a lemon, pour the juice into a glass before adding lukewarm water. As mentioned above, lemon is a good stimulant for the liver and is rich in vitamin C. However, do not overdo it as the lemon can become acidifying for the body.

Vegetable juices

You can rely on green vegetables to detoxify your body. These contain chlorophyll which absorbs toxins and then evacuates them. For this, blend green vegetables in a juice extractor. You can add a potato that buffers acidity in the stomach and provides minerals. You can also add an apple or a pear to the drink for taste.

Aromatic herbs

You can enrich your water with aromatic mint or basil leaves. It is recommended to drink mineralized water which promotes the evacuation of toxins present in the body.

Hibiscus Tea

For this drink, prepare an infusion of hibiscus flowers. These plants are rich in vitamin C. In addition, they help the liver and destroy toxins. However, vitamin C is very fragile. It is easily destroyed by heat. So, infuse the hibiscus flowers in cold or lukewarm water for maximum benefits.

Milk Kefir

This drink is made with small grains of kefir, a fig, sugar, and lemon. The preparation is left to ferment for 24 hours before consuming it. After fermentation, a sparkling drink is obtained which has a probiotic effect. Drinking kefir helps rebalance the intestinal flora.

Aloe vera

Aloe vera juice is known to have many health benefits. It is therefore the ideal ally for treating a weakened digestive system. With its calming properties, it also cleanses the digestive tract and calms pain.

Coconut water

Coconut water helps the body digest better and flush out toxins. You can therefore consume it regularly for a few weeks.

Smoothies

If you have a juicer at home, now is the time to use it! In your smoothie, you can incorporate chia seeds which activate intestinal transit, ballast the stool, and evacuate the toxins present in the intestines. You can add seasonal fruits such as apples, pears, and citrus fruits. These contain large amounts of antioxidants.

Exercise to actively detoxify your body

Another thing that is often overlooked is the detox potential of any physical activity. Physical activity promotes the circulation of lymph.

Lymph is a whitish biological fluid, carried by the lymphatic system. Its composition is similar to that of blood plasma, of which it is only a filtrate: it contains white blood cells, in particular, lymphocytes; devoid of red blood cells, it bathes the organs; it is poorer in nutrients than the blood, but richer in waste.

However, the lymphatic system does not have a pump, like the heart, which circulates blood. It is therefore only through movements that the lymph circulates actively. Thus, physical activity promotes the flow of waste from the body to the lymph nodes, the latter being the real mini purification plants of the body. But that’s not all!

Physical activity also allows:

• The elimination of toxins through the lungs via breathing
• The elimination toxins through the skin through perspiration

Thus, it is in our best interest to exercise, even if it is just a simple daily walk. Of course, you could always push things a little harder, doing some cardio, for better toxin elimination. To do this, here are some suggestions:

• Running (which can also be done at home, on a treadmill) is a sporting activity that has the advantage of constantly soliciting the heart and the lungs, thus allowing the elimination of toxins via two emunctories, which are the skin and the lungs.
• Dancing: yes! Whether it’s zumba, salsa, or any other rhythmic dance, it’s a great way to circulate body fluids, while flushing out many toxins from the lungs and skin.
• Swimming: physical activity in the water has the advantage of straining the body without shocks, unlike running, for example. Swimming indeed allows you to put the body in motion, by eliminating a whole bunch of toxins in the process, via active breathing.

Herbal medicine

When it comes to detoxification, plants also bring us their share of benefits, with a thousand and one virtues. They are also widely acclaimed by lovers of herbal medicine, and for some, recognized for the drainage of the body that they allow, and the stimulation of the process of elimination of toxins.

Whether in juice, herbal tea, or in the form of dietary supplements, plants can help naturally detoxify the body. So, you might as well take full advantage of them since they are 100% natural! Among these plants, we find:

• Dandelion: a real star of detox plants, very often put forward. It stimulates kidney function, and thus promotes the elimination of waste products through the urine, while helping to cleanse the blood
• Black radish: recognized for a long time for its particular and effective action on the level of the liver, thus allowing a better blood filtering, in order to eliminate a maximum of waste
• Birch: used for a gentle drainage of the body while helping to purify the liver and boost the elimination of toxins
• Orthosiphon: ideal for effective cleaning of the renal sphere, due to its diuretic properties. In addition, this plant has a strong antioxidant capacity, perfect for you detox plan.
• Meadowsweet: a plant with naturally purifying and diuretic action, ideal for promoting detoxification of the body

Very Important Notes:

Before any detox treatment, you must speak to your doctor. Because a change in your eating or lifestyle habits should only be done in accordance with your state of health, physical condition, and life constraints. Otherwise, the effect could be negative or deleterious, which would be the reverse of the intended purpose here. So be careful and talk to your doctor first!

Also, a detox treatment should not be too long or too brutal, as it could exhaust or clog the body. Thus, the benefits would not only be negated but worse, could be harmful to you. So, act prudently, without excess, and with the greatest respect for your body!