Why Should I Detox This Spring?
Detox, we’ve all heard those words and different things come to mind…starving yourself, gross green drinks, missing out on foods you like. Contrary to those beliefs detoxing can and should be a routine event that you supports your body daily.
We are exposed to toxins everyday through the air we breathe, the foods we eat (pesticides and herbicides), cleaning products in our houses, our hand and dish soap (the toxins are there unless you have made an effort to source a better product), our bedding (mattresses are full of flame-retardant that we absorb through our skin as we sleep) etc…
Along with daily detoxification, Spring is a great time to detox because your body has been holding on to things all winter long. We naturally detox by sweating, getting exercise (because the lymphatic system is moving), and proper organ function. In the winter time we are generally not sweating, not exercising as much, eating more junk food in general (holiday treats) and moving less (stuck inside). Although, kudos to you if you’re someone that makes a big effort to work out all winter long; your body thanks you for that!
Below are some things you can do every day to support your body in its natural detoxification.
Daily Detoxification
1. Lemon water in the morning- Drinking lemon in the morning is a good way to start your day since it encourages your liver to flush toxins as well as balance your PH levels, which encourages an acidic environment in your stomach so you are ready to digest your breakfast!
2. Dandelion tea- Because of the nutrients found in dandelion it is a great herb for supporting detoxification of the liver. Read more about dandelion tea here
3. Dry Brushing- This involves taking a hard bristles brush and starting at your feet and working your way toward the heart, gently brushing your skin in an upwards motion. What this does is improves circulation, gently moving your lymph fluid and encouraging circulation, which is necessary for detoxification. You can look up more about how to do dry skin brushing here.
4. Rebounding- Rebounding is jumping on a small indoor trampoline (called a rebounder) which helps to get the lymph fluid moving so your body can flush toxins. Rebounders are great but not all of us have houses big enough to fit this luxury in. Since this is the case for me, I like to go on daily walks. Similarly, running up and down stairs can be a good way to get the heart pumping and the blood moving! Read more about rebounding here.
Seasonal Detoxification
When doing a ‘detox’, as in adding in specific nutrients and supplements to help the body detox for a period of time, we want to make sure to support the liver (because it’s going to be doing extra work for you), the gallbladder (because it is going to be making sure that the toxins that the liver grabs get flushed out of the body), and the large intestine (to make sure that the toxins are in fact leaving the body).
With that being said, different detox systems appeal to different people and their routines. Some choose to fast, do a bone broth fast, do a restrictive diet for a short period of time, or add in certain supplements.
Supplements that I like for detox:
This group of supplements is a great combination that can be used for a short and specific amount of time. It supports the detoxification pathways and can be a great detox program, especially when combined with a short diet change as described below.
Diet for detoxification:
Diets that take your normally healthy diet to a new extreme for just a short period of time can be great for changing your mindset and how you view food. The whole 30 diet gives great outlines for removing food groups that may cause your body stress (dairy, gluten, grains, sugar, etc.) and that keep your body from detoxing for 30 days to let you feel the difference and to give you time to focus on real, unprocessed, whole foods.
A specific food routine and supplements make a great pair for a spring detox.
Feel free to reach out with any questions you may have about what will work with your specific bio-individuality.
