09 APR 2019: One of the hotly debated topics in health is the concept of doing a “detox”. Waste of money, or an invaluable tool to optimize your health? The main argument against detoxes is that our bodies have natural detox systems in place, and that boxed cleanses that litter the shelves of health food stores are a money grab and a waste of time.

I agree, but I also disagree at the same time.

Yes, our bodies already have built in organs and systems in place to process and rid the body of waste. And yes, many of those store bought detox programs are not necessary. Yet, I stand confidently in my belief that cleansing your system at least once, if not twice, per year is one of the best things you can do for your health.

In order to understand the muddy waters surrounding this topic, there are a few points to acknowledge.

Today’s world is flooded with more environmental toxins and pollution year after year, as industry works to streamline efficiency and maximize profits under the weight of a growing population. Food is farmed on a mass scale in single crop operations that are depleting the soil and nutrient content in the name of lowering production costs. Grocery store shelves are dominated by these foods that have been further refined and peppered with additives to preserve colour, flavour and shelf-life. All of these are prioritized over nutrient value. Technology has turned life into one hectic blur, where we’re running wired on stress and caffeine. We’re so chronically exhausted that the idea of exercise is about as far fetched as the idea of cooking at home.

Overloaded by stress and harmful substances, and lacking in proper nutrients and exercise, our bodies are dealing with a lot more than they’re designed to handle. It would take thousands of years for the human body to adapt to these changes at the cellular level. Unfortunately, we can’t line up in front of the Apple store every other year to trade in our livers for the latest model.

And yet, we can never fully discount the resiliency of the human body. Incredibly, we are all hardwired with a survival instinct that keeps us all alive, complete with the ability to heal and fight off infection.

You’re basically like Wolverine, except that you take a bit longer to heal, and your hair is not quite as coiffed.

My point with all of this is that yes, we may need a helping hand, but we don’t need a fancy expensive kit to detoxify. What we need to do is give our bodies the chance to do what they are designed to do, while also focusing on some housekeeping along the way.

When detoxifying, your first and most important step, is to make sure that you’re going number two. You can do this by increasing your water and fibre intake and going for walks. For example, you can throw a couple of tablespoons of chia seeds in your water with a squeeze of lemon for a hydrating fibre boost. Walking, and exercise in general, is fantastic for helping things along.

Let me reiterate that if you are not having at least one bowel movement per day that is your first order of business.

Otherwise you’re pulling out all of the old stuff that has collected in the back of your closet, but throwing it all over the bedroom floor because you have nowhere else to put it. You need to have somewhere to donate your junk that no longer sparks joy.

Drink lots of fluids but especially water and herbal teas. Caffeinated and alcoholic beverages further dehydrate the body, further burdening the detoxification systems.

Give your digestive system a break, incorporate a 12 hour window between dinner and breakfast the next day. Focus on eating lots of easily digested foods including blended smoothies or cooked soups. People believe raw foods to be the most nutritious, but often forget that roughage requires a robust digestive system to access the nutrients within them.

Most importantly, it takes time. Just because you don’t notice a difference overnight doesn’t mean it’s not having a positive effect. Maybe after a few months you will notice that you no longer have to hit the snooze button 5 times before peeling yourself out of bed, or that you have more consistent energy throughout the day, or maybe you no longer need a shopping list for the few items you needed at the store, and maybe you even have fewer headaches. The list goes on and on. Our bodies are miraculously designed to innately know how to heal. We just have to give them the opportunity to do so. Drink water, eat real food and move around most of the time, the other 20% comes out in the wash.