Food & recipes

9 ways to detox without even knowing it

Embarking on a rigid detox plan is a great idea but detox diets but it’s important to remember that your body is detoxing all the time.

Embarking on a rigid detox plan is a great idea but detox diets but it’s important to remember that your body is detoxing all the time. Every day, your liver, lungs, kidneys, digestive system, lymphatic system and skin are all working flat out to keep your body free from toxins and impurities. So why not give them a helping hand by incorporating these simple techniques into your daily routine? Follow these easy steps and you’ll be bursting with health and vitality before you know it!

Go Organic

Although your metabolism is able to process and eliminate some of these, the more junk you eat, the more difficulty your body has in dealing with the toxic overload. To help your body function more efficiently, feed it premium grade fuel in the form of organically-grown fresh fruits and vegetables and plenty of wholemeal fibre and brown rice.
Herbal Helpers

Being swamped with toxins on a daily basis is hard work, so you need to support your liver to help it to do its job properly. Try liver cleansing herbs such as dandelion root, burdock, milk thistle, artichoke and switch to green tea which has cleansing properties.
Stock up on vitamin C

This important antioxidant helps the body produce glutathione, a liver compound that drives away toxins. A study published in the American Journal of Nutritionfound that when people were given 500mg of vitamin C a day levels of glutiathone increased in less than a fortnight.
Drink more!

“We need to flush toxins through our system yet most of us spend the day dehydrated,” says Helen Foster, author of Detox Solutions (£9.99. Hamlyn). “You’ve probably heard that eight glasses of water is the required amount but aim to drink a glass of something as often as you can.” If you don’t like water, try herbal teas and try to eat high water foods such as watermelon, cucumber, celery, pears and grapes.
Take a deep breath

Make sure that with each breath you let out all the air you have taken in. By exhaling more of the carbon dioxide you will get rid of more of the cell’s waste products. Try this sequential breathing technique from Justin Way, fitness expert at Pure Gym (puregym.com): Laying on your back with your knees bent and your arms by your sides. Relax your shoulders and maintain a neutral spine. Breathe in through your nose, so you consciously feel air inflate your upper chest, run down your spine and into your stomach so it pushes your belly up a little bit. As you begin to exhale lower your tummy slowly, then allow your ribs to move in and your chest to drop. Repeat this until each phase becomes natural W
Water wonders!

Drenching yourself alternately in hot and cold water is a fab way to boost a sluggish circulation and so get rid of nasty poisons lurking in your system Try taking a very hot shower for five minutes, and follow this with cold water for 30 seconds and repeat this three times. Alternatively try adding a few handfuls of epsom salts to your daily bath. Made from magnesium sulphate, these salts draw out the impurities such as excess sodium, phosphorus and nitrogenous toxins from your body. They also improve circulation (which helps to speed up the process of elimination).
Brush up

Skin brushing is a superb detox tool as it helps to draw out waste from the skin and stimulate the lymphatic system, which is your body’s metabolic waste disposal system. Using a natural bristle brush for just five minutes a day before you shower will have a huge effect on your overall health and wellbeing, breaking down congestion in areas where toxins have accumulated. Brush along your body towards the heart in long, smooth sweeps, (remember always to use a dry brush).
Eat apples

Apples are one of the best natural cleansers available and help balance acidic body wastes. In fact, their purification powers are so powerful that they were used by scientist in the Ukraine to clean up after the Chernobyl nuclear leak.
Sleep on it

Your body works hard to deal with all the pollutants and toxins that are constantly thrown its way so it needs time off to recuperate.

3 top cleansing kits

Try these DIY detox kits to purify your body with a little help from the experts…

Organic Pharmacy Detox 10 Day Detox Kit, £165

This luxury detox kit includes detox capsules (to help colon cleanse and gut repair), liver and kidney drops, super-antioxidants capsules, phytonutrients capsules, essential fatty acids and B complex capsules, detox cellulite body oil a skin brush and full instructions.

Patrick Holford’s 9 Day Detox Pack, £38.85

from Holland & Barrett, uses a combination of herbs, vitamins and nutrients including liver support capsules, digestive support enzymes, probiotics, antioxidants and glutamine to help your body cleanse.

David Kirsch’s Ultimate Detox Kit, £78

from Space NK, from the top US wellbeing guru is fuelled by high-strength nutrients and includes super-greens and potent berry extracts with hunger-fighting protein drinks to you shed pounds and boost energy.