Have you ever imagined what happens to the meals you have? Well, three things happen to the foods you eat. The first thing that happens is that your body absorbs the nutrients it needs, the other part of the food is excreted as feces, urine, or sweat and the last part remains in the colon or rectum (just by your anus, after the large intestine) which remains there until the body is ready to absorb some more nutrients. It more or less acts as a reservoir.
Have you ever imagined what happens to the meals you have? Well, three things happen to the foods you eat. The first thing that happens is that your body absorbs the nutrients it needs, the other part of the food is excreted as feces, urine, or sweat and the last part remains in the colon or rectum (just by your anus, after the large intestine) which remains there until the body is ready to absorb some more nutrients. It more or less acts as a reservoir.
Now, let us assume the same process takes place for breakfast, lunch, and dinner for a whole day, the same thing happens the next day, and the next day, forming sediments. What do you think would happen to the residues at the bottom of the sediments? Of course, they would rotten! This is the reason why detoxification is very important. Besides the toxins from the food we eat, there are a million and one more toxins surrounding us on a daily basis. Therefore, it is important to always clean your body (detoxify) of all these toxins that result in nothing other than sicknesses and diseases.
Many nutritionists recommend an occasional cleansing regime to help remove harmful waste products from the body and help promote vitality and well-being since the body can naturally cleanse itself of toxins produced by metallic processes and environmental pollution. Detoxification diets generally last from 3 to 28 days.
The following steps are recommended during any healthy detox program, to help the body get rid of toxins;
1. Eliminate all alcohol, tobacco & caffeine
2. Avoid processed meals and those high in saturated fats, sugar and salt,
3. Drink 6-8 glasses of water daily,
4. Eat 5-7 portions of fresh fruits and vegetables daily, with plenty of fibre,
5. Exercise regularly
6. Reduce stress
Eliminate all alcohol, tobacco & caffeine:
This can be done by completely cutting off alcohol, tobacco and caffeine from your life or reducing it to the barest minimum. Trust me, it won’t be easy turning a 360 degree all of a sudden but there is no harm is getting started gradually, right?
Avoid processed meals and those high in saturated fats, sugar, and salt: Processed foods contain all manner of chemicals that are harmful to the body in the long run. Some people would say, “But I used it and nothing happened to me, besides it has been approved by XXX’. Yes, it has been approved and of course, nothing has happened to you but… God created us to eat things naturally and of course, times have changed and there is now need for us to preserve some of our foods, but the lesser the better. You may use honey instead of sugar and reduce the salt contents of your foods.
Drink 6-8 glasses of water daily (About 2 liters of water):
Drinking water is boring, I admit. But can you imagine washing a really dirty gutter that smells really bad without using water? That is how your body tries so hard to remove wastes and toxins from your body without using water, it ends up overworking your organs like the liver and kidney which may result in further complications over time. It is very important to drink lots of water and this can be accomplished by making sure you have water with you at all times and setting a reminder for every one or two hours, depending on what works best for you.
Eat 5-7 Portions of fresh fruits and vegetables daily, with plenty of fibre:
It does not just lye on you eating loads of fruits and vegetables. Like I said earlier, the body only takes what it needs and when you have too much of a type of fruit or vegetable, your organs spend more time breaking it down, only for the bulk of it to be rejected. It is important to have a portion of variety of fruits and vegetables on a daily basis as they come with different vitamins and minerals. One fruit may contain a type of vitamin and the other may not, limiting yourself to only one or two variety of fruits may result to deficiency in other vitamins that are not present in the fruit you are taking.
Exercise Regularly:
It may not be easy to adopt a routine for exercising in your daily lives considering the daily challenges that confront you, but it would be a good idea to make out time, no matter how small to exercise at least once a week, even if it is in your bedroom or veranda. Being healthy does not only depend on the food you eat as there is need to work your muscles. Have you noticed that using a part of your body that has not been used for a very long time may result to ache by the time you use it. Imagine yourself running 100 meters now if you have not been exercising and tell me how you feel afterwards.
Reduce Stress:
Stress is a silent killer but you may not know it. Your immune system being your body’s defense against diseases is pulled down by up to 50% due to stress and this can dramatically affect your health. Stress can be physical, mental, financial, and psychological but regardless of the type of stress, it is not worth it. This is because by the time you stress yourself out and your body’s defenses are broken, it leaves your body vulnerable to sickness and all manner of diseases. Most people after being stressed are diagnosed with one illness or another. Try to plan yourself properly to reduce stress on your part and always remember that worrying does not solve problems, remember that HEALTH IS WEALTH!
An apple a day, they say, keeps you away from the doctor. The reason for this post is to share with you the need for detoxification and ideas/ routines on how to incorporate the above detoxification programme into a healthy routine to help you create a healthy lifestyle;
Summary:
1. Take lime or lemon juice first thing in the morning, before a meal. If you have an ulcer or if lime is too acidic for you, you may use lemon instead. This would help get rid of toxins in the colon, please do not use if you are pregnant or intend to get pregnant,
2. Take moringa tea or green tea first thing in the morning. This also helps remove toxins from the colon. Be sure not to be pregnant or planning to get pregnant taking this. Although pregnant women may take this but not on empty stomach. Be sure to alternate between taking moringa tea and lime/ lemon juice if both are too harsh for you,
3. Put raw slices of onions into your meals or chew it with garden egg, cucumber, or carrots,
4. Take an apple a day (If you can afford it),
5. Incorporate ginger and garlic into your meals, use them for smoothies and the likes if you please,
6. Slice raw vegetables like carrots, cabbage, lettuce, or anyone available to you and eat with your meals or just eat them randomly,
7. Snack on fruits rather than junk foods,
8. Use honey instead of sugar, except for children as they need the sugar for growth,
9. Reduce intake of oil, use skimmed or soya milk instead of regular milk. Children are not advised to use skimmed milk because their bodies need the fat.
10. Reduce your meat intake. As much as it is healthier to eat fish and chicken than red meat, we should only eat what our body needs at a time, other than accumulating wastes for our bodies and creating more work for your livers and kidneys,
11. Instead of having bread and tea, make sandwiches. If you do not have all the ingredients for sandwiches, take bread, tea, vegetables with egg or a bit of fish or meat (depending on the volume of your meal),
12. Always eat a balanced diet,
13. Sleep for at least 7-8 hours daily,
14. If you are watching weight, take only vegetables and fruits for dinner or breakfast,
15. Avoid soft or fizzy drinks,
16. Make your fresh fruit juices from scratch,
17. Buy sliced fruits if buying whole ones would be too expensive for you buy be sure to wash them properly before eating,
18. Make eating fruits a habit! Make sure to wash them properly, preferably with salt or vinegar to kill off germs it may have contracted from the market. Cut open your fruits before eating. I once bought guava and found worms inside of it after I had cut them open, you never know. Also, avoid fruits that have been ripened using artificial means (like the use of cabad for ripening banana and plantain) as they are harmful to the body.
I hope this post is able to help someone adopt a healthy routine. You may start gradually and trust me, you will love the result you get at the end of the day.
Warnings: This article is not a substitute for seeking medical advice from your physician or health care professional.
Please feel free to comment, share, like our post, and do not forget to subscribe to our blog for more healthy tips and more!
