9 Ways to Enhance Detoxification

There are so many different ways to cleanse and promote detoxification of your body. Cleanses range from eliminating foods and toxins to only juice or liquid diets to those that include an array of supplements or shakes and other drinks. There are benefits to each method, depending on your health situation and goals. But there are some things that you can do to enhance better overall detoxification, no matter which method you choose. Check out these 9 ways to enhance detoxification.

Focus on positive emotions

The mere word detox inspires fear and loathing for some people. Unfortunately, this can sabotage any effort of cleansing before it even begins. Instead of dreading the foods you will or will not eat during a cleanse, focus on loving your body and having an intentional desire to be healthy. Doing a detox is all about nurturing yourself and working towards a healthier you.

You may need an emotional detox as well. If there are emotions or issues that you feel are preventing you from moving forward in an area, take some time to consider if you need to address them.

Eat plenty of fiber

Toxins tend to stick to the colon and intestines. Consuming plenty of insoluble fiber helps to bulk up the stool and scrub away toxins inside the intestinal tract. On the other hand, soluble fiber slows down the emptying of your stomach, helping you to feel fuller longer and regulating glucose levels.

Sources of Insoluble Fiber

Whole grains
Beans
Nuts
Most vegetables, especially zucchini, broccoli and cauliflower
Potatoes

Sources of Soluble Fiber

Oats
Most fruits
Sweet potatoes
Beans
Seeds, such as flax and sunflower
Carrots

Drink lots of water

Water helps flush toxins and waste from the body in a few different ways. It lubricates and softens stool for better elimination. The kidneys filter copious amounts of blood every day, and they require water to help maintain the body’s electrolyte balance. They also depend on water to remove water-soluble toxins from the urine, liver, and bloodstream.

Water is important on a daily basis, but especially during a cleanse or detox, when the demand on your kidneys and liver is increased. Drink at least 8-10 glasses of pure, filtered water daily. Adding slices of lemon to your water not only adds a nice flavor, it also supports detoxification.

If you are in the habit of drinking iced water, I highly recommend that you start drinking it at room temperature. Digestion is a warm process. It requires heat to break down food and extract vital nutrients. Putting cold beverages into the stomach slows down and weakens digestive function.

Sauna treatments

Sweating does more for your body than just cool you off. When you sweat, small but significant amounts of stored toxins, including some heavy metals, are released. Sweating also eliminates hormone-disrupting chemicals, which accumulate in fat cells.

Exercise

Many toxins are fat-soluble, which means they are stored in our fat cells. Exercise is a great way to stimulate lipolysis, or the break down of fat tissue, thus releasing stored toxins. Exercising also improves circulation, providing more oxygen to your liver and kidneys so they can do their part for detoxing the body.

Soak Up Some Sun

Vitamin D3, known as the sunshine vitamin, actually helps your body fight bacteria. In fact, just 20 minutes of sunshine a day goes a long way towards better health. In that short time, your body starts producing over 200 antimicrobials, which work to eliminate bad bacteria, fungi, viruses and parasites throughout your body.

Dry brushing

Dry brushing is the practice of brushing dry skin with a soft, natural-bristle brush. Unlike the circulatory system, which relies on the heart to circulate blood, your lymphatic system doesn’t have its own pump. Instead, it relies on muscle movement for circulation. Dry brushing stimulates the lymphatic system to release waste from cells, environmental toxins, and pathogenic organisms.

Eliminate sugar

In addition to causing inflammation, and contributing to obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular issues, and more, sugar taxes the liver. Sugar is made up of glucose and fructose, and both are metabolized in the liver. Because the liver is so vital for detoxification, eliminating sugar helps it work more effectively. Even if you are not specifically targeting sugar in your detox, it is good practice to limit, or better yet, eliminate, sugar during your cleanse.

Sleep

When we detox, we tend to focus on the cleansing part and forget all about the healing and repair work that our bodies need. During sleep, our bodies can focus so much more energy on the detoxification process. Heading to bed at 10 p.m. is best when cleansing, according to Chinese medicine. This helps us detox to the fullest extent possible.