If you want to try a detox only to lose weight, let me tell you something: It will probably work. Let me tell you something else: You will probably gain the weight right back if you start eating mindlessly again. You will also confuse your body a lot. It is time to stop the quick fix! If the goal of the detox is to lower our overall toxins in our body and be at an ideal weight, shouldn’t this be something we want to incorporate regularly into our life? Well, you can, and it doesn’t have to be daunting or unpleasant. Eating clean and living clean is easier than you think. If someone like me can do it, anyone can. I used to be a soda loving, French fry eating teenager/college student who then turned into a classically French trained chef. That could have been a recipe for a lifetime of obesity but after seeing firsthand how nutrition can heal, and being diagnosed with gestational diabetes, I woke up. As I slowly shifted my perception of how we must eat, my family and I became healthier and eating clean became a way of life. It is so much easier now for me to prepare a healthy meal than it is to order and pick up take out. We underestimate the time it takes to order and pick up food.

We are bombarded by toxins from every direction and it directly. In our food, water, and air supply. There is no denying it. Where we live, what we do, what we eat, and what products we use decide a large part of the toxic burden we carry however there is nothing we can do to eliminate chemicals from reaching our bloodstream completely. Scientists have tested babies and found more than 200 chemicals in their umbilical cord.

Detoxification is basically a cleaning of the blood. Your body eliminates toxins through the kidneys, intestines, lungs, lymph and skin. However, when this system is compromised, impurities aren’t properly filtered and every cell in the body is adversely affected. By removing impurities from the blood in the liver, where toxins are processed for elimination, you can eliminate, prevent, or temporarily relieve many health and beauty issues such as inflammation, fatigue, allergies, puffy eyes, skin troubles, cellulite, mental focus, and even low grade infections.

A detox program can help your body naturally cleanse by:

Resting the organs through fasting

Stimulating the liver to drive toxins from the body

Promoting elimination through the intestines, kidneys and skin

Improving circulation of the blood

Refueling the body with healthy nutrients.

I now believe that detoxing is a way of life, not a fad to lose weight. If you frequently are considering what you consume for the toxic load it carries, you will no doubt change your eating. However, also consider the many beauty and household products that also carry toxins and chemicals. When you think of how many different ways there are that chemicals can get into your body, you can begin to understand why it is difficult to pinpoint any one product, food, or chemical to any particular health problem. There are just too many chemicals with too many combinations that cannot be monitored. It is up to us as individuals and consumers to be responsible for our health.

There are many ways you can remove toxins from your body, first and foremost with your diet. Warm liquids will flush your system and cruciferous vegetables will scrub your insides. Here are ten easy and inexpensive ways to detox right in your own home. Give some of these methods a try and see how much better you feel. Tell me your results in the comments.

10 Ways to Naturally Detox at Home

Chlorella: A single cell fresh water algae which has been shown to provide amazing health benefits. The tough outer fiber rich cell wall of chlorella binds with toxins, pesticides, and heavy metals making chlorella an excellent choice for detoxification. Make sure your chlorella is tested for radiation levels and comes from a reputable source. A little goes a long way, start with a 1/2 tsp. in a smoothie to minimize the algae flavor and get accustomed to the taste.

Warm Vegetable Broth: Packed with nutrients, a veggie broth will flush your system of toxins while nourishing your body with healing minerals and nutrients. Here is a great recipe I use often:

Ultra Detox Broth

• 2 gallons clean alkaline water
• 2 each large onion — chopped
• 2 each leeks
• 6 each carrots — sliced
• 1 cup daikon radish
• 1-pound butternut squash
• 3 cup parsnips
• 2 cups dark kale
• 3 cups dandelion greens
• 1 cup cilantro
• 2 cups celery stalks
• 2 cups cabbage
• 6 slices fresh ginger
• 8 cloves whole garlic, peeled
• 1/2 tsp Sea salt — to taste

1. Add all the ingredients at once and place on a low boil for approximately 60 minutes. It may take a little longer. Simply continue to boil to taste.
2. Cool, strain (throw out the cooked vegetables), and store in a large, tightly-sealed glass container in the fridge.
3. Simply heat gently and drink up to 16 ounces a day.

Servings: 6

Epsom Salt Baths: Epsom salt is rich in both magnesium and sulfate. Magnesium and sulfate are both easily absorbed through the skin. Sulfates play an important role in the formation of brain tissue, joint proteins and the proteins that line the walls of the digestive tract. They stimulate the pancreas to generate digestive enzymes and are thought to help detoxify the body.

Apple Cider Vinegar: Apple cider vinegar is full of vitamins, minerals and enzymes in its raw form. Raw apple Cider Vinegar, unfiltered, and unprocessed with all of its “mother” is what is recommended for all detox and cleansing. Mother is the sediment left over from the fermentation process and the meat of the apples. There are many things you can use it for to aid in your health in addition to an apple cider vinegar detox. It helps with weight loss as it aids in digestion and cleaning of the intestines. All the while killing off bacteria as it moves through the body.

Bentonite Clay: Bentonite clay is an inert volcanic ash. It cannot be absorbed by the body and naturally absorbs toxins, Combine Bentonite clay with a fiber supplement like Fiber-3 or Psyllium in your cleanse for increased effect. The fiber supplement gently scrapes the junk out of your gut while the Bentonite clay picks up any toxins that are released.

Juicing Vegetables: Juicing vegetables is a good way to give your cells an immediate boost of concentrated nutrients. You will give your organs a rest and flush out harmful chemicals in your blood. My clients’ blood tests clearly showed marked improvements when they were drinking juiced vegetables daily. If you are not sure which kind of juicer to buy, start small with something like the Breville Fountain. It is affordable, stylish, and powerful.

Whole Food Smoothies with seeds: If you have a high powered blender such as a Vitamix or Blendtec, blending a half of an avocado seed or the seeds from an apple, pear, or citrus fruit provides a scrubbing for your arteries that will powerfully cleanse your digestive system like nothing you have ever had before.

Activated Charcoal: Activated charcoal is another natural substance that is used in everything from air filters, water filters, teeth whitening pastes, and detox products. It pulls toxins out almost instantly, and is a great natural remedy to have on hand for spider bites. When doing a detox, it can be helpful to include charcoal in the beginning to increase your results.

Cruciferous Vegetables: Broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower and Brussel sprouts are all examples of cruciferous vegetables. These vegetables have been proven to detoxify the liver and body of carcinogens. Animal studies have shown the animals receiving the cruciferous vegetables or the indole-3-carbinol in their food supply have a significantly lower tumor yield and incidence than the animals fed the same diet, but without cruciferous vegetables or indole-3-carbinol fortification. These were in studies where the animal was intentionally exposed to or injected with carcinogens.

Alkaline Water: Alkaline water is able to spread vitamins and minerals throughout your body at a far more rapid pace than regular drinking water. This is primarily due to the fact that alkaline water typically contains between 4 and 6 water molecules. Whereas standard tap water generally contains between 10 and 13 molecule clusters. As a result, ionized water is much more effective at hydrating and detoxifying your body.