There are so many detox methods available that it can be overwhelming to choose the best one and hinders many of us from taking action.  First, we must consider if we need to detox.  Take a minute to answer the following questions?

1. Do you feel run-down most of the time?
2. Do you feel like you are trying to get to a healthy weight but your efforts are getting you nowhere?
3. Do you have strong cravings for certain foods like sweets or carbs?
4. Do you have a fuzziness in concentration, suffer headaches, have joint aches and pains, suffer from an auto-immune disease of some sort?
5. Do you lack motivation to start and complete tasks?

If you answered yes to even a few of these, then maybe the answer to these problems is to reset your body by giving it an immune system boost and free your body of toxic build up.  This is where a natural detox can be quite helpful to help you get your groove back!  As always, it’s a good idea to talk to your healthcare provider before making such a change to ensure that it won’t be harmful to any current conditions you have or interfere with any medications you are taking.

I have been wanting to choose an appropriate detox that would help me to slowly get rid of toxins and be more gentle on my system.  It’s no longer popular to do the Master Cleanse (Maple syrup, cayenne pepper and lemon) as a detox because it deprives your body of needed nutrients and minerals that we would normally receive through eating a balanced diet.  If we do a 10 day or more fast, we surely deprive ourselves of other vitamins and nutrients and when we resume eating, what prevents us from returning to our previous state?  We must make permanent and healthy changes to help improve our health.  Thus, why not find something that we can do to maintain along with develop healthier eating habits that we can actually commit to long-term?

There are some great home detox cleanses that may fit your lifestyle and they are very easy and economical.   Some may even be in your backyard.  But, before you detox, what are your goals?  Mine are to cleanse my liver and to boost my immune system…..get rid of that run-down feeling.

Here are a few detox options:

Dandelion Tea Detox

Although you can harvest this from most backyards, that doesn’t mean that you should.  If you do, please ensure that the dandelion has not been exposed or grown in pesticide treated soil or sprayed with pesticides or chemicals.  You can easily buy the roasted root or the leaves at any health food store and make sure that it is organic.  It is a great liver cleanser which we all could probably use.  It has been used for many centuries as a liver detoxificant and also helps to relieve skin conditions.

Ginger Root, Tumeric and Lemon Detox

Here is a great recipe and for more detail, please check the site below.  This is one of my favorites and very easy to do.  It gives me a huge energy boost and tastes great.  I recommend shredding the ginger to help it to infuse stronger.  This tea not only helps with your immune system, but also to decrease belly fat and alkalize the body.  Check out my previous post as well for more benefits of this great tea:

Boost your immune system with ginger and lemon tea

• 2-1/2 cups boiling water.
• 1 organic lemon cut into slices.
• 1 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and sliced.
• 1/8 teaspoon ground turmeric.
• 2 teaspoons honey (optional)

lemon-ginger-morning-detox-drink

Beware of Cilantro and Parsley Detox

I have recently been using cilantro in the form of a tea to help detox a family member.  To my surprise, I recently found that this may not be the best route.  As a matter of fact, it may be harmful depending on the cilantro or parsley source.  These two herbs naturally absorb heavy metals.  The problem is that in many countries, the land is full of pesticides from various sources and these pesticides contain metals & other harmful materials that get absorbed right into the plants.  Unless you can get organically grown herbs, you are risking this problem.  If you can grow these herbs yourself, pesticide free, this is another great option or use a pure source of the essential oil.  Otherwise, this is not a good option if you are specifically wanting a heavy metal detox.  In addition, you should make sure you do not get depleted of magnesium as you detox by this method.

Apple Cider Vinegar

This is a great choice and easy to add to your daily regimen as a chelating agent.  Due to it’s acetic acid content, it gets rid of heavy metals quickly.  Two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar can be taken in 8 oz of water and 2 tablespoons of raw honey (optional).  Make sure to shake the vinegar well before using.  The honey will dissolve as you stir and you can drink this every morning or any time during the day.  Since it depletes your magnesium, be sure to keep a supplement on hand because magnesium is very important for body, muscle and nerve relaxation and plays a very large role itself in detoxification (magnesiums role in detox).

Green Tea

Green tea itself is not a detoxifying agent directly.  It contains two things to help your body to better carry out the natural detox process and therefore, indirectly, helps as a detox agent.  There are two things that green tea provides:  polyphenols, which have a direct impact on your liver and anti-oxidants that go after free radicals.  Since the liver is a major detoxifying organ, this makes green tea a great way to purge your system of toxins.  Free radicals damage healthy cells, so this is why anti-oxidants provided in green tea are so crucial.

Strawberry Detox Smoothie

This is one that I would love to try, however, since strawberries are not in season all year round, this one would not be as easy for me to maintain.  I have considered buying a bulk of them then prepping and freezing them for future use.  In general, we should use fruits when they are in season to get the most nutrients out of them.

Lemons are great for the immune system and packed with vitamin C.  Strawberries also provide vitamin C which helps to burn fat.  Spinach provides nutrients and help to regulate your digestive system.  Nevertheless, sounds delicious and if you crave sweets or carbs, this one may be for you!

• 1/2 cup pure coconut water.
• 1& 1/6 cup local, organic strawberries.
• 1/4 medium-large local, organic lemon.
• 1 handful of organic spinach.  Kale is a great option as well.
• 2-3 teaspoons (maple syrup, raw honey, coconut sugar or a few dates)
• 2 scoops ice.

Blend well.  Makes enough for 2 servings.

In summary, I hope one of these options works for you, and best of all, I hope if nothing else, you see that detoxing can be tasty and it does not have to involve starving yourself.  If you make it a part of your every day diet and incorporate a healthy diet with moderate exercise, over time the weight will come off and you will have better health without depriving yourself of taste and nutrition.

Please vote on your favorite detox method below and comment/re-post/share!