Modern living means toxic living. Toxins are basically substances that are considered to cause physical harm or damage – the best example would be alcohol, which most of us have likely over-indulged in throughout the holidays, but caffeine is another culprit. It’s found naturally in tea and some beans, such as coffee beans and cacao beans (used in making chocolate, these are beans from the cocoa tree), and is really meant to be a deterrent from the beans being eaten by invading insects. By over-stimulating the central nervous system of invading insects, caffeine tends to cause insects to collapse. For we humans, it causes our heart rate to increase, the blood vessels to restrict and the air passages to relax. Most of us drink a cuppa a day, and the effects do build up, stressing our nervous system and liver.
Then there’s processed food. Excesses of chemicals, sugar, processed flours, herbicides and pesticides, preservatives and sweeteners stress out the pancreas and liver, sometimes even leading to diseases like diabetes.
But it’s not just what you eat or drink that should lead you to detox – toxins are found in our air thanks to smokers, pollution from industry and cars; there are toxins in cosmetics too, which we absorb through our skin.
In short, urban humans have never had to suffer such a toxic load before in history – it’s definitely a good idea to detox your system whenever possible.
Personally, I believe that just like with exercise, detox eating should be embraced as a way of living. Every day, we should try to buy organic food whenever possible; avoid skincare and makeup products that are not all natural (check out our shop for organic and healthy beauty items if you’re not sure where to buy) and of course, avoid ingesting known toxins like alcohol, prescription medications, cigarettes and caffeinated drinks.
This all becomes a bit easier when you know what to eat, of course!
The recipes below have been chosen for their abilities to cleanse the body. Watermelon and cucumber are high in water, and I selected quite a few drinks and soup on this list, all of which help to flush out the kidneys – of course, the best thing you can do to detox is drink lots of fresh mineral water, but these drinks and soups add a bit of flavour. Beetroot is a powerful blood cleanser, and has been included here for that reason, while the garlic and onions in some of the recipes boost immune function. Ginger and cinnamon are also included because they halt the inflammation in the body that can lead to disease over time, and the many greens that are found in the recipes boost your body’s vitamin intake, and provide fibre for cleaning out the digestive system.
But the most important thing to keep in mind when going through these detox recipes is that they were all selected for how wonderful they taste. To your health!
1. Citrus Dream Detox Juice
