Eat a Natural Detox Diet for Regaining Your Health

Increasing the quality of your food, and going on a natural detox diet should be your first steps in your plan to optimize your health.

When you make changes in what you eat, give it a full six weeks, and then note your change in symptoms. I will be shocked if you made a major change toward these suggestions and you don't see symptoms disappearing and your energy being boosted a great deal.

For further information regarding my recommendations for a natural detox diet, consult the books that I studied - the "Liver Cleansing Diet" by Dr. Sandra Cabot, "Perfect Weight" by Jordan Rubin, and the "G.I. Diet" by Rick Gallop. These are fantastic resources, and they go into much more detail than you can read here, including great recipes and more technical reasons why these ideas work (however, they are not hard to read).

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How do you change your diet for the better? The following natural detox diet steps are extremely important - as much as anything on this site. Do them as much as you can, and as often as you can. They will significantly reduce the number of toxins that enter your system and therefore indirectly detoxify you.

1) Eliminate Trans Fats Completely - What are trans fats? These are chemically altered fats and oils that usually have been fried at high temperatures. You can eliminate them by checking all nutritional labels and not eating deep-fried foods. If a package label says that there is some trans fat, don't buy it or eat it. Even if it says there are zero grams of trans fats, if the ingredients list anything with the word "hydrogenated" in it, do not buy it or eat it (foods can say and list zero grams trans fats if one serving has up to .499 grams of trans fats). Also do not eat anything deep fried unless the menu or nutrition facts says zero trans fats (and even then it's best to eat minimal deep fried foods). Instead of trans fats, on the natural detox diet, add in healthy fats from nuts, seeds, avocados, olive oil, etc. Read the pages on trans fats for further information.

2) Reduce your refined sugar intake by 90% or more - Unfortunately, this means saying no to most desserts. However, there are ways to make your own healthy desserts that are not too difficult. Read the page on sugar and healthy desserts for more information.

3) Cut out 99% of your dairy intake unless it is raw, organic, non-homogenized, and unpasteurized - (you would need a milk-man or go directly to the farm). The way dairy is processed actually makes it toxic to almost everybody, even if you think you're not lactose intolerant. In fact, lactose intolerant people actually tolerate unprocessed raw dairy, because it is really the processing that they are intolerant to. Read more about dairy on the dairy page.

4) Read the ingredients label - if there is anything you have never heard of or anything that sounds like a chemical, don't buy it. This is easier to do at healthier stores like Trader Joe's or Whole Foods, but you should still do it even at those stores. When you eat a natural detox diet, chemicals are counterintuitive. Read more about what ingredients to avoid here.

5) Trade in your bread for Ezekiel bread or other sprouted bread - Whole wheat is almost always better than white. But often whole wheat is processed heavily as well, making it an unhealthy choice. Ezekiel bread and sprouted breads are actually a great source of protein, and are low on the G.I. Index. This means that unlike 98% of breads out there, it won't add pounds to your midsection, and might add some lean muscle instead. Ezekiel makes roll-ups, buns, and other foods as well which are equally healthy.

6) Eat organic when possible - This is most necessary for all animal products and fruits and vegetables that feel soft or have a thin skin. The reason for this is that nearly all non-organic animal products are filled with hormones and antibiotics that are very unhealthy. And pesticides used in farming can easily get into fruits and vegetables with thin skin. It's important on the natural detox diet to avoid the most amount of toxins in your food.

7) Eat more proteins and less carbohydrates - This is especially true for men, but also true for women. When you eat a lot of carbohydrates, weight is added to your belly region. When you eat protein, weight is added by way of lean muscles in your chest, arms, and legs.

8) At restaurants, order white fish - (cod, tilapia, orange roughy, not fried) if possible as your protein, because these are the most likely to be wild (not fish-farmed and therefore fed better, and have much less mercury than farmed salmon). When you're on a natural detox diet, this is better than chicken, beef, or eggs, because those will have antibiotics, hormones, and pesticides.

9) Supplement the areas that you aren't getting enough of - Some of those are a multi-vitamin, coQ10, fish oil or omega 3, probiotic, vitamin D, and condition-specific supplements. Read about supplements here.

10) Eat foods that detox the body - Dandelion tea tastes great, has no caffeine, and will help detox your liver and digestive system. Cilantro makes a great flavoring for many ethnic style dishes, and it will help flush mercury out of your system. Daikon is an unusual vegetable that does the same and can be added to veggie stir-frys. Chlorella is a supplement made out of food that helps your body detox metals and other toxins. Anything with a high fiber content is great for cleansing your colon and digestive tract, so eat lots of fruits and vegetables, nuts, whole wheat bread and pasta, and seeds.

For a delicious, all natural way to enjoy more restful sleep, help your body deal with stress, and restore needed nutrients, click here.

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