Spring brings with it warmer temperatures, and the urge shed some our heavier winter qualities–be it clothes, food, or mindset.
But once we shed these layers, what do we find underneath? A body that’s struggling to get nutrients it needs while also detoxing from a hectic cold season? Or a bright, vibrant system that’s ready to embrace the warmth and abundance of spring with gratitude and health?
Can You Really Detox Your Body?
If you’re feeling any of the following, your body could be in need of a detox.
- Low energy/libido
- Brain fog
- Food allergies/sensitivities
- Weight gain
- Breakouts, rashes, or acne
- Painful menstrual cycles
- Muscle/joint pain
- Sensitivity to smells
- Insomnia
- Mood swings
Our body is designed to automatically cleanse itself from both internal and external toxins, but a lifestyle of unhealthy foods, stress, and sedentary days play a role in our body’s natural cleansing ability.
Toxins find their way to glands, organs, and different tissues where they lower our energy levels and increase risk of disease (1). Many unwanted substances are also stored in fatty tissues–making them hard to excrete, but easy to accumulate!
Everyone also has different toxin tolerance limits. Our susceptibility to toxin exposure depends on age, genetics, gut health, and other lifestyle choices, but when detox pathways become overwhelmed, we notice physical and mental side effects.
What Happens During a Detox
The basics of any good detox will support the organ systems involved in elimination of toxins and unwanted substances–the liver, kidneys, lungs, sweat glands, and lymphatic system.
Detox takes place in two phases.
Phase 1
Groups of enzymes known as the cytochrome P-450 system neutralize toxins within the body, often separating them from fat cells by making them increasingly water soluble (2). These enzymes are highly concentrated in the liver, and you’ll learn how to support the production of these in just a moment.
Phase 2
After enzymes begin to neutralize toxins, other cellular groups are added to the toxin so it can be excreted through the kidneys, or through bile in the digestive tract.
It’s crucial to balance Phase 1 and Phase 2, as free radicals and other by products can be recirculated if not properly neutralized. Phase 2 enzymes prepare toxins for elimination and prevent them from being recirculated within the body.
Those with MTHFR gene mutations have a decreased ability to make glutathione, the body’s strongest antioxidant and detoxifier. If you know you are homozygous for a gene mutation affecting MTHFR it’s important to speak with a practitioner about how to support your long-term health, and ways to boost your body’s production of glutathione.
For a comprehensive detox support system that upregulates Phase 1 and Phase 2 enzymes, Core Restore is a 7- or 14-day program to reduce toxic burden and boost liver function.
Detoxification Supplements
To support phase one:
- Cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, etc.)
- Green tea
- Milk thistle
- Rosemary
- Garlic
- Astaxanthin
- Turmeric
- Dandelion
- N-Acetyl Cysteine
To support phase two
- Milk thistle
- Turmeric
- Essential Amino Acids
- Glycine
- Glutamine
- Cysteine
- Taurine
- Cruciferous vegetables
- Resveratrol
- Alpha Lipoic Acid
- B vitamins – Folate, B6, B12
- MCT oil
Does Detoxing Help You Lose Weight
Long after our New Year’s Resolutions have fallen by the wayside, spring renews our interest in getting healthy, boosting energy, and battling bloat. Impaired detox pathways can cause the body to hang on to stubborn belly fat especially, and contributes to the buildup of systemic inflammation.
The body’s most active detox organ, the liver, plays a critical role in regulating blood sugar, and therefore the ability to use it’s own fat for fuel, instead of initiating carbohydrate cravings that increase fat storage.
Liver Love for Weight Loss
A healthy liver is responsible for regulating blood sugar, filtering the blood of toxins, and much more. It’s truly a powerhouse organ, but one we neglect more often than not.
The liver plays a significant role in the level of circulating insulin within the body via its release of
glucose into the bloodstream (3). If liver function is compromised, a state of insulin dysregulation can cause the body to be less efficient in burning body fat, instead opting for carbohydrate cravings in the diet.
When insulin is elevated, it’s a fat storage hormone, as it sends signals to the body’s cells to prioritize glucose uptake for energy (4). This is a good thing, as this mechanism lowers blood sugar, but chronically elevated insulin impedes fat loss and a healthy metabolism.
How to support the liver:
- Glutathione
- Milk thistle
- Omitting sugar
Activities:
- Yoga, walking, exercise
- Stress reduction
What Makes a Good Detox
Many people focus on eliminating toxins from the body during a detox, but it’s also just as important to focus on what we’re consuming. A holistic detox will pair a clean, easily digestible diet with reducing environmental toxin buildup and oxidative stress.
The 5-Day Detox Plan
Jump into spring with a clean slate and optimally functioning detox pathways for better energy, weight loss, and improved mental clarity!
DAYS 1-3: SUNDAY | MONDAY | TUESDAY
First thing: Apple Cider Vinegar Cocktail
Followed by: Warm ginger tea
Breakfast: Brown rice cake with coconut and olive oil
Mid-morning: Protein Shake
Lunch: Green Juice Blend
Dinner: Vegetables with olive or coconut oil
DAYS 4-5: WEDNESDAY | THURSDAY
First thing: Apple Cider Vinegar Cocktail
Followed by: Warm ginger tea
Breakfast: Brown rice cake with coconut and olive oil
Mid-morning: Protein Shake
Lunch: Green Juice Blend
Dinner: Lean meat and vegetables with olive or coconut oil
Detox Recipes
Apple Cider Vinegar Cocktail
Dilute 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar in 3 tablespoons of water. First thing in the morning, this simple cocktail ends your all-night fast and primes your stomach for proper digestion.
Click here to see Dr. Taz’s Apple Cider Vinegar recipes.
Warm Ginger Tea
Steep one tea bag of ginger tea in 6 oz of hot water for three minutes. Or, add sliced ginger to tea kettle and prepare as normal. Optional: add 1 teaspoon of honey. Ginger rhizomes aid intestinal motility to keep digestion moving.
Brown Rice Cake
Spread 1 teaspoon each of coconut and olive oils over brown rice cake and enjoy. Medium chain triglycerides in coconut oil are easily digested, and naturally-present lauric acid has antimicrobial properties. Olive oil is rich in antibacterial phenols, while brown rice cakes provide insoluble fiber for digestive support.
Protein Shakes: Blend together
Blueberry Pie
½ c frozen wild blueberries
Juice of ½ lemon
1 scoop vanilla protein powder (we like Vega One)
½ c water
Banana Chocolate
1 medium banana, frozen
1 scoop chocolate protein powder (Vega One)
1 c water
Berry Blast
1 c frozen strawberries
½ medium avocado
1 scoop plain protein powder
½ c ice
Water as desired for consistency
These fruits provide probiotic bacteria, as well as prebiotic fiber to help balance the gut. Including protein powder sources that are easily digestible like pea, hemp, or rice, helps to avoid some of the uncomfortable GI symptoms that can accompany other protein powders.
Green Juice Blends: Blend Together
Dr. Taz’s Green Juice
½ medium apple
½ medium pear
1 medium cucumber
¾ c chopped kale
½ lemon
Green Juice #2
3 leaves romaine lettuce
1 celery stalk
2 kale leaves
½ medium apple
Juice of ½ lemon
½ tsp grated ginger
½ c water
Green Juice #3
1 apple
2 stalks celery
1 c watercress, chopped
1 c water
Juice of ½ lemon
Green, leafy vegetables are easy to digest and help us detoxify. Cruciferous vegetables, like kale and watercress, activate phase 2 of detoxification, and include added fiber to help eliminate toxins.
Steamed or Sautée Vegetables
Lightly steam, or sautée in olive or coconut oil, any combination of vegetables (except white potatoes). Season with an unlimited variety or herbs like oregano, parsley, thyme, or sage. Vegetables aid liver detox and are easy on the gut.
Vegetable Option 1
Steam 1 c each broccoli, snow peas, sliced red pepper and sprinkle with juice of ½ lemon.
Vegetable Option 2
Sautée in 2 tsp olive oil with a pinch of red pepper flakes and cumin
1 c cauliflower, chopped
1 c rainbow chard, chopped
Vegetable Option 3
Sautée in 2 tsp coconut oil with 1 crushed garlic clove and ½ tsp grated fresh ginger
3 c Asian stir-fry mix.
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