What is a detox? Detoxification 101 is a safe, simple and easy way to cleanse the body and nourish the cells. This type of detoxification includes no gimmicks, complex plans and confusing steps. It simply uses the elimination of certain foods to get the body back on track. There are steps you can take to further assist with detoxification but the detoxification 101 techniques found here focus strictly on diet. A must for candida sufferers, this entrance level detox benefits just about everybody looking to make changes to their current dietary lifestyle resulting in positive changes in overall health and appearance.
Does the word detox make you think of colon cleansing? Does the word make you wince? Are you concerned that you’re decidedly changing up your diet? If so, have no fear! While “detoxing” may sound scary it shouldn’t be! The good news is you’re actually giving your body the break it needs to start work on some other important matters and that is ridding itself of unnecessary and harmful waste. Depending on the particular issues with your health and/or your toxicity levels the harshest detox symptoms you may feel will only last about three days to a week. For me, the harshest symptoms lasted for a week. Yes, that’s correct, the initial symptoms were the worst for that long but every “body” is different! While, I’m not alone in my experience what I encountered is not the norm due to what I had been exposed to.
One important thing to remember when embarking on this dietary and lifestyle journey is to take on as little obligation as possible for the first three days to one week of your detox. It would be best to start Friday morning with the idea that you should be feeling better by Monday! Another good suggestion would be to NOT use your vacation as a time to detox! You will regret you did! Now, on the other hand if you need to take 5 vacation days as a “staycation” to battle this then that would be a very wise choice! Give yourself the rest and relaxation your body needs while it tries to get itself back into balance. So give it the TLC it needs. Love your body and it will love you back but, remember, the beginning stages are a fight! And remember feeling lousy is sign that your body is clearing out potential disease causing toxins. Now doesn’t that doesn’t sound so bad?
Easing into a detox is another important step. You can prep for that big day! Here’s how:
- Eat less or none of dairy products, red meat, alcohol, coffee, tobacco, candies, soft drinks, pastries and sweets (all junk foods)
- If you do consume animal products make sure to buy pasture raised eggs, wild caught fish, while limiting poultry and domesticated red meat
- Eat 6 to 8 servings of vegetables and fruits per day – eat at least 50% raw
- Do not overcook! Only lightly cook your foods such as sautéed, steamed. Never boil. All nutrients are lost in boiling.
- Chew your foods a long time to stimulate enzymatic breakdown at the mouth to help with digestion
- Do not drink water during meals but 30 minutes before or after
- Eat organic foods as much as possible
When to start that process? Utilize the steps above about 7 days prior to beginning any sort of regimented dietary plan. Ease into any plan with the steps above.
While my body is clearing out what should I expect?
Well, it all depends. Some people report minor issues like headache while not noticing much at all while others find that their sleep is disrupted by body aches. Every one is different which is exactly why there is no “one size fits all” approach to healing especially when it comes to candida sufferers. As I’ve mentioned before poor digestion goes hand in hand with candida and sometimes your digestion doesn’t seem like it works at all anymore. There are candida sufferers who insist that raw vegetables make their symptoms worse! And while it’s important to note that these side effects are real, the raw food is not making them worse, the digestive system is pretty ineffective at this point and simply needs more time to heal. A healthy digestive tract is needed to allow for proper digestion of raw foods. Simply steam raw vegetables for now until your stomach can tolerate raw foods and be sure to include digestive enzyme supplements before eating.
Why the need to get the digestive tract well enough to digest raw foods?
Because raw and living foods are the best for health and for the digestive tract! And if it took you 10-20 years to end up in this state, three days on a detox is not going to turn the clock back the hands of time that quickly. The body needs time to heal and, it will.
What are some of the detox symptoms I should expect to happen or I might encounter? Here is a list of the most common ones:
Headaches
Body aches
Fever
Nausea
Cold and flu symptoms
Weakness
Swelling
Body odor
Sweating
Feeling overly emotional or the need to cry
Dizziness
Irritability
Nervousness
Gassiness
Skin breakouts
Rashes
Intense food cravings
Loss of appetite
Runny nose
Increased phlegm or coughing
Constipation or diarrhea
If you find detoxing very unpleasant and cannot handle embarking on an anti-candida diet because the detox symptoms are too extreme to handle, then I would suggest the following to get you back on your footing and ease into it more slowly. Ready to begin detoxing? The anti-candida plan used here can certainly make someone feel like they’re detoxing initially. After several weeks you should begin seeing some healthy changes!
Love this? Share it!
