THE DETOX BASICS.

With so much hype around the DETOX and cleansing industry, I need to explain what a DETOX is and why it is beneficial to cleanse. In recent times our diets have become more and more reliant on highly processed foods. Most of the packaged foods at the supermarket barely resemble foods found in nature. Many packaged foods contain additives such as preservatives, artificial colours, flavours and sweeteners and food processing agents, which can be thought of as toxins that your body must eliminate. Many highly processed foods are also low in micronutrients when compared to natural and minimally processed foods.

Anything that you eat, drink, breathe or are otherwise exposed to and which is not useful to your body can be thought of as a 'toxin'. At a most basic level, your body holds onto what it requires and eliminates everything else through a process commonly called 'detoxification'. Your body detoxifies naturally, mainly through your liver and through your kidneys (which filter your blood), your digestive tract, your lungs and your skin. It is thought that some toxins are stored by your body in your fat cells.

Unfortunately, there is a lack of scientific evidence as to how exactly our bodies are dealing with these radical changes to our food supply. What is obvious though is that there has been an increase in lifestyle diseases among populations that consume this type of diet.

So why cleanse?

Doing a cleanse diet, or DETOX, is about cutting out potential toxic foods and eating clean, natural and minimally processed foods for a period of time to give your body a rest from all the junk food and boost your nutrient intake. It will simply give your body a break and allow it to detoxify naturally. It's also a great way to kick start any healthy eating, wellness or weight loss plan.

I recently completed the 7 day Soup Diet, I lost 4 kilo's and felt the best I had in the last 12 months. But the trick is also to have an eating plan in place for when you are finished the DETOX diet. Otherwise you run the risk of falling back into bad habits.

Also I highly recommend exercise as well when DETOXING, this helps your body purge the toxins. Nothing like a good sweat.

In the oncoming weeks, I want to look more at some specific diets and exercise plans that can help, improve your mental and physical wellbeing.