Detox to Weight-Loss
Now that the holidays have come to an end and all those delicious holiday foods are no longer around, it couldn’t be a better time to begin the New Year with a resolution to your health. What better way towards a healthier you than to start out by following a healthy dietary and lifestyle program consisting of eating clean, unprocessed foods rich in fiber and phyto-nutrients while supplementing additional nutrients to assist the body’s detoxification system and avoiding exposure to toxins as much as possible. This process, often referred to as a “cleanse” or “detox”, can often yield many beneficial results such as reducing inflammation in the body, increasing the body’s metabolism, and an improvement in energy levels. Many people also have claimed that a healthy and proper “cleanse” not only can help one feel “cleaner” and healthier, but also it can be an initial step along a path to safely and effectively achieving and managing a healthy weight.
One of the ways through which “cleaning house” within your body can improve metabolism is by allowing the body’s liver to be able to break down and eliminate stored toxins. This can eventually allow for liver enzymes to be freed up and become available to help work on converting certain hormones such as Thyroxine (one of the body’s thyroid hormones) over to a more active form, which could help to increase the body’s overall metabolism. In addition to an increase in energy levels and metabolism, the increased consumption of unprocessed plant foods rich in minerals, vitamins, fiber and antioxidants can help to regulate healthy blood sugar levels which can help aid in healthy weight loss and maintenance. Other benefits to following a healthy cleanse or detox program, which often involves supplementing additional nutrients to assist the body’s detoxification pathways, can range from healthy cholesterol levels/ratios, mental clarity, a strengthened immune system, to healthier, shiny looking hair and skin.
Besides the common vitamins and minerals, other individual nutrients that can help to further assist in the body’s detoxification pathways can include:
- Fibers (in the form of Acacia, Apple pectin, Flax seed, Glucomannan, Psyllium, and Fruit and Vegetable Fibers)
- Amino Acids such as N-Acetyl-cysteine (NAC), L-Carnitine, Methionine and Taurine,
- Herbs such as Artichoke, Cilantro, Dandelion, Garlic, Milk Thistle, Red Clover, Rosemary and Turmeric
- Superfoods such as Chlorella and Spirulina
- Chelating Agents such as EDTA, Zeolite or Activated Charcoal,
- Antioxidants and antioxidant enzymes/precursors (i.e. Lipoic Acid, pycnogenol, Superoxide dismutase and Glutathione)
- Mushrooms (i.e. Reishi and Shiitake)
Popular cleansing products specially formulated to assist in the body’s detoxification pathways include:
- Natural Factor’s – RevitalX and Detoxitech
- Renew Life’s various cleansing formulas
- Health Force – Healing Cleanse kits (1,2 or 3) and Intestinal Drawing formula
- Now Foods – Liver Detoxifier and Regenerator
- Nutricology – DietEz
- Progressive Labs – Ex-tox II
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