To detox or not to detox...?

I have recently had several requests for MORE details on detox, cleanses, fat flush programs. I wrote an earlier blog on the basics of correcting your diet to a cleaner intake---resulting in a healthier balance. Here are several DETOX's that I do not suggest:

There are some popular misconceptions about cleansing and detoxing. Please… don’t ever do these!

Go on a maple syrup, lemon and cayenne pepper fast.

First off, who came up with this? Clearly a sadist… Here’s the deal. Detoxifying requires more nutrients, not less. If you pull out the protein and fast on sugar water (which is what maple syrup AND juice both are) and stop eating protein, you can slow down phase two detoxification - the all-critical phase in which your body eliminates the toxins via sweat, urine and feces. This step is dependent on amino acids (we get these from protein) and requires more antioxidants (vitamins A, C and E, lipoic acid, green tea, etc.) to protect you during the process.


I feel awful, it must be working….

Listen to your body. If you feel bad, stop, it isn’t a sign of something good, it is a sign that something is not working for you. Refer back to tip number one and why it doesn’t work. If you are feeling bad, quite often you are freeing up the toxins in your body but not getting rid of them fast enough, which can result in fatigue, brain fog, joint pain, moodiness, etc.


Take those pills to help “clean you out”

You know the ones I am talking about - those smelly horse pills that send you running to the bathroom. Contrary to popular infomercials, you aren’t carrying around 20 pounds of poop in your intestines. Your body does a great job of colon cleansing if you are eating a high fiber diet, drinking water and having 1-3 quality poops daily. Those “colon cleansing” pills that contain the herbal laxatives senna and/or cascara sagrada work by irritating your GI tract. This causes your body to draw water in and produces a flushing sensation. Over time these pills can cause dependence and damage the lining of your intestines.

Please be gentle on your body. Make changes slowly and adjust to a very basic and clean diet.....remember "Lean and Green" will keep your body in perfect health!

Much Love,
Melissa