The primary aim of this book is to offer you an abundance of tasty recipes for juices and smoothies that work well as part of a detox program, but it also teaches the basics of detoxing and its benefits for the body.
There are many different levels of detoxification, some being almost identical to fasting and allowing only drinks for energy, some allowing most things. Obviously, you do not necessarily need to choose the strictest detox program; you will go far by just excluding some foods from your diet (see the list on the next page) and replacing your breakfast, snack, and/or dinner with chlorophyll-rich vitamin bombs. The important thing is that you and your body feel good and that you feel energized from all the pure energy found in fruit and vegetables. I believe you should have at least one hot meal a day, or preferably more, so that you do not feel hungry and so that you do not get cravings, because it is easy to give up in such situations. You should decide what works for you.
Make sure you have some good herbal teas to hand as a replacement for those cups of coffee and tea you are used to having every day. Another good idea, if and when you get a craving, is to eat some unsalted, unroasted nuts, homemade snack bars, or vegetable sticks. During the day, you can have as much filtered water or herbal tea as you like. Good teas include nettle, dandelion, chamomile, mint, green tea, Ayurvedic herbal blends, ginger tea, and other natural, caffeine-free teas.
Remember to avoid, as much as possible, anything that contains gluten, sugar, lactose, e-numbers, and preservatives. Eat vegetarian food and bear in mind that you can get protein from legumes, mushrooms, and tofu products. Try to buy locally produced and organic produce.
The lists below contain examples of what you can eat during your detox and what you should avoid for your body to recover optimally. Hopefully, your detox program will also prove to be the beginning of a lifestyle that is a little healthier.
» Leafy vegetables (e.g. spinach, chard, nettle, dandelion, curly endive, lamb’s lettuce, escarole, radicchio, romaine lettuce, iceberg lettuce).
» Sprouts and shoots (e.g. alfalfa, fenugreek, mung beans, broccoli, radish, wheat, buckwheat, millet, quinoa, sunflower seeds, flaxseed, chia seeds, peas. For more information about sprouts, please see here.)
» All varieties of cabbage (e.g. kale, white cabbage, red cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, kohlrabi, Brussels sprouts, Savoy cabbage, pointed cabbage).
» Root vegetables (e.g. carrot, rutabaga, beet, radish, parsnip, celeriac, Jerusalem artichoke, horseradish, sweet potato).
» Stem vegetables (e.g. celery, fennel, artichoke, asparagus, avocado, corn).
» Fruit-bearing vegetables (e.g. cucumber, tomato, eggplant, bell pepper, pumpkin, squash, zucchini).
» Legumes (e.g. peas, beans, haricot beans, soy beans).
» Fruit (e.g. banana, pineapple, apple, pear, mango, papaya, kiwi, plum, apricot, nectarine, pomegranate, melon).
» Berries (fresh or frozen).
» Citrus fruit (e.g. grapefruit, lemon, lime, pomelo, orange, mandarin).
» Onion, leek, garlic.
» Fresh herbs and spices (e.g. ginger, turmeric, red chile, cilantro, mint, dill, chives, sage, parsley, rosemary, thyme).
» Lentils.
» Garbanzo beans.
» Beans.
» Quinoa.
» Millet.
» Buckwheat.
» Oats.
» Amaranth.
» Brown rice.
» Brown rice noodles.
» Polenta.
» All types of nuts and seeds, natural and unroasted.
» Dried fruit, organic and additive-free (but beware of the sugar content!).
» Hemp seeds and hemp protein.
» Organic miso soup, powder.
» Algae, organic.
» Organic broth, additive-free.
» Dried herbs (e.g. turmeric, coriander, cumin, oregano, rosemary, thyme, paprika, black pepper, cloves, cardamom, cinnamon, nutmeg, saffron).
» Cold-pressed, organic oils (e.g. coconut oil, olive oil, rapeseed oil).
» Organic honey.
» Peanut butter, organic.
» Gluten-free flour (e.g. almond flour, coconut flour, psyllium husks, garbanzo meal, rice flour, buckwheat flour, oat flour, quinoa flour).
» Natural sweeteners (e.g. organic, dried apricots, figs, dates, frozen banana, frozen mango, organic honey).
» Superberries and superfoods (sea buckthorn powder, blueberry powder, raw cocoa).
» Coconut milk, additive-free.
» Soy products (e.g. milk, yogurt, cream, tofu).
» Oat products (e.g. milk, yogurt, cream).
If you want to do an extreme detox, you should exclude all foods derived from animal products. However, if you do decide to eat animal products, make sure they are organic because any animal that has not been reared organically is sure to have been fed hormones, antibiotics, and non-organic foods, which in your body convert to precisely the toxins and waste products that you want to get rid of.
» Organic eggs.
» Organic white meats (chicken and turkey).
» Fish (excluding tuna, swordfish, and farmed salmon).
» Buffalo mozzarella, goat cheese, feta cheese, ricotta, cottage cheese (made from milk other than cow’s milk).
20–30 minutes before breakfast: 1–2 pints / ½–1 liter of 98 °F / 37 °C degree filtered water, with freshly squeezed lemon or lime juice.
Breakfast: A green juice or smoothie.
Snack: A generous handful of nuts or almonds, soaked overnight.
Lunch: A hot vegetarian meal, the largest meal of the day.
Snack: An avocado and a handful of nuts, soaked overnight.
Dinner: A nut shake or a wholesome smoothie, or alternatively a vegetarian meal.
Late evening: Green juice.
During the day, you can drink as much filtered water and herbal tea as you like. If you are going to be working out, eat several small meals rather than one large one.
» Alcohol.
» Coffee, black tea, cola, and other caffeine-containing products.
» Nicotine.
» Sugar and sweets.
» White flour and white flour products.
» Salt.
» Sweeteners.
» Trans fats.
» E-numbers.
» Fully or semi-processed foods.
» “Lite” products.
» Red meat (which contains a lot of hormones injected into the animal to make it grow faster).
» Tuna, swordfish, freshwater fish.
» Chicken (if you are doing a strict detox, since it contains a lot of hormones injected into the animal to make it grow faster).
» Dairy products made from cow’s milk. Instead, use products based on oats, soy, and nuts such as oat milk, nut milk, soy milk, and soy yogurt.
A perfect start to the day—before you step into the shower and get ready—is to alkalize your body by having a large glass of filtered water with freshly-squeezed lemon juice, 20–30 minutes before you eat or drink anything else. This will help to cleanse your bowels. In order to keep your body in an alkalized state, it may also be helpful to drink a glass of lemon water 20–30 minutes before each meal. The water should be roughly at body temperature.
Activated charcoal is the world’s oldest detoxifying agent. It has been used for centuries in Chinese, Ayurvedic, and Western medicine. Activated charcoal absorbs toxins and heavy metals in the body and suppresses bloating and flatulence. It is a highly absorbent material with millions of small pores that can trap and bind up to 100 times its own weight, which makes it an ideal agent for eliminating potentially toxic substances from your gastrointestinal tract.
In high doses, activated charcoal may cause constipation and make your stools dark. The charcoal absorbs all foreign substances, so never take activated charcoal with medication. Activated charcoal is available in pharmacies and health food stores.
Our bodies need some help to promote circulation, and sweating causes unwanted toxins and waste products to be released from the body.
Any form of sauna bathing is a powerful detoxification method because a good sweat activates the body’s self-cleansing mechanisms. You can train your body to sweat more. Similarly, you can gradually get used to the heat if you are finding it a problem. Just bear in mind that this highly efficient form of detox is available and free of charge in every single fitness center!
Start by taking a shower and washing off all your makeup. Stay in the sauna as long as comfortable, taking a cooling shower from time to time. Drinking plenty of water can increase your body’s natural ability to sweat, but do avoid bringing plastic bottles into the sauna because the heat can release chemicals into it.
You may feel a little sluggish and tired after a sauna because your body is hard at work cleansing itself. But if you take water and nutrients afterward, as well as some rest, you will feel amazing. Sauna bathing is the world’s simplest detox method—it is absolutely fantastic if you want a healthy-looking and beautiful skin.
The beneficial effects of sauna bathing:
» Speeds up fat burning and eliminates toxins and waste products.
» Increases circulation to all body cells.
» Balances hormones and blood sugar.
» Improves mobility and reduces pain.
» Stimulates the immune system and inhibits viruses.
» Strengthens the nervous system and brain capacity.
» Lowers blood pressure and strengthens the heart.
» Increases the amount of pleasure-inducing endorphins.
» Ensures healthy-looking and beautiful skin.
Detoxifying the body by taking a detox bath is an old home remedy. If you have a bathtub, take a detox bath in the comfort of your home. A detox bath is intended to help the body to eliminate toxins and absorb minerals and nutrients found in the water. You can buy natural products for a detox bath in health food stores, including soap and various types of bath salts. They should be free of colorants, perfumes, and preservatives.
I use Sannas Såpa for long detox baths. It is a natural product, without any synthetic surfactants, water softeners, preservatives, or perfumes, and is made from distilled tall oil that has been saponified with calcium hydroxide. This soap, which offers several health benefits to the skin, can also be used as a soap for the whole body. It is alkaline and fights harmful bacteria, fungi, and molds; it stimulates circulation and has a healing effect on itches, eczema, and acne; it is environmentally friendly and a little goes a long way; finally, it is gentle on the skin, deep-cleansing and moisturizing.
To prepare a long detox bath: Pour 1–1⅓ cups of soap into the bathtub, fill up with hot water and stay in the bath for one to three hours. Every now and then, drain off the water and refill the bathtub with more hot water. The bath has a detoxifying and rejuvenating effect. You will sleep like a baby afterward! Drink plenty of water at room temperature during and after the bath. Do a 3-week detox by taking three to four baths a week. If you feel sick or dizzy, you should immediately stop bathing and take a new bath some other time.
Remember to make it a pleasant experience—light some candles, put some relaxing music on or listen to a nice audiobook, meditate or ask a friend to join you for a chat while you are having the bath.
When you are constipated, faeces sit around in your gut and the toxins that are formed are absorbed by the intestinal mucosa, leading to self-poisoning. During a detox, you will need a lot of fiber in your diet so that toxins and waste products can be removed and your bowel movements work as they should. Psyllium husks absorb toxins and put your intestines to work in a gentle way. That makes them a simple solution for detoxers. When the husks reach the gut, the fiber forms a gelatinous mass—a type of bulking agent—that increases intestinal activity, which in turn counteracts constipation. It is good to take psyllium husks in the morning and evening in order to bind and eliminate the toxins from the gut. They also reduce hunger.
Remember to drink plenty of water when you eat psyllium husks as they are extremely rich in fiber. A common side effect is that they may cause stomach upset in the first few days. So, start with a small teaspoon to allow your body to get used to them. Soon, your stomach will stabilize and flatulence will
diminish. Psyllium husks are available in well-stocked grocery stores and health food stores. If you can’t get hold of psyllium husks, you can replace them with flaxseed or chia seeds.