Detoxing:

Everything You Wanted To Know About Detoxing But Were Afraid To Ask

By Nadia Petrova

If you want to strengthen your immune system, enhance the libido, protect your reproductive system and heart, have clear skin, more energy or just want to be healthy, the juice detox is a perfect match. 

A few days on freshly squeezed juices or even a day is all you need to cleanse your body of toxins and open the way for the new you.

Where do toxins come from and am I toxicated?

Roughly speaking, if you live in the city, eat a pizza or a sandwich once in a while, visit the local bars, smoke or live under pressure, then yes, there are toxins in your body, and the best thing you can do for yourself is to help them get out.

Why juices? Are there other ways to detox?

Actually there are, but this is one of the most effective ways to detox. 

Some other options are a raw food diet, or living so healthy that you do not need to cleanse ...

One of the major advantages of the freshly squeezed juices is they lack fiber and give your digestive tract a rest in combination with a variety of vitamins, minerals, enzymes and chlorophyll, which flows into your system during the regime.

The most cleansing fruits and vegetables are:

• apple
• beet
• celery
• carrot
• cucumber
• fresh ginger
• grapes 
• grapefruit
• lemon
• lime
• mango
• parsley
• melon
• orange
• pineapple
• spinach
• strawberries
• watermelon

Here are some combinations and recipes so you can make your own detoxifying juices!

Green juice 

This is rich in chlorophyll, and in the U.S. and Italy it's used to treat alcoholism. I drink it every day for health:

• 1 apple
• 1 lime or lemon
• 5-6 stalks of celery
• 1 cucumber
• 1/2 bunch spinach
• 1/2 bunch of parsley

Put everything in the juicer and drink when ready!

Red juice

This cleanses the entire digestive system - liver, gallbladder, colon:

Ingredients 

• 1 head beets
• 1 apple
• 1 carrot

Prepare with a juicer. If it’s too sweet, dilute with water or add 1 cucumber and lemon. 

Pineapple juice 

This makes for healthy bones and a strong immune system. 

• 1/2 pineapple
• Fresh ginger to taste
• Prepare with a juicer.

Protein juice

This makes for power, good vision, good skin, pure blood and healthy bones:

• 1/2 cup of raw almonds
• 2 cups water
• 2-3 dates
• ginger powder to taste

Soak the almonds overnight, then throw the water in which they were soaked. Put them in a blender, add water and blend for about a minute at maximum speed. Strain through a nut bag and return the "milk" in the blender, add dates and ginger and blend again. Can be stored in the refrigerator up to 2 to 3 days.

How many days are enough to detox and throw out the old wastes? The options are:

• 1-day juice cleanse: this is easy and effective, but it should be done frequently, once a week or two.
• 2-day juice cleanse: this is usually done in the weekends, when your mate is away, or while traveling
• One week or more: this is super efficient, and provides great results, but you will lose some muscle mass so do not overdo it. 1-2 weeks twice a year is more then enough.

Here is your simple daily routine to detox: 

• Drink ever 2-3 hours. 
• Start with the green juice to wake up.
• Then red for cleansing.
• Drink pineapple juice to satiate your desire for something sweet.
• Have another green juice for health.
• Enjoy a protein juice for dinner.
• If you feel very hungry, add one more green juice. 

During the cleanse, do not smoke, drink alcohol, coffee and tea, eat chocolate or add sugar and milk.

Also, prepare in advance some small pleasures that will distract you from thinking about food all the time. Go to a massage, a sauna, walk in the park, meditate, watch movies, start a book and do not do heavy exercises. 

Bonus tip: clean the fridge of any other foods and keep there only fruits, vegetables and spices.

When you finish the detox, first incorporate foods with high water content, like watermelon, apple, cucumber and tomato. Then prepare a nice big green salad and hold with the meat and gluten for a few days. Your stomach will thank you!

Disclaimer: If, however, you are seriously ill or taking medications, or you have diabetes, hypoglycemia, heart disease or kidney problems, stay away from all kinds of cleansing without first consulting your doctor.

Photo Credit: Nadia Petrova

Published January 14, 2013 at 1:12 PM

About Nadia Petrova My philosophy about life is that we are in control and we can change things.
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