Nutrition for Cleansing and Detoxing

The Life-Giving Benefits of Drinking Water
Water is the essence of life and is needed by every cell in your body. Approximately 60%-70% of your body is made up of water. It is the main ingredient of all body fluids, blood including lymph, digestive juices, urine, tears and sweat.

Knowing that it makes sense to understand that water is involved in almost every bodily function such as, circulation, digestion, absorption and the all important elimination of wastes to the point where drinking enough water makes a huge impact to constipation with almost immediate effects, especially during pregnancy!

How much water should I drink a day?
The amount you need varies from person to person depending on size, climate, diet and activity levels, but I would say its safer to have more than less!

Dehydration causes stress on the body and that stress will cause even more dehydration so its better to keep everything bouyant and drink at least 2 litres of good naturally cleaned water each day. If you are a mad runner or athlete then you would need more than that but on average 4 pints or 2 litres of water per day is what the average person needs.

What type of water is best?
I would recommend that you avoid tap water. Tap water has been known to be safe to drink but the cleaning process may not clear many environmental pollutants that can cause harm. If you are drinking tap water please use a home filter.

I would say that bottled water is a much better option than tap water, but watch the sodium content level in these waters, you don't want that to be too high! There are of course more expensive options and such as Reverse osmosis, whole house filters and distilled water filters, these are investments worth every penny!

Do tea, coffee and flavoured water count?
In short NO! Although they are fluids they are not hydrating drinks, most of these are dehydrating and are causing more stress! The flavoured drinks are unfortunatley sweetened with artificial flavours and sugars that are again stressful and not hydrating! Stick to the real stuff... its worth it!
DRINKING WATER

Is fizzy water ok?
Fizzy water contains carbon dioxide and as we know thats what the body needs to get rid of so why would you want to put it in? in that case, I certainly wouldn't recommend that carbonated water be the main water that you drink, occassinally it won't hurt you but too much may make you pop!

Benefits of Drinking Water
Benefits of drinking water include increased Energy, more life vitality, Natural Weight Loss, Natural Detox, glowing and clearer skin, better digestion, better concentration, less painful menstruation, good regular bowel movements and more!

Important Tips
If you are not drinking any water at the moment then take it slow and gradually by adding in more and more daily until you reach the recommended 2 litres. If you start to drink 2 litres immediately, from not drinking any, it may make you feel sick and unwell as your body will go immediately into a detox and cleanse by releasing lots of toxins that will make you feel unwell. Take small steps and build up to 2 litres gradually, that way the body will not become shocked.

Nutrient-Rich Foods

Artichokes
Contains plant compounds known as caffeoylquinic acids, which increase the flow of bile and help to digest fats.

Beets
Beets contain betaine, which promotes the regeneration of liver cells and the flow of bile. It also has a beneficial effect on fat metabolism.

Broccoli
Broccoli and other members of the brassica family (cabbage, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, kale, kholrabi) support the liver's detoxification enzymes.



Fresh Fruits and Vegetables
Food sources of vitamin C and glutathione, which are essential for detox.

Protein
Protein is required by the liver for detox. Beans, nuts, seeds, quinoa, protein powder. Some people may choose to eat fish in moderation.

Onions and Garlic
Rich in sulfur-containing compounds. Involved in sulfation, the main detox pathway for environmental chemicals and certain drugs and food additives. Helps with the elimination of harmful heavy metals from the body.

Dandelion Root
Increases the flow of bile. Can be taken as a tea.



Supplements

If you feel you need to take vitamin or mineral supplements, it is best to consult a health care professional. Some supplements, especially those containing certain herbs, may pose safety problems or have the potential to interact with drugs. Also, begin taking one new product at a time. Then, if you have a negative reaction, you don't have to guess which one may have caused it. Some supplements can also irritate your digestive system and be detrimental to your health.

Once you’ve decided to take supplements, a word to the wise: Buyer beware! Just because they say “natural” on the label doesn’t mean that all is well. It will pay you to do your own research. For instance, a large amount of Vitamin C sold today is being derived from Genetically Engineered (GE) corn. Make sure the contents are certified organic if you want to avoid GE content. Also, many supplements are not in a form that our body recognises as food and can absorb properly. An extensive amount of scientific research in this area has been done by Intracell Nutrition Inc . They have found strong evidence that the vitamins and minerals in food are bound up in highly complex molecular structures which they call the “food matrix” that cannot be duplicated in the USP and FCC chemical processes used to produce most supplements.

That being said, here is a list of recommended vitamins, amino acids and herbs to include in your supplementation: