When most people hear the words detox or cleanse, their brain immediately starts listing all the foods that they “should NOT” have.
Here are some of the foods people typically avoid on a cleanse:
- Gluten
- Wheat
- Dairy
- Sugar
- Eggs
- Bananas
- Melons
- Cashews
- Peanuts
- Ketchup
- Beef
- Pork
- Coffee
- Alcohol
And the list goes on. You get the point…
My patients email me all the time – “Dr. Sara can I have frozen vegetables, what about wild rice, oh and roasted nuts … are those okay?
I even had a patient take a photo of the menu while at a restaurant and email me asking what she can order.
Although it’s great to eat healthier and aim for foods that are rich in vitamins, minerals, and nutrients, we need to look at the bigger picture when it comes to cleansing.
A cleanse is not about deprivation and rules.
We’ve been trained to believe that cleansing is difficult.
That a cleanse comes with challenges.
And lots of rules!
I challenge you today to shift your mindset. No more rules!
From this moment on, trust that your next cleanse will be easy.
A cleanse is supposed to enhance your life.
You don’t have to live off organic juices to reap the benefits.
You don’t have to live off wheatgrass shots.
And the best news is that you don’t have to do colonics. If you don’t know what this is, it’s the infusion of water into the rectum to flush the colon.
And contrary to what most people believe, you don’t have to starve yourself!
In fact, when you do restrict your diet and follow a very aggressive detox plan, although you may think you’re improving your health, you may be doing more harm than good.
Drastically reducing your intake of calories forces your body to metabolize fat stores for energy.
Now although that might sound appealing at first, this is quite problematic.
Fat cells store fat soluble toxins, so when our body fat is rapidly called upon as a source of energy, fat soluble toxins are released into the bloodstream.
This places a huge burden on the liver – which is the major detoxification organ.
The liver has to work very hard to process and eliminate fat soluble toxins.
In order to do this, the liver needs specific vitamins and nutrients. To detox and convert fat soluble toxins to water-soluble waste products the body needs nutrients.
Once toxins are converted to water-soluble waste products, they can be excreted from the body via urine, bile, and stool.
My advice?
To properly detox and reap the benefits of your detoxification program, do NOT deprive yourself.
Do NOT restrict calories.
And do NOT eliminate fat from your diet.
Happy Cleansing!
Dr. Sara has appeared on multiple radio shows/podcasts, the W Network, Breakfast Television and CP24. For almost 5 years, she worked as the National Spokesperson for a well-known digestive wellness brand, educating across the globe on gut health. Dr. Sara has been named a rising star in Canada receiving the Generation Next award for her outstanding contribution to shaping the future of Canada’s grocery industry. She frequently contributes to large publications and has been published in Best Health Magazine, The Globe and Mail, Sweat Equity, Grocery Business, Inside Fitness, Canadian Living, Elevate, HELLO, and ELLE Canada.
Dr. Sara’s approach to healthcare is not as easy as taking a pill. The “quick-fix” approach is not one she subscribes to. While there’s a pill for just about everything, rarely do prescription drugs stop the course of disease - they merely mask symptoms. Dr. Sara believes true health requires a commitment from both the doctor and the patient.
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