Have you decided that you are going on a detox diet but don’t quite know how to get started? Perhaps you have already started on a detox program or plan but are finding it a bit of a challenge.

Or perhaps you have already done some detoxing and you simply want to stick to a healthy diet.

Pleasure is not a word we associate with detoxification diets nor diets or any sort but you can make life a lot easier on your self by following these 10 top tips for healthy shopping.

1. Plan your meals in advance and make a list. This is likely to save you time and money and ensure you have all the ingredients to start on your chosen detox plan or you might not get started.
2. Do not shop when hungry, stressed or in a rush. If you shop when hungry unless you are strong willed you might be tempted to buy something that is not on your list to keep you going.Have a healthy bar or handful of nuts handy if you think you will be sidetracked.
3. Buy the basic store cupboard items once a week and fresh fruit and vegetables at least twice a week. Fruit and vegetables loose nutrients the longer they are stored. Five portions of fruit a vegetables a day is the minimum to aim for.
4. Buy a good variety of vegetables and fruit and look for the freshest. Try to buy things that are in season and are locally sourced. Try things you do not normally eat, you might be pleasantly surprised.
5. Look for organic where possible. Buying staples like organic brown rice or other grains, carrots and potatoes as a minimum. Grains and carrots are notorious for sapping up toxins from the ground. Buy free range meat and fish from relatively unpolluted waters if you cannot get organic.
6. Avoid the cake and cookie displays so you are not tempted.
7. Try some different grains (really seeds) such as millet, amaranth, quinoa and buckwheat. They are gluten free and not so taxing on the digestion. They release carbohydrates slowly helping to keep your blood sugar balanced. They supply fibre, B vitamins, magnesium, calcium, zinc, iron and selenium. Fibre rich diets can halve the risk of breast cancer.
8. Try some vegetarian meals based on beans and lentils in place of animal proteins. Soak well in pure water overnight before cooking. Introduce them gradually if you are not used to them as they can cause digestive problems for some people.
9. Look out for healthy alternatives to cereal bars which are often high in sugar and hydrogenated fats. Look for wheat free bars with natural fruit juice sweeteners.
10. Avoid all ready meals and processed foods. Besides being stripped of many nutrients they often contain unhealthy fats, artificial sweeteners, petroleum derived preservatives, MSG and other additives which may be harmful to your health.

By following my 10 top tips you will be eating food that is bursting with super nutrients that will help you feel good, look younger and help prevent disease. You could even lose some weight if that is your goal. Take charge of your health now!

This is a guest post by John McIntyre.

Detox juicing is an amazing thing to do. It is all about looking after your body and making the most of life. You see, when you have your health, you have hope. And when you have hope, you have everything.

If you’re not sure of whether to try detox juicing, check out these 10 reasons why you need to start today:

1. Give your body what it needs.

The human body NEEDS the vitamins and minerals inside fresh fruits and vegetables to survive. We evolved on a diet of mainly plants and as such, we depend on them still. However, sometimes it’s hard to get all the nutrients we need, and this is why juicing is so great.

In one glass, you can have 6 carrots, 3 apples, and chunk of ginger (I had one of these for breakfast!). In another, beetroot, celery, grapefruit, lemon, ginger, cayenne pepper and turmeric (I call it the liver cleanser). In another, a whole bunch of different fruits and vegetables. You get the idea.

You’re grabbing the amazing nutrients from a whole array of different stuff and cramming it  into a glass, making for a potent and powerful health elixir.

2. Enhance your mood.

Fruits and vegetables are a source of serotonin, which is essentially one of the brain’s “feel good” chemicals. If you don’t get enough fruits and vegetables in your diet, you might be depressed and wake up feeling like there’s no reason to get out of bed.

Juicing changes this. And when you use it to detox, you get rid of the nasty stuff that gets you down and replace it with things that make you feel on top of the world.

3. Eliminate toxins.

When you detox with juicing, your bowels, liver and kidney will be stimulated and will eliminate waste and toxins so much more efficiently. Juicing literally speeds up the body’s own detoxification process.

4. Reduce acidity.

The diet that most people eat in the West is overloaded with acidic foods. Most things, such as coffee, tea, and alcohol are acidic and are terrible for our body. They create a buildup of acid which doesn’t feel too good at all. Sickness and inflammation result.

The good thing is that most fruits and vegetables are alkaline (the opposite of acidic) and hence will relieve symptoms of a buildup of acid in the body.

5. Drink more, eat less.

Juicing suppresses the appetite, so you won’t feel like eating much after a fresh juice. Also, fresh produce contains very little calories, meaning you can eat as much as you want and you’ll never put on weight.

6. Cheap and easy.

Most of the nutritionally bankrupt food you find in supermarkets is more expensive that fresh fruits and vegetables. And when you think about how many more nutrients are in an apple than in a biscuit, there really is no competition whatsoever.

Detox juicing will make you feel amazing and at the end of the day it will cost less than what you spent before.

7. You’ll feel like a million dollars.

Many people report overwhelming feelings of wellbeing, health, positivity, and so on. Juicing has the power to make you feel amazing.

8. Prevent cancer.

It has been known for a while now that fresh produce is loaded with antioxidants. These little superheroes charge around the body in search of free radicals. Free radicals cause aging, sickness and sometimes cancer, but are eliminated by a healthy stream of antioxidants in detox juicing.

9. Boost your energy.

When your body has the right nutrients inside it, you will have so much more energy than you are used to. You’ll get more things done and you’ll start living your life to the fullest!

About the author: John writes for Healthy Juicing, a site where you can discover the benefits of juicing and taste amazing juicing recipes.

How many times have you resolved to eat good healthy food or go on a detox diet and ruined the whole thing with a crazy binge? However much you will yourself  to stick to your healthy diet these stupid food cravings just spring out of nowhere and take you by surprise.

The image of the food appears in your mind. You begin to smell it and taste it. Your mouth waters. You crave the food so badly that you cannot concentrate on anything else. But have you ever stopped to think what it might mean?

There have been many explanations for cravings including emotions, stress, hormones, brain chemicals, smells and sightings of certain food, low blood sugar, addiction, allergy and nutritional deficiencies.

There is no doubt that people crave sweet or salty things more than anything else. And chocolate probably comes top of the list of foods that people crave.  Why is it that we get cravings for the things that we know are not good for us? (OK, a LITTLE dark chocolate can be good for you).  It’s virtually unheard of to get cravings for vegetables isn’t it?

Many nutritionist believe that cravings are the body’s way of telling you that it needs something. So let’s have  look at some of the most common food cravings and what they could mean for you.

Something Sweet

Hormones

Women often experience strong cravings for sweet foods several days before their periods. This is thought to be due to the hormonal fluctuations that occur during the monthly cycle but is more often due to a hormonal imbalance.

Blood Sugar

A drop in blood sugar triggers a craving for a quick sugar fix. This of course is not the answer as the fix only lasts a short time until the release of insulin causes another blood sugar low.

The cure for this is to eat small regular meals that include some protein. Low GI food  are the best ones to eat. You don’t have to eat more, just more regularly.

Many dieters have cravings because they have an underlying blood sugar imbalance and going without food for long periods only makes the matter worse. Often there is a deficiency of the mineral chromium.

Chromium is found in healthy food such as broccoli, grapes, whole grains, potatoes, beef, orange juice, turkey, apples, banana, and green beans.

Chocolate

More people crave chocolate than anything else. Certain substances in chocolate may raise the brain chemical serotonin so scientists now believe that chocoholics may actually have a serotonin deficiency.

While chocolate cravings could also be triggered by low blood sugar there is evidence that it is linked with a deficiency of the mineral magnesium. This is a very common deficiency because the foods that the majority of people eat are low in magnesium.

To get more magnesium eat more raw nuts and seeds, beans, whole grains and fruit.

Some experts believe that cravings for sweet foods can be triggered by a diet that is high in protein and fat. Your body is telling you that it needs some carbohydrates. It’s obviously best to get the carbs from fruit, vegetables, whole grains and beans.

Something Salty

Cravings for salty food is very common. Processed meals are very high in salt and when you change to more healthy food you might find you miss the salty taste.

Try flavoring your food with herbs and and spices instead. It can take time for your taste buds to recover their sensitivity to natural flavors. You could use a little natural soy sauce or miso too.

If your food tastes bland without salt you could be low in zinc. This mineral is involved in taste.

Good sources include meat, poultry, eggs, fish, dairy products, mushrooms, spinach and pumpkin seeds.

Another cause of salt craving is weak adrenal glands or low thyroid function.  With the stresses of modern living it is not uncommon for our adrenals to be worn out from constantly pumping out the hormones that help us deal with stress.

Something Spicy

If you crave spicy food you could be low in zinc. Zinc regulates taste as I have mentioned and you could be craving spicy food to compensate.

Milk products

Milk is the first food we have as babies so it is often thought of as a comfort food. But there may be more to it. From a scientific point of view milk is high in tryptophan, and amino acid that has a calming and mood improving effect on your body.

When you get a craving for milk and dairy products you might think you lack calcium but it’s more likely that you crave it for emotional and mood improving reasons.

When you crave dairy it could mean you are eating too much sugar, baked goods and meat. Eat more leafy greens, whole grains, beans and fish instead.

Unbalanced diets

Your body functions best with a certain ratio of protein, fat and carbohydrate that is right for you metabolic type. If you eat a diet that is unbalanced for you then you will get cravings for what is lacking.

For example:

A high meat diet can result in cravings for alcohol,sugar and coffee.
A diet high in grains can can cause a craving for coffee and salads.
A high fruit diet might cause cravings for salty, sweet foods and protein.

How to deal with cravings

You can get your mineral levels checked with a hair mineral analysis through a reputable laboratory. You will have to go through a nutritionist or other health practitioner to get this done. The correct interpretation of the result is important.

Nutritionists or integrative doctors can also test you for low adrenal  or  thyroid function to see if you need to support these organs.

Try the food solution

Sugar cravings:

Eat more whole grains, yams and squash, apples, dates and cooked fruit
Eat less meat, salt and dairy products.

Salty food cravings

Eat more vegetables, beans and seaweed. Use more herbs and spices.
Eat less sweet foods, fat, meat, grains and alcohol.

Milk products cravings

Eat more green leafy vegetables, whole grains, beans and fish.
Eat less sugar, meat, fruit and baked products.

Detox

Lastly, detox can help with cravings in the long run because it can help get rid of toxins that unbalance your body and can cause cravings. Once your body is well nourished and balanced with all the vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, other plant chemicals that it needs and the right ratio of protein, fat and carbohydrate then cravings disappear.

To end your sugar and food craving now Click On Banner Below.

In spite of the fact that herbal colon cleansing is becoming more and more popular the majority of people would not connect a toxic bowel to their health problems. Mainstream doctors are unlikely to link their patient’s poor health to their bowels, nor are they likely to recommend colon cleansing.

History of Colon Cleansing

Yet, the idea of cleansing the colon is not new. Accounts of bowel cleansing were found on Egyptian papyrus dating back to 1500 BC. It is reputed to have been used in Chinese and ancient Indian Medicine years before that. Herbal colon cleansing persisted as part of normal health practices until as recently as the early 20th Century.

In spite of its history the majority of medical experts still struggle to find drug free solutions to the ever-increasing intestinal problems of our times. It’s ironical that doctors blame excessive cleanliness in our society for the poor immunity of our children. We have products to clean just about everything you can think of but we seem to have forgotten how to clean ourselves internally.

Your colon is your waste disposal system

Your colon also known as the large bowel, the last part of your intestines, is one of the most important parts of your digestive system. Your colon gets rid of anything the body cannot make use of from your food that has been processed in the small intestine. It is effectively your waste disposal system.

A healthy digestive system will take anywhere between 12 – 24 hrs to expel the remains of a meal. When the waste stays too long in the bowel not only does it start to release bowel paralyzing toxins but the toxins start to be reabsorbed back into the blood stream. This starts overloading all the other organs. Cells become unable to detoxify themselves properly triggering achiness, fatigue, and mood swings and eventually poor health.

Some toxins find their way back to your poor liver which has to detoxify them all over again.  Your diet, the environment, lack of exercise, stress and medication can all make a difference to how your bowel functions. Researchers have found a direct link between colon cancer and diets that are constantly high in fat and processed meat.

Bowel bacteria govern immune function

Scientists also know that your diet plays a huge part in the type and balance of bacteria that exist in your bowel and are so important for health. You may not realize that about 70% of your immune system is located in the bowel and the bacterial content is responsible for how it functions.

Some of the signs that your bowel may not be functioning well are:

• Poor digestion

• Constipation

• Diarrhea

• Alternating constipation & diarrhea

• Gas, bloating and cramps

• Skin problems

• Coated tongue and /or bad breath

• Feeling slow and dull headed

• Feeling tired most of the time

• Auto-immune diseases

• Poor immunity

• Weight problems

Over the years people realized that they felt better when they cleansed their colons one way or another. While many celebrities endorse colonic hydrotherapy for their youthful and slim appearances not everyone can make a habit of visiting expensive clinics. An herbal colon cleanse is less invasive, some say safer, and more cost effective than colonic hydrotherapy.

Choosing the best herbal colon cleanse

If you spend any time at all researching health on the internet you have probably noticed the huge number of different colon cleanses on the market. So how do you know which one to choose? What should you look for in a herbal colon cleanse?

The effectiveness of colon cleanse products is not measured by how quickly they can offer you results but how thoroughly and gently they perform the intestinal cleansing process. Aggressive bowel cleanses can leave you doubled up in pain and put you off for life.

It’s so important to find one that is gentle yet effective and allows you to control the speed and thoroughness of your colon cleansing. Dr Floras is one that does all this. Strangely enough it has been formulated by a doctor but one who understands the benefits of bowel cleansing.

Dr Floras Colon Cleanse

Dr Floras contains a super version of Psyllium Husk that gently and naturally cleanses the body of toxins and old impacted fecal matter.  Bentonite Powder naturally attracts heavy metals, pesticides and other toxins and eliminates from your body.

Marshmallow Root, Slippery Elm and fennel powder are added to soothe the intestinal tract. It does not contain any irritant laxatives such as Senna or Cascara which can cause cramping in a lot of people. Cleanse Support is designed to be taken with the Colon Cleanse to really ensure you have no discomfort.

Colon Cleansing Diet

Colon cleansing can be done naturally to an extent with a diet high in fresh fruit, vegetables and whole grains but the ingredients in this herbal colon cleanse helps to pull out heavy metals and other toxins while sweeping the colon clean.

You do not need to do any fasting but the cleanse will be more effective  if you eat a healthy diet of fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains and legumes. Some lean protein like chicken, turkey or low mercury fish can be eaten too.

Bowel cleansing is an essential part of any good detox diet plan and is a good thing to do at least twice a year. Proper diet aided with the best herbal colon cleansing product will not only make you feel and look better but it could also save your life.  Why not give it a try? Click Here

The fresh fruit detox or fruit fast is probably one of the tastiest and easiest detox diets that I have ever done.  Most people love fruit and there are so many different types of fruit you can eat it does not become monotonous.

Fruit is very nutritious. It’s full of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, phytochemicals, and fiber so it is very good for you. Fruit is easy to digest and contains nutrients that you need to detox.  It always seems odd to me that the experts who tell us we should be eating at least 5 portions of fruit and vegetables a day say that no more than 2 should be fruit.

Research has shown that eating 7 – 10 portions of fruit and vegetables a day helps people lose more weight than just cutting back on sugary and fatty foods. A high intake of fresh fruit and vegetables can reduce your risk of cancer of all types and lowers risk of heart disease. These two are the biggest killers of our times.

Low carb dieters often shy away from fruit but they are missing out on potassium that keeps your blood pressure low and and your heart beat regular. The fiber found in fruit will bind to toxins and detox them from your system.

Fruit and the Glycemic Index

Most fruits have a low GI index. This simply means that they do not raise your blood sugar levels. High GI fruits are watermelon, honeydew melon and pineapple. Bananas are low/medium GI. Low GI fruit include apples, apricots, peaches, pears. plums, papaya, cherries. blackberries, grapes, lemons, oranges, raspberries and strawberries.

Eat Organic

The fruit you eat on a fresh fruit detox should be organic. Fruit that has been grown with chemical pesticides and fertilizers is not suitable for detox. Dried fruit is not recommended either. The dehydration process leaves them with fewer enzymes than fresh fruit and the natural fruit sugars are more concentrated.

Although you can juice fruits for a juice detox the fresh fruit detox consists of whole fruit only. You can make smoothies by blending the fruit but don’t add any other ingredients besides pure water if needed to make the blades turn easily.

Acid & alkaline

Some people get worried about eating citrus fruit because they are acid fruits. The confusion arises because although they contain acids, once the fruit is digested and absorbed into the body it is highly alkalizing due to the alkaline minerals it contains.

Citrus fruit has a very powerful cleansing effect on the body which many people can’t handle. Some disorders need a slower and less aggressive elimination. The only other reason to avoid oranges is you are allergic or intolerant to them.

How does fruit detox & cleanse?

Fruit is easily and quickly digested so the energy that is usually used for digestion can be used by the body for cleansing. Your cells are flooded with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants , the very nutrients needed for the detox process. The high levels of Vitamin C helps to regenerate Glutathione, the major substance needed by the liver for detox. Vitamin C can help the body eliminate heavy metals like mercury and cadmium.

It is natural for the body to try to eliminate toxic substances but it is often overwhelmed by the sheer amount of chemicals that we now absorb from our environment. A fruit fast can give it a chance to catch up on housecleaning.

How long for a fruit detox?

The minimum period for a fruit fast is 3 days. A 10 day one will bring good results and is not hard to do.  It’s usual for elimination to reach a peak on the third day so why stop there?

You know you are cleansing because as the toxins are released into the bloodstream you can get a headache, coated tongue, bad breath, aching muscles and feel very tired. The sooner you get symptoms the more toxic you are likely to be.

By the morning of the 4th day its usual to feel really well and energized with a clear mind. People experience this in varying degrees of intensity. If you continue the fruit detox the feeling of wellness gives way to more feelings of fatigue and lack of concentration as more toxins are released.

There are various types of fruit detox diets around. Some include protein powder and oils and others include nuts. I feel the best ones are just fresh fruit and nothing else except pure water. They can last anywhere from 1 to 30 days. 10 days is very doable. Longer than that is probably best supervised by a health expert unless you have done one before.

Although many fruit detox diets say you can eat any type of fruit you want some Naturopaths do not recommend bananas as they are too starchy to allow cleansing. Food combining rules say that you should not eat bananas with acid fruit.

Some feel that eating only one type of fruit at each meal or for the entire day is easier for the digestion. Others say that you get more nutrients by eating a large variety of fruit at each meal as possible.  So the choice is yours. Try both ways and see how you feel on the days that you eat only one type of fruit.

Some notes on Fruit

Apples

Apples are great for cleansing the digestive tract and you can read more about them in previous posts The Apple Cleanse and 2 Day Apple Detox.

Citrus fruit

As already mentioned citrus fruit is an aggressive cleanser. It is a good liver cleanser and Naturopaths recommend it for dissolving mucus. Grapefruit is not recommended in any quantity because it contains naringinen which inhibits the Phase 2 liver detox pathway.

Watermelon

Watermelon is especially good for the kidneys and bladder. Be sure to eat some of the white part just under the rind or include it in a smoothie as it contains a lot of valuable nutrients.

Grapes

Black or purple grapes are best for detox. They are particularly good for detoxifying the liver and kidneys. They contain anthocyanins, flavonoids and resveratrol which all aid the heart. You have probably heard of the “Grape Cure” where you eat nothing but grapes for a month or more. It has been used for curing many serious disorders including heart disease and cancer.

You must chew the skins really well to release the nutrients they contain. Alternatively whiz them up in your blender.

Papaya

Papaya contains unique enzymes papain and chymopapain,  enzymes that digests protein. It helps to digest protein waste in the intestines and binds toxins and remover them from the bowel.

Cherries

Cherries have earned a reputation for cleansing the body of uric acid which causes gout. Researchers found that a large bowl of cherries caused an increase in the amount of urate excreted in the urine in volunteers. Urate is the the substance that uric acid is formed from.

Cherries also contain substances that are anti-inflammatory.

Finishing the detox

Getting back onto regular food after the fast should be done very slowly and carefully. The longer the fast the the longer you should take to wean yourself back onto healthy food. For a 10 day detox you should take about 3 days. For a 1 – 3 day fast, a day and a half is recommended.

Have easily digested food like broth, or thin vegetable soup, steamed vegetables and well cooked whole grain rice or millet. Eat small quantities to begin with and chew the food really well to help with digestion.

So there you have it. A delicious and easy to do fresh fruit detox. Flood your cells with fruits cleansing and healing nutrients and feel the transformation. Share your experiences on the fruit detox in the comment box below.

Naturopaths and other health practitioners have known for hundreds of years that apples were good for cleansing and detox but now researchers have discovered why the Apple Cleanse Diet may be particularly good for your liver.

Apples contain Phlorizidin (phlorizin) , just one of an apples many antioxidants known as polyphenol flavonoids. Phlorizidin is one reason that the latest apple extracts may be a hot rival for green tea and grape seed extracts on the market.

Apples & Bile production

Modern science has discovered that phlorizidin can treat diabetes in animals and is thought to target the liver and help stimulate bile flow. High glucose levels are known to impair bile production in the liver. Bile flow is important as the liver eliminates toxins into the bile as part of the detox process. A good reason for an apple cleanse diet but there’s more.

Antioxidants

The antioxidant effects of apple extracts have been compared to silymarin, the active ingredient  of the herb milk thistle, which is known to be good for the liver. Both are good at fighting free radicals but silymarin still had the edge.

Apples contain many antioxidants or phytonutrients including quercetin, catechin, phlorizin, and chlorogenic acid. Chlorogenic acid can prevent the oxidation of LDL cholesterol which can lead to atherosclerosis. (narrowing of arteries due to buil up of fats)

Cleansing effects of Fiber

Apples are high in insoluble fiber which helps cleanse the bowel and is a great solution for constipation and diverticulitis.  Pectin, a soluble fiber, binds to heavy metals and helps clear the body of food additives.

Keeping the bowels clean helps to prevent toxins from it overloading the liver.

Are you ready to do the Apple Cleanse Diet?

I don’t advise doing this if you are pregnant or breast feeding, are very under weight or have a serious illness. If in doubt always get the advice of a nutritionist, naturopath or doctor who is experienced in detox.

You can do the apple cleanse diet for 2 or 3 days. You eat nothing but fresh apples, any type and organic if possible as you don’t want to load your body with any more chemicals.  You can prepare them any way you like but avoid peeling them as a lot of nutrients are contained in the skin.

Eat them for breakfast lunch and dinner and any time you are hungry. Munch on them whole or juice them. Thin the pulp with a little water and eat that too!  Cut them up and blend with enough water to make the blades turn. Try to eat the core and seeds too. Drink plenty of pure water and herbal tea too if you fancy.

You can find out more about how to do the Apple Cleanse Diet in my previous post The 2 Day Apple Detox Diet.

Guest Post

Day by day we’re confronted with a seemingly never ending quantity of processed and fast foodstuff. In addition to this, there are a great deal of preservatives present in lots of the meals we consume.

Not too long ago, it  become recognized that a few of the fast food franchises like McDonalds have been utilizing genetically modified foodstuffs and this precipitated a number of public uproar. This state of affairs basically heightened the public consciousness relating to the significance of healthy eating and lifestyle in general.

Many people are turning to a body cleansing detox to clean up their physical condition.

So individuals nowadays are becoming very conscious of the meals which they place in their bodies. Also, persons are beginning to realize that a body cleansing detox is essential. Essentially, detoxing is a procedure where we remove toxic substances from our bodies.

Now the expression detox has been traditionally used for treating dependence on alcohol and drugs. But detox also refers to using special diets, herbs and things such as that which can be utilized to rid the body of poisons.

So then, are you considering doing some type of body cleansing detox? Beneath, you will find several recommendations on how one can perform a cleansing that will likely be both wholesome and effective for you.

Initially, make the switch to a non-toxic way of life. What this means is that you might want to begin eating a lot of pure food, drinking plenty of water and exercising on a regular basis. Additionally, you will need to avoid toxic or junk foods as well as processed or canned foods. Along with this, why not begin an actual detox eating regimen as well. This may help to provide relief from symptoms akin to chronic pain, digestive difficulties, allergies and lots of other things.

While you are on your body cleansing detoxification plan, eat a lot of fresh greens and fruits. Also, consume numerous beans, nuts and whole grains together with rice. At the same time, keep away from as much as possible meals resembling sugar, alcohol, caffeine, yeast and meals which contain preservatives and different chemicals added.

Plan out your detox program in advance. Fasting on weekends tends to work really well. It is always a good idea to begin on a Friday. This way, the weekend will provide you with the ability to make a transition out and in of your detox program. Just be sure you can stick to your detoxification plan, otherwise there is no point in performing it. Above all, it is really important that you don’t starve yourself.

Grow a love for nature. Attempt to get outside exercise. Your lungs and circulatory system will profit greatly from the fresh air. Get in the habit of taking 1 or 2 walks each day. Try to balance your entire activities in order that you’ll have sufficient time to mix in your fun with your work.

Why not give pilates or yoga a try. Take a lot of walks around your local neighbourhood. Just just remember to are always moving your body around, because a body in motion is a wholesome one.

Take a visit to your local spa. Have showers commonly and brush your skin to help with your body cleansing detox. Anytime you brush your skin, you’ll get rid of dead skin layers and your circulation will also get better.

Ensure that your diet encourages you to have regular bowel movements. Include meals in your diet which is rich in fiber. There are special herbs and teas that might help with your bowel movements. If you find yourself in the process of cleansing, it is important to have regular bowel movements because it helps with the discarding of toxins.

Preserve a positive attitude. When your mind is healthy, then your body is healthy. Purge the adverse thoughts out of your mind. Unfavorable thinking will weaken you and permit more toxins to flow in. Smile a lot and always stay committed to your detoxification plan.

You can start a body cleaning detox for yourself anytime you would like. It’s by no means too late. Since our life-style is so fast paced and our world is so polluted, it is virtually not possible to live with out having some toxin build-up.

Remember that something so simple as taking a peaceable walk within the park to filter out your mind and soak up fresh air will help with the entire detox procedure. On the other end of the scale, you may choose to go on a stringent diet regimen that is aimed at detoxification. Whatever you choose to do, just make certain that you discover different ways to detox your body.

Check out these blogs for up to date info on healthy dieting and weight reduction: Weight Loss Tips , How To Lose Weight and Diet Tips

The Body Ecology Diet Plan is a unique system developed by Donna Gates that helps you detox your body gently on a regular basis. Almost everyone these day is suffering from a highly toxic body and cleansing is a must if you want to be healthy and stay healthy.

Just stop a moment and think about all the toxins that you are exposed to and get into your body every day:

• Air Pollution

• Chemicals in your food and water supply

• Pesticides on your food

• Chemicals in household and personal care products

• Medications

• Negative thoughts and emotions

How do you know if you are toxic?

It does not matter who you are or where you live you will have accumulated toxic chemicals in your body. A study commissioned by WWF-UK in 2003 found that every single one of the 155 people whose blood was tested had a cocktail of highly toxic chemicals in their bodies.

The Environmental Working Group in the USA tested female environmentalists blood and urine for 75 toxic chemicals and every woman tested positive for 60% of them. They included fire retardants, Teflon chemicals, fragrances, bisphenol A or BPA, and perchlorate.

Did you realize that babies are born with toxins that they got from their mothers? One shocking study found 287 chemicals in the blood of newborn babies. They found chemicals that cause cancer, chemicals that are toxic to the brain and nervous system and toxins that cause birth defects or abnormal development.

Unless you actively do something to detox your body and remove these toxins they will continue to accumulate leading to many health problems.

Symptoms of toxicity include:

• Tiredness and a lack of energy

• Headaches

• Weight problems

• Aching muscles and joints

• Depression and mood swings

• Brain fog

• Digestive problems

• Bowel problems

• Chronic health problems

• Immune system problems

The Body Ecology Diet Plan was developed by nutritionist Donna Gates after her long term Candida problem led her to study the principles of many different health regimes including Chinese medicine, macrobiotics, natural hygiene, raw foods and mega-supplement therapy.

She has incorporated the best of these healing systems into a plan that has helped many people recover from all sorts of health problems. The plan is based on foods that that encourages your body to detox gently and naturally.

Fermented foods and drinks

One of the essential parts of the Body Ecology Diet is the raw fermented foods and drinks. The health benefits of fermented or cultured foods that our ancestors ate as part of their traditional diet seem to have been forgotten in today’s modern world.

These foods, teaming with beneficial bacteria, help to repopulate your gut, improve your digestion, provide nutrients that boost your immune system, stop sugar cravings and generally help to keep you healthy. They are alkaline forming and help with cleansing.

Green coconut water kefir, a delicious fermented drink, appears to cleanse the liver and glandular system, increases energy and stops sugar cravings.

Abundant land and sea vegetables

One of the principles of the body ecology diet is the 80/20 rule. 80% of the food on your plate should be organic vegetables and 20% protein or non gluten grains. The plan includes both raw and cooked vegetables and sea vegetables such as nori, kombu, wakame, arame, agar and dulse. Sea vegetables are full of antioxidants and are great for detoxing heavy metals.

Vegetable juices

Vegetable juices, especially green juices, are very alkaline forming and can help to balance an acid body. Regular consumption of vegetable juices with all their nutrients and enzymes help the cells detoxify and cleanse.

Fruit juices are not included with the exception of lemons, limes, cranberries, blackcurrants and Granny Smith apples. According to Donna most fruit juices are too sweet and can create an acidic condition in your blood and feed Candida.

Gluten free  grains

The Body Ecology diet plan excludes the gluten grains that clog up your bowel and you eat quinoa, millet, amaranth, buckwheat instead. These ancient grain like seeds  are high in protein, rich in B vitamins and feed the beneficial bacteria in your digestive system. They contain fiber which helps in cleansing your bowel.

Healthy Proteins

You can eat meat and poultry but it should be organic and the meat pasture fed. Wild fish is included too. Nuts and seeds provide protein as well but nuts should be soaked for 12 hours before eating to make them easier to digest.

Healthy Fats and Oils

Organic unrefined fats and oils provide essential fatty acids that improve your skin, your brain power and your mood. The right balance of essential fats are needed by every cell in your body to function properly. If they are full of toxic fats they cannot detoxify.

Natural Sweets

The Body Ecology diet eliminates sugar, honey, corn syrup, brown rice syrup, molasses or other sweeteners. You can include healthy natural alternatives that don’t feed Candida or spike your blood sugar, like Stevia and Lakanto that give you the sweet taste without calories.

Detoxification can be simple and you can begin to detox your body today by making small changes to your diet with the Body Ecology Diet Plan.

Learn More about the Body Ecology Secrets to Detoxification Today!

Guest Post

Cleansing and detoxing may be a current trending topic, but it’s not a new idea. Not to your body anyway. Every day the body cleans itself by using the colon, liver and kidneys, lymphatic system, skin, and lungs to detoxify. On the cellular level, regeneration is alway occurring.

If our body is detoxing on an ongoing basis, then why do we experience sluggishness? Just as you might get tired and overworked from your 9-5 job, your body also suffers, and when it doesn’t get proper nutrients, the situation worsens. Sometimes we need to cleanse through diet to give the natural process a boost. One of the best and easiest ways to do this is through juicing.

There are a number of benefits to physical, mental, and spiritual health by drinking fresh juice daily. A juice cleanse works efficiently well at detoxing and also helps reset the body systems on the cellular and metabolic level. In this way, the entire body benefits. Here are some of the benefits:

1. Juicing speeds up and enhances the release of harmful toxins in the colon. No fiber remains in juice that has been extracted. The nutrients are simply absorbed into the bloodstream. Without much for the colon to digest, it sets to work on getting rid of stored up toxins in the digestive tract.

2. With a recharged bloodstream, metabolism becomes recharged and begins operating at an optimum level giving you more energy.

3. Vegetables contain antioxidants, beta-carotene, and essential fatty acids which aid the liver in breaking down fats, balance glucose levels, and filter the blood. We often talk about cleansing the colon, but assisting the liver may be one of the most important aspects and benefits of juice cleansing.

4. Often people experience a flatter stomach and weight loss. Though limited calorie intake and flushing of excess liquids is the main reason, weight loss can be continued by maintaining a healthful diet including raw foods and a periodic juice cleanse.

5. Noticeable improvement in conditions that are chronic. Toxins cause many problems in the body such as chronic fatigue syndrome, arthritis, and constipation. With these eliminated, these problems may improve greatly.

6. Better sleep. Our bodies can hold stress, not just our emotional states. Stress can exacerbate sleeping problems. A fully functioning body system releases stress to help provide you with a good night’s sleep.

Though capable of detoxifying itself, the body can be assisted through a juice cleanse. The process works at the microscopic levels, but you’ll experience optimized health in physical and mental ways.

We all like to have clean homes but it’s shocking to think that the very things that you probably use to keep your house clean may double your risk of breast cancer. You might think that you are safe from environmental toxins and pollution when you are in your home but some of the most toxic chemicals in the home today may be the ones you buy and bring into it.

Indoor air pollutants are not so easily dispersed as outdoor ones. Concentrations of toxic chemicals in your home linked with cancer can be 200 – 500 times higher than outside. Studies have shown that women working at home have a 55% increased risk of of breast cancer over those who go out to work.

The latest research from The Silent Spring Institute in the United States showed that if you are a female who regularly uses household cleaners and air fresheners your risk of developing breast cancer is double that of those who never use the products. Solid slow-release air fresheners and anti-mould products had the biggest effect while insect repellents, oven and surface cleaners also produced a slight increase.

The researchers themselves say that there could be some bias to the results as women with breast cancer may over estimate their use of cleaning products. Even so, other research has shown that these products are toxic and contain ingredients that can cause cancer. So let’s have a look at the products the researchers have highlighted.

Air Fresheners

Air fresheners are big business. Although we all want our homes to smell fresh if you use synthetic air fresheners you are putting your health at risk from one of the most concentrated sources of poisons in your home. Far from freshening it they just interfere with your ability to detect smells or simply cover them up while adding considerable indoor pollution.

If you use air fresheners you expose yourself to formaldehye, benzene, styrene which are known or suspected carcinogens and toluene a liver and kidney irritant. Air fresheners available in the USA may also contain phthalates, a family of chemicals known as estrogen mimics that can cause hormonal abnormalities and birth defects.  It’s worrying that researchers have also discovered that some air fresheners labelled as natural or non-scented contained phthalates.

What’s more, the chemicals from air fresheners can react with other substances to become even more dangerous. Terpenes such as d-limonene, linalool and linalyl acetate released by some air fresheners react with ozone and form formaldeyde for which there is strong evidence that it can
cause cancer in humans.

Mould and Mildew Cleaners

Although not listed as such most contain formaldehyde a highly toxic and known carcinogenic chemical. It can go under more than 50 different names and may be listed as a preservative but formaldehyde damages DNA, is an irritant to eyes, nose, throat, and skin and may cause nausea, headaches, nosebleeds, dizziness, memory loss and shortness of breath. It is banned in
Japan and Sweden.

All Purpose Household Cleaners

In spite of the huge array of cleansing products to choose from with all their different claims of cleaning power they generally contain the same toxic chemical ingredients. Many cleaners contain DEA and TEA which can react with added nitrites to form carcinogenic nitrosomines which readily penetrate the skin. Many coloured products are made with carcinogenic coal tar colours. Hormone disrupting parabens may be used as preservatives.

Cleaners may contain ammonia, a strong irritant which can also cause kidneyand liver damage, butyl cellusolve which is neurotoxic and rapidly penetrates skin, and ortho phenylphenol which is a severe eye and skin irritant.

What are estrogen mimics?

They are a class of chemicals that resemble the female hormone estrogen. They can attach themselves to estrogen receptors in cells blocking the action of the natural hormone. They disrupt the delicate hormonal balance of your body and disturb metabolism with disastrous results. Both men and women can be affected by these chemicals.

Over 60 substances have been identified as environmental or estrogen mimics. These include DDT, dioxin and PCB. They are released from industrial processes and agricultural sprays and make their way into your diet through food and water.

Keep your house clean naturally

Old fashioned hot soapy (natural of course) water and a bit of elbow grease cleans just as well if not better than chemical based products. It’s ironic isn’t it that these cleaning products were made to make our lives easier but they are poisoning and killing us?

Mold & Mildew

Tackle mold with tea tree oil: mix 2 teaspoons tea tree oil with 2 cups of water and in a spray bottle and use as necessary. Ot try this: mix one part hydrogen peroxide (3%) with two parts water in a spray bottle and spray on areas with mold. Wait at least one hour before rinsing off.

General Cleaning

Bicarbonate of soda can be used for general cleaning. Simply put a little on a damp sponge for most surfaces. For tough stains, add a little water to 1 tablespoonful of the powder, smear on and leave for 20 minutes. Rinse off.

For an all purpose cleaner combine 1/2 tsp baking soda, 1/4 tsp liquid soap,  2 cups hot tap water in a spray bottle and mix thoroughly

To make a stronger cleaning solution: Mix 1/2 cup vinegar and 1/4 cup baking soda into 1/2 gallon (2 liters) water. Store and keep. Use for removal of water deposit stains on shower stall panels, bathroom chrome fixtures, windows, bathroom mirrors, etc.

Fortunately there are more and more natural ecological household cleaning products coming onto the market if you want the convenience of ready made products. But if you want to reduce your risk of breast and other cancers it’s wise to get rid of the toxic chemicals in your home and detox the ones you already have in your body.