In today’s fast-paced world, it’s easy to feel like you never have enough time to dedicate to your health and well-being. Healthy homemade dinners turn into fast food drive-thru runs. Meanwhile, an evening walk almost always loses out to a Netflix binge. But what is a cleanse, and why should you consider one?
No matter how busy your life keeps you, you can’t ignore your health. That’s why more and more people are turning toward cleanses and detoxes. These programs are designed to help you lose weight, reduce cravings, and rid your body of toxins and other unwanted elements.
If you’ve ever considered starting a fast or cleanse, read on for some advice about which ones might be right for you.
What is a Cleanse?
A cleanse is sometimes called a “detox”. It’s a process that’s designed to promote good health and weight loss by ridding your body of toxins. When you ingest toxins through food, air, and water, they can build up in your digestive tract and liver. This can cause all sorts of health issues.
There are many types of detox programs. However, most programs involve carefully controlled fasting, limiting solid foods, drinking specific juices or teas, or taking dietary supplements.
How Can a Cleanse Benefit You?
Cleansing can improve your health and wellness in many ways. A good program will:
- Boost your energy – A cleanse will cut out caffeine, sugar, and unhealthy fats and replace them with natural fruits, vegetables, and plenty of water. Your natural energy will increase without the mid-afternoon crash.
- Rid your body of toxins- We bring toxins into our body every day through the foods we eat and even the air we breathe. A cleanse helps your liver, kidneys, and colon to purge the excess waste and toxins built up in your system. Detoxifying helps strengthen your immune system to fight off infection and disease.
- Lose weight- A cleanse will help you lose weight quickly. But more importantly, it will help you establish healthier lifestyle changes to keep the weight off long-term.
- Improve your skin and hair- Toxins in your skin can cause acne, clogged pores, and signs of aging. By flushing them out your skin will be healthier, clearer, and younger-looking. The same concept applies to your hair. No matter what beauty products you use, nothing improves your hair more than good health from within.
- Improved mental clarity- The grease, fat, sugar, and chemicals in our food leave us feeling tired and unfocused. Once we start ingesting healthier foods our mental clarity improves.
Sounds pretty good right? Ready to dive right in? Not so fast! There are a few things you need to do first
Before You Start a Cleanse or Fast…
- Talk to your family doctor– Before you begin any cleanse or fast, you will want to consult your physician and discuss your plans with them. People with medical conditions such as diabetes or eating disorders or anyone pregnant, breastfeeding, or underweight may be advised not to fast or alter their diets.
- Stock up- A cleanse is not something you want to start haphazardly. You will want to make sure you have all the supplies you will need before beginning any program. Depending on the cleanse you choose, this may include specific foods or beverages, health supplements, or colonic irrigation tools such as enemas, or laxatives. Nothing will ruin your motivation faster than having to run to the store every day for forgotten supplies.
- Plan ahead- Most cleanses will interrupt your routine in some way. For example, you may spend a little extra time blending smoothies in the morning or fill up your water bottle more frequently. Some cleanses will require you to stay near a bathroom for a while or take supplements at certain times of the day. Before you begin your cleanse, be sure you understand the program thoroughly. Schedule it for a time when you have the best chance for success. For example, don’t start a cleanse while you are away from home on vacation or during the busy season at work. Leave yourself enough time to complete the cleanse and set aside a few extra days to allow your body to adjust back to a normal diet without feeling ill.
It’s important to select a cleanse that works with your health goals and lifestyle. There are many different types of cleanses you can try, including juice cleanses, metabolic cleanses, colon cleanses, and more. Read on you decide which type of cleanse would work best for you.
Juice Cleanses
Juice cleanses typically require the participant to gradually eliminate solid foods until they are consuming nothing but natural fruit and vegetable juices. They follow this liquid diet for a short time, usually 1-3 days, and then gradually reintroduce healthy solid foods.
During a juicing cleanse, you will want to drink juices that are high in vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants and low in calories and sugar. You will also want to make sure you are drinking plenty of water and eating a balanced diet before and after the cleanse to make sure your body gets all the nutrients it needs.
A juice cleanse is a great way to detox your body, eliminate unhealthy cravings and jumpstart a healthier diet. There are several different juice cleanse plans you can follow such as the 7-Day Diet Plan.
If chopping, peeling, and juicing isn’t your thing, look for packaged shake mixes like Xymogen i5 Energize. These nutrient-dense shakes are an easy way to meet all of your health requirements while on a liquid diet.
Apple Cider Vinegar Cleanse
If you’re looking for a more holistic approach to cleansing, the apple cider vinegar cleanse may be right for you. This cleanse involves ingesting apple cider vinegar mixed with plain water and a bit of honey or lemon juice. Proponents say that apple cider vinegar can help lower your blood sugar, promote weight loss and cleanse your gastrointestinal tract.
While this cleanse is less extreme than many others, it is important not to take it too far. It is recommended that you do not do this cleanse for more than two weeks at a time.
Although apple cider vinegar is healthy for your body, it’s very acidic in its pure form which can erode teeth enamel and upset sensitive stomachs. Look for apple cider vinegar gummies and supplement at Palm Harbor Pharmacy. This allows you to enjoy all the health benefits with none of the harsh side effects.
Food Combining Cleanses
What is a cleanse in terms of food combining? Food combining cleanses are designed to improve digestive efficiency by identifying certain foods that should not be eaten at the same time. By eating the right combination of foods your body can digest more easily without becoming sluggish and bloated.
These programs can be highly complex or very simple depending on how immersed you’d like to get. Many different types of cleanses follow this ideology and there are even more variations and alterations that people have created themselves.
This simple food combining plan divides foods into four categories and details how and when to eat from each category.
Colon Cleansing
Colonic cleanses flush out your large intestine through the use of enemas, laxatives, or herbal supplements. The theory behind this process is that tiny bits of undigested food and mucus collect in our intestines and produce toxins. These are reabsorbed into our bodies leading to fatigue and weight gain. The colon cleanse is designed to flush out our intestines before these harmful toxins are released.
Metabolic Cleanse
This type of cleansing is designed to help your body process unwanted chemicals such as excess hormones, environmental toxins, and residue from prescription medications so that they may be eliminated more easily.
There are many different types of metabolic cleanses out there ranging from overly simple lemon water and cayenne mixes, to complex lists of specialized herbs and supplements. Undershoot and you’re unlikely to notice any effects, overshoot and you could end up spending a ton of money on unnecessary ingredients.
The best way to do a safe effective metabolic cleanse is by finding a prepared cleanse kit such as the NutriClear Plus 15 Day Metabolic Cleanse Kit by Biotics Research. This kit has everything you need to complete a 15-day metabolic cleanse, including 30 premeasured drink mix pouches and 30 supplement packets. This kit is available at Palm Harbor Pharmacy.
What is a Cleanse? Find Out More from Palm Harbor Pharmacy
If you are ready to try a cleanse to jump-start your metabolism, increase your energy, and cleanse the toxins from your body stop by Palm Harbor Pharmacy. Our knowledgeable team can answer any questions you may have and we offer a wide variety of detoxing supplies and supplements.