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Food today is not what it once was. It is often covered and flavored with chemicals and additives that you've never heard of, but that also may be doing your body great harm. Here is a list of 10 natural and simple ways to detoxify your body and kick all those chemicals out! |
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1. Try Drinking One Detoxing Smoothie Each Day
Replacing one meal a day or drinking one detoxifying smoothie a day can not only help with weight-loss, but also keep your digestive system working the way it should. Drinking natural smoothies will also make you feel more energetic and can give you the boost you need to either start or continue your day. Here's a recipe for a great detoxing smoothie:
Green Smoothie
1 cup of kale or collard greens, firmly packed with the stems removed and chopped
1 Granny Smith apple, coarsely chopped
1 ripe banana
1/2 cup of parsley leaves
Add the kale, apple, banana and parsley in a blender with 2 1/4 cups water and blend until smooth. If the mixture is still too thick, add more water.
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2. Buy Organic Foods When Possible
Although organic food has become a craze lately, in order to detox you do not need to completely overhaul your kitchen. Instead, there are a few things that you should always buy organic if you have the chance.
One of them is fruits and vegetables with peels, like tomatoes and apples. These fruits are usually covered with pesticides to ward off birds and bugs in the field, and the chemicals cannot necessarily be entirely removed with water. If you want to play it safe and avoid chemicals, it's best to buy your peel fruits and vegetables organic.
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3. Get Weekly Massages or Acupuncture
Massages are not only a good way to relax when you need it, they are an excellent way to detoxify the body from harmful chemicals. The best kinds of massages for detoxification are those that focus on the pressure points in the body, such as a Swedish massage or even certain kinds of sports massages.
Another great way to detoxify is with acupuncture. Acupuncture is a century-old practice originating in the East that places small needles in the patient's back to release pain or tension. The process helps the blood flow and cleanses it naturally in the process from toxins or harmful substances. And we promise, you won't even feel the needles!
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4. Eat More Natural Fiber
You're probably used to hearing that you need more fiber in your diet to help digestion and aid weight loss. Well, now we're telling you that you need fiber, but only in its natural form, meaning not from pills or other artificial supplements. One great source is flax seeds, which can be purchased whole or ground and then added to your morning cereal, or certain fruits and vegetables like kale, spinach and broccoli (any of the dark green veggies) are excellent natural sources of all the fiber you need.
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5. Probiotics are great!
Probiotics are powerful substances that can naturally eliminate bad bacteria from the body and help maintain good bacteria that balance out organisms in your digestive tract. Probiotics are found in certain yogurts and dairy products, and are essential for maintaining good digestive health (along with flax of course).
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6. Do More Yoga and Meditation
Exercise is essential for keeping the body healthy and toxin-free, and one of the best ways to do it is with a yoga regimen. Many of the postures in yoga naturally cleanse the body of toxins, the flexibility or balance types of movements that welcome cleansing oxygen into the body. Meditation is another great part of yoga that helps with breathing and circulation and works wonders for relieving stress.
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7. Cut out Simple Carbohydrates and Fried Food
Products like white flour and sugar are probably what you enjoyed as a kid, but if you want to remain toxin-free, it is best to avoid these kinds of products. Not only are pasta dinners fattening, but they raise your blood sugar to unhealthy levels and harm your digestion. It is best to eat complex carbohydrates that will keep you full longer, contain less sugar and more fiber.
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8. Don't Depend on Antibiotics
Sometimes when we are feeling sick, it is easy to forget the wonders of home-made remedies and turn to antibiotics. But what our doctors don't tell us is that too many antibiotics over time can eventually make us immune to their effects. That is why it's best to try natural home-made remedies from ginger, garlic, honey and lemon. Indeed, garlic is considered by many to be nature's tried and true antibiotic.
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9. Get Enough Sleep At Night
As television and the Internet increasingly become part of our lives, it is more difficult to detach and relax when we need to. One of the best ways to keep your body free of toxins is to get enough sleep at night, about 7-8 hours. When we don't sleep enough, we tend to turn towards fattier foods and exercise less, which is all added to compromised immune system function. This is really the first and most important step in staying healthy and toxin-free.
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10. Stay Hydrated at All Times
Water is one thing that you really just can't get enough of. It is the best way to naturally cleanse your body from the top to the bottom, without any need for fancy juices or cleanses. Water also ensures clear skin, and properly functioning circulatory, respiratory and digestive systems. Despite what you may think, it is best to drink water at a lukewarm temperature, so that it is better absorbed by the body. Oh, and remember that eight glasses a day is the minimum, so go and pour yourself one now!
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Photos from freedigital in order from top to bottom: gameanna/ rakratchada torsap/ unknown/ voraorn/ nongpimmy/ Ambro/ Rawich/ nongpimmy/ stockimages/ bigjom
