Your Ultimate Guide to Detox - unlocking a cleaner lifestyle
Your ultimate guide to Detox – finding delight in a cleaner life
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Welcome Firstly, congratulations for choosing to take your health to the next level by doing a detox. With 17 years experience in the Nutrition world I’ve got you covered here. This program is about getting back to basics and finding your body’s natural rhythm – your biorhythm. This is NOT about deprivation or even worse, starvation. This IS about finding satisfaction, enjoyment and contentment in your body and your diet. Nourish your body and your body will love you for it. “You may lose weight and you will definitely discover more energy, vitality and clarity in your life!” Please note: this program is for people with busy lives, kids to look after, jobs to work or chores to do. It is not a juice diet, a liquid diet or a fast – those are really only possible if you take time out from reality and retreat into a safe space. It is also not a cleanse – cleanses focus on the bowel. Here we are concentrating on the Liver predominantly. If you’d like to skip the science (come back to it if you do!) and get started right away head straight to the Structure on page 7, the Shopping List on page 9 or the Meal Plan on page 11..
Definitions What is a toxin anyhow?! Here are some useful definitions from the Oxford Dictionary. De: removal Toxin: (Toxicum: Latin for) poison Toxigenic: producing a toxin or toxic effect Detoxification: the process of removing toxic substances Detoxify: remove toxic substances from Xeno: Greek foreigner Xenobiotic: relating to or denoting a substance, typically a synthetic chemical, that is foreign to the body or to an ecological system Bioaccumulate: (of a substance) become concentrated inside the bodies of living things Circulate: to move continuously or freely through a closed system or area Recirculate: to circulate again Toxic recirculation: poison (re) circulating through the body Cleanse: cleaning the bowel and digestive organs of excess particles, clearing a path for optimal nutritional absorption Your ultimate guide to Detox – finding delight in a cleaner life
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What is a Detox? A detox is a designated period of time where we attempt to reduce or remove xenobiotics (toxic substances) from our bodies via the Liver, Bowel, Kidneys, Lungs and Skin but predominantly the Liver as this is where toxins are stored. A detox is generally a more intense and less sustainable time frame than doing a clean eating diet or a cleanse. Some people prefer this shorter more concentrated form of purging while others prefer to take it easier through a cleanse. A cleanse will usually detoxify the Liver too but only if it includes protein and it will be slower than a specific detox. There’s only one way to find out your preference – try it! Detoxification can have a powerful effect on the body and the mind, clearing a path and setting us up for cleaner eating to follow. Others find it a bit too forceful or extreme and prefer the longer term approach to clean eating. Whichever you prefer is okay; enjoy it as a process towards a new way of life or a new approach to eating. If you are already eating a clean diet then trying a detox program can kick-start your health and reinvigorate your path to wellness. Whatever your reasons, do it with an open mind and use it as a time to cleanse your mind, be gentle on yourself and most of all enjoy the journey. That journey is the real secret to detoxifying; taking the time to consciously care for yourself and be aware of YOUR personal food and energy needs.
At the end of a detox period you should have an idea and be more open to the concept of eating with awareness – the aim is to listen to your body and find what works for you, removing cravings for foods that simply don’t work for your body. “Find the foods that vitalise you and ditch the foods that drain your energy.” It is important to remember that a detox focuses primarily on stimulating the Liver to release toxins, with the other organs providing elimination of those toxins. Certain nutrients are required to stimulate the Liver into a detoxification state and this diet is built around supplying those nutrients.
Your ultimate guide to Detox – finding delight in a cleaner life
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Why do a Detox? When our detoxification pathways are overloaded we start to feel heavy, sluggish and ‘poisoned’. Many substances are metabolised or processed by the Liver. When the number of substances that the Liver (and other eliminatory organs) has to process outweighs the number of nutrients required to feed the detoxification process that’s when we should consider cleaning up our diet and even doing a detox. Metabolic detoxification is a complex process involving a chain of chemical reactions that occur primarily within the liver:
Phase I (functionalization): Enzymes secreted by the liver break down toxins into modified, highly reactive molecules. Ironically, a by-product of functionalization is the creation of free radicals, molecules that can wreak cellular damage if not quickly neutralized.
Phase II (conjugation): Chemicals such as the amino acid glutathione produced by the liver bind with the modified toxins, neutralizing them and making them more water soluble.
Transport: Proteins deliver the neutralized toxins to the kidneys, where they are excreted via urine; or the gastrointestinal tract, where they are excreted via the stool.
Diagram of Liver Detox Pathways:
Optimal metabolic detoxification helps the body purge itself of harmful substances before they can accumulate in tissue and affect health. But factors such as toxic overload, genetic predisposition, and insufficient levels of key nutrients can impair this process, increasing a person’s susceptibility to toxicity-related diseases. Your ultimate guide to Detox – finding delight in a cleaner life
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Those who live in or near cities, commute, take drugs (recreational or pharmaceutical), eat food preservatives and especially those exposed to chemicals such as dry cleaners, farmers, factory workers, painters as well as those of us with Mercury fillings in our teeth. There are also signs and symptoms that indicate we could benefit: Signs and symptoms associated with free radical damage
Chronic illness of more than 2 years Thrush, candida, leaky gut syndrome Allergic conditions such as asthma, eczema, hayfever Autoimmune diseases such as arthritis, CFS Neurological diseases such as Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinsons disease Cancer Cardiovascular disease Alcohol-induced liver damage Cataracts and eye problems Inflammatory bowel diseases Adverse drug reactions Complications of Type 2 diabetes Recurrent problems with the eliminatory organs – urinary tract/kidney/bladder infections, colds, coughs and flu, skin disorders/acne, Behavioural disorders – ADHD, Autistic symptoms (not a cause but can make symptoms worse), criminal behaviour Oxidative damage to muscles during exercise and difficulty recovering from exercise Difficulty conceiving www.emmanutrition.com
Should you be suffering from any of these it is important to seek medical assistance to get to the root cause. A detox can be harmful if you have Cancer or in certain other diseases so be sensible and get treatment first. If in doubt, get a medical check first.
While the signs and symptoms of toxic overload can be caused by xenobiotics, our bodies make free radicals as a result of exposure to the toxins. These free radicals can then build up and cause disease, needing reduction through antioxidant intake. Detoxification is one process that can, itself, also cause free radicals.
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Antioxidants and Free radicals Free radicals are incomplete molecules that are unstable because they have an unpaired, “free” electron. Kind of like a glove without a hand, or a key without its matching lock…The presence of this unpaired electron makes a free radical a strong oxidant and highly reactive. Free radicals can damage cell membranes (walls), fatty acids, cholesterol, proteins, and DNA and play a role in the pathogenesis of many chronic degenerative diseases. Oxidation of cell proteins and membranes can produce tissue damage in rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel diseases and Parkinson’s disease, can increase the risk of atherosclerosis and potentially contribute to development of Cancer through DNA damage. Sources of Free Radicals: Household
Dietary
Internal
Ozone-layer depletion and radiation
Pesticides
Grief
Dust, bacteria, pollen, smog, carpets
Herbicides
Sadness
Building supplies and sick-building syndrome
Heavy metals
Recurrent negative thoughts
Smoke
Aluminium cookware
Suppressed emotions
Gas and fuel-burning appliances, radon
Allergies
Radon
Food intolerances
Cleaning products, solvents, household chemicals
Water – chlorine and chemicals
Drugs, alcohol and pharmaceutical medication
Antioxidants are able to interact with and reduce free radicals. They act as the missing link; the hand for the glove. By donating electrons, antioxidants convert the free radicals to stable non-toxic metabolites. This process oxidises or damages the antioxidant – meaning we need a constant supply of antioxidants. We can get these antioxidants from foods and from supplements. More on that later.
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How to Detox? You must follow a clear structure to undertake a detox properly without making yourself feel awful or overloading your immune system. If you remove allergens, that your body may have a coping mechanism for, without adequately introducing high levels of nutrients your liver will overload and you will feel nauseous. The Structure
Choose a period of time. 3-14 days is a good place to start, 5 days ideally
Remove all allergens – removing known allergens such as wheat, soy, sugar and dairy is the first most important step
Meet your basic nutritional needs – the body cannot function without adequate nutrition. It needs certain nutrients to stimulate the processes in the Liver that break down toxins
Hydrate the organs – hydration promotes the elimination of toxins through the kidneys and bowel
Perform light exercise – quite simply moving the body, moves toxins. The helper organs are stimulated to remove toxins
Don’t skip meals unless you have a very stable blood sugar ie you don’t get irritable or nauseas when you skip meals
Remind yourself why you are doing this. When you feel like eating something else look at this plan, read the list of allowed foods and pick one that you can have and have it. Even if you have a lot of it, if its allowed then you haven’t deviated!
Its normal to start off highly motivated and then for our motivation to taper off. This is why ive explained the science so that you can refer back or think of how and why this works.
Prepare your food plan the night before or in the morning. Have your snacks ready too.
If you start to feel awful you probably need to increase your antioxidant intake
Drinks:
Aim for 2-3 litres of water a day
Lemon kick-starter – 1 whole peeled lemon, celery, cucumber, ginger, pear and 200ml water blended EVERY DAY. If you don’t have a blender, squeeze 1 lemon into 200ml of cold water.
Water can be cold water, fruit-infused water or herbal teas
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Pea protein can be added to smoothies with cocoa and banana
Vege or fruit smoothies – freshly made
No soft drinks and no packaged fruit juice
No booze!
Eliminate
Sugar and substitutes – aspartame, saccharin, fructose, sucrose and glucose. Stevia is okay
Table salt – mineral salt is okay
Dairy – yoghurt is okay to have after the detox as it is fermented
Wheat and gluten grains – no cookies, crackers, bread, pastries, oats,
Soy and soy products
Caffeine especially instant coffee – green tea is okay but better yet have other herbal teas
Alcohol, Drugs, medications (unless prescribed)
Household chemicals where possible
Processed foods with more than one ingredient
Increase
Quality protein - It is important to get enough protein as the liver is dependent on the amino acids cysteine and methionine
Herbal teas such as nettle, licorice, mint, yarrow, lemongrass
Cruciferous and detoxifying vegetables – Onions, garlic, broccoli, kale, spinach, cauliflower, artichoke, rocket, asparagus, beetroot, celery, cabbage, grapefruit, orange, lime, lemon, eggs (free range and organic), radish, parsley, kale, watercress, dark green grasses, brussel sprouts
Spices and herbs – rosemary, sage, turmeric, cinnamon
Organic vegetables where possible – root vegetables are the most important ones to have as organic as they contain fat soluble vitamins that store pesticides/chemicals
Organic farm-reared grass fed meat – if this is not possible at least try to buy from a butcher
Organic free range eggs
Lemons – acidic by taste but alkaline by nature and detoxify by stimulating bile production
Coconut oil – can replace all other oils for cooking
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Shopping list Seeds and legumes:
Fruit:
Coconut oil x small jar
Lemons x 5 (1 each day for juice and 1 for dressings)
Quinoa x 160gm Sunflower seeds Pumpkin seeds Chia seeds (can be replaced with flaxseeds) Flaxseeds Chick peas x 120gm Organic butter beans x 50gm Herbs and spices Garam masala x 1 tbspn
Pear x 5 Apples x 2 Dried apricots x 140gm Orange x 1 Dates x 80gm Berries x 100gm Banana x 1 (more if having a smoothie each day) Grapefruit x 1
Coconut milk x 1 tin
Protein:
Turmeric x to taste
Salmon x 120gm
Rosemary x bunch
Chicken x 120gm
Parsley
Crab/Prawn x 120gm
Pepper
Grass fed organic beef x 100gm
Cocoa
Mackerel x 100gm
Ginger Nuts: Flaked almonds x 130gm
Eggs x 6 Pea protein x 1 scoop or more if you are hungry and using a smoothie each day
Walnuts x 30gm Cashews x 30gm
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Vegetables:
Carrots x 3
Avocado x 2
Broccoli x 1 or 2 stalks
Cucumber x 2
Almond milk x500ml
Celery x 1 bunch Turmeric Kale x bunch Spinach x bunch/bag Onion x 1 Black lentils x 100gm Garlic x 6 cloves Root veg Red pepper x 1 Fennel x 1 Radish x 5 Red onion x 2 Brussel sprouts x 8 Artichoke x 1 Black olives x 6 Basil leaves Chicory x 1 Courgette x 1 Spring onions x 2 stalks
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Daily Meal Plan Day 1 Breakfast
Dinner
Quinoa porridge 30g dry made with almond milk 100ml
Salmon x 120gm
Sunflower and/or chia seeds x sprinkling
Broccoli and carrot steamed and save the water for tomorrow
Lunch
Seasoning of turmeric
Quinoa x 100gm cooked
Snack x 2
Kale or spinach, cucumber, beetroot,
Cashews (raw) x 30gm & Dried apricots (sulphur free) x 70gm
Toss in lemon juice and olive oil
Orange
Day 2 Breakfast
Dinner
2 egg omelette with:
Grass fed beef slow cooked x 100gm with onion, garlic and a splash of apple cider vinegar
Celery, onion x ¼ diced and lightly fried in coconut oil plus cayenne pepper Lunch
Root vegetables boiled and mashed (you can add some almond milk or coconut oil)
Lentil and rosemary soup:
Snack x 2
Black lentils x 100gm, rosemary, onion x ¾, stock from steamed veg last night.
Walnuts x 30gm & Dates x 50gm
Use fresh garlic x 2-3 cloves and turmeric to season to taste.
Your ultimate guide to Detox – finding delight in a cleaner life
Berries x 100g
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Day 3 Breakfast
Dinner
Flaked almonds x 100gm, chopped dates x 30gm, flaxseeds, almond milk 100ml mixed as a cereal
Chick pea curry x 120gm– chick peas, garam masala, coconut milk, onion on cauliflower rice
Lunch
Snack x 2
Grilled mackerel x 100gm
Cocoa, banana, vanilla essence, pea protein and almond milk 200ml smoothie
Red pepper, fennel, radish
Clementine/Orange
Day 4 Breakfast
Dinner
Quinoa porridge a 30gm dry made with 100ml almond milk
Organic chicken breast 120gm oven baked with coconut oil, rosemary, lemon, pepper
Grated apple
Brussel sprouts, artichoke and steamed carrots
Lunch Spinach, pumpkin seeds, red onion, ½ avocado, boiled egg tossed in lemon juice and olive oil
Snack x 2 Green juice – celery, cucumber, ginger, spinach, apple Boiled egg x 1
Day 5 Breakfast
Dinner
Scrambled eggs x 2 with ¼ avocado, grapefruit
Courgette spaghetti (using a spiralizer or finely sliced with grated ginger, garlic, spring onions, white crab meat (or prawns) x 120gm, coriander leaves, pepper, coconut oil. Stir fry together for a couple of minutes.
Lunch Organic butter beans, red onion, black olives, basil leaves, pepper, olive oil, apple cider vinegar x 10ml, chicory, parsley
Snack x 2 Flaked almonds x 30gm & dried apricots x 70gm Celery/cucumber/carrot sticks
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Supplements and Exercise Supplements If you are growing your vegetables at source and allowing them to ripen, as well as getting 10 serves a day of varied colours and varieties of fruit and veg you probably don’t need a supplement. If you aren’t doing this and are detoxing you should consider taking a good quality multivitamin and mineral supplement that is high in antioxidants. A specific detox supplement that also has the relevant amino acids and co-enzyme’s is recommended along with an antioxidant, probiotics, fibre and other specific nutrients. For specific product recommendations please see below list: Probiotics – the building blocks of the digestive wall, maintaining homeostasis and outnumbering the ‘bad’ bacteria. Optibac Flat Stomach is my favourite probiotic. Multitamin and Mineral Supplement – you need a high potency multivitamin and mineral supplement to ensure you have enough nutrients for enzyme reactions in the body, whether detoxing or not. Antioxidant – needed to mop up or metabolise the toxins released and to encourage the detox pathways. This product is the Queen of the Antioxidants! Gut multi’s - intestinal specific nutrients to nourish the epithelial tissue lining the intestinal tract and help support intestinal membrane integrity Protein – to stave off hunger or just to increase protein in a healthy, tasty, easy to consume way Purition are the go to supplement/food replacement. Try their superseed superfood blend. Exercise Light exercise is the final chink in the chain to a good detox program. Heavy exercise does produce free radicals and is fine to do if you are in a healthy state and not trying to decrease your toxic overload. So if you’re and athlete take it easy for a few days – you aren’t going to lose much fitness over a few days or even 2 weeks. Light exercise gets the organs moving as well as helping the lungs to detoxify. Try light swimming, saunas, Qi gong, deep breathing, yoga, sauna’s, walking or stretching.
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What happens next? This detox program should have reset your blood sugar levels as well as reducing cravings. It will have decreased the volume of toxic overload in your liver and, if you consumed enough antioxidants, it will have also helped to rid your body of those toxins. “You should feel lighter, more radiant, more energetic.” Doing a detox program is well known to bring up emotions that have been simmering under the surface. This is because the body has its own ecosystem and you are telling it that it is safe now to let the feelings out. This may sound a tad esoteric but think of muscle memory in exercise – it’s a similar thing where the body stores information in its cells. If this doesn’t happen to you that’s fine too. Try doing this detox once every 3 months or whenever you feel like it and each time please make sure you:
Come off the detox slowly and gently.
Do not have a massive binge the day after you finish.
Slowly ease back into exercise.
Consider a clean eating program next, or even a cleanse that focuses more on the bowel and digestive system. Try to take note of which foods made you feel good, which ones gave you energy and made you feel vitalised. Keep those in your diet and ditch the ones that made you feel heavy or sluggish or gave you unwanted symptoms or cravings.
Any questions please ask on my Facebook page or on Twitter or email Let me know how you get on!
Emma Wight-Boycott MSc mBANT www.emmanutrition.com
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