How to Detox Naturally

Detox or detoxification is the process of getting rid of toxic matter from your body.

Toxins enter your body through the food you eat. The air you breathe. The liquids you drink. Toxins are also produced as waste by-products by bodily processes necessary for life. Pollution, alcohol, cigarette smoke and drugs introduce toxins into your body. Bacteria produces toxic waste too.

Your body works continuously to get these toxins out of your body.

The liver breaks down the toxins. It breaks down poisons like alcohol and removes these toxins from the blood. The liver also breaks down fatty food and makes fat soluble waste water soluble so that they can transported out of the body through the urine or bile. That's where the kidneys take over as they use water to flush the toxins out of the body through the urine or flushes toxins out through the faeces. The kidneys also break down poisons that would otherwise harm the body.

Toxins that do not get expelled get stored in the body. Especially in the fat cells. In fact, fat soluble toxins get stored in the fat cells, away from the major organs to protect you from getting poisoned. Your cells, organs and tissue will store up these toxins which will harm your body in the long run.

Your skin gets into the act by eliminating toxins through sweat. Sweat is made up of urea, water and salt.

The food you eat passes through your digestive system and through the colon where the waste and toxins are passed out of the body.

When your body is over-taxed, the detoxification process gets sluggish. Alcohol, drugs or even too much fatty food can overload the liver, making it sluggish.

Constipation brought about by not enough fiber or too little water leaves the waste matter and toxins in the colon longer than necessary and the faeces dries up and gets stuck to the walls of the colon.

1. The first thing about detox is to stop taking in harmful substances. Detoxing by quitting drugs needs to be done under medical supervision to manage withdrawal symptoms. If you smoke, quit. Or at very least, slowly cut down the number of cigarettes you smoke per day. Cut down on alcohol.

2. Drink more water to flush out the toxins. Your kidneys and your bowel function much better with lots of water.

3. Eat less fatty food. Watch your diet and cut down on fats. You'll give your liver a break and lose weight while at it. The more fat you have in your body, the more toxins you will store. That's why if you lose weight too quickly, you might feel lousy as large quantities of toxins are released and may be too much for your system to handle at one time, hence it is wiser to lose weight slowly.

4. Take in more fiber through whole grains, fruits and vegetables so that your colon can function more effectively.

5. Switch to organic produce that is grown without pesticides since pesticide residues add more toxins to your body.

Basically, embracing a healthy lifestyle is a great way to help your body detox naturally.