Fats in the Diet

When carrying out a home detox, it is well worth considering the fats in the diet.

There is a lot of dispute over how bad saturated fat really is for you; there is even a camp which insists that cholesterol being bad for the heart is a myth. I do not subscribe to this view.

So, for a natural detox best to stick to the general recommendations of:

• Reducing saturated fats to a minimum - perhaps 10g a day. Frying or roasting food makes the fats saturated - even if they weren't before. Fat in meat and any baked goods - cakes, biscuits - is saturated. Cheese contains up to 30g per 100g of saturated fat - read the label. Cottage cheese is very low in fat, so not so bad.
• Use cold pressed olive oil for dressings and cooking (eg, adding to soups; using with fish before cooking it (covered, in a low oven for a hour - 250 degrees F, 110 C avoids glycation)
• Do not use other oils, such as corn oil, sunflower oil, soya oil - which are high in Omega 6 fats. Omega 6 fats are 'pro-inflammatory'. They promote heart disease, some cancer, and other illnesses. Whereas Omega 3 fats are anti-inflammatory. Olive oil does not contain much omega 3 - but neither does it contain much omega 6; it's fats are mainly mono-saturated, which are neither type. So olive oil is nearly neutral with regard to omega 3/omega 6 - whereas other common oils are definitely in the 'high omega 6' camp. Therefore they should be reduced or avoided.

Vegetables

The diet to accompany a detox at home must feature vegetables prominently.

Vegetables are a great source of nourishment for the body. If eaten raw they are the best. Vegetables contain huge amounts of nutrients - essential minerals, vitamins. If they are raw, they contain valuable enzymes and fibre (both destroyed by heating).

A very few people will feel that raw food is just not good for them. I do not mean someone who is just not in the habit of eating raw food - I mean someone who just has to try and make an effort. For the people I am talking about, when they eat raw food they just don't feel good - it doesn't suit their body. The Chinese call this type of person 'spleen deficient'. Eating raw food in any quantity will further weaken their spleen - or digestive capacity.

If you are one of a few people, then just try cooking your vegetables as lightly as possible.

Apart from this, if you can eat 75 or 80% of your vegetables as raw that will be fantastic. Even in winter, you can eat a salad to accompany warming suit, or other warm food.

Fruit

Most fruit is clearly very high in sugar because it taste so sweet. The good thing about fruit is that it contains excellent nutrient levels. Particularly beneficial are the anthocyanins found in the berry family - blackberries, blueberries, loganberries, raspberries, strawberries.

So certainly eat fruit when detoxing - but in moderation, and eat it raw. And favour the berries. Cooking releases the sugar for quick absorption (bad) and breaks down the valuable fibre.

Fruit juice is almost pure sugar water. If you drink this, have very small amounts.

The Speed of Sugar Absorption

The faster the sugar in the foods you eat gets into the bloods, the worse it is for your body. Then, the problems specified above are more likely to happen - obesity, Metabolic Syndrome, diabetes, heart disease.

We can take some action to slow down the absorption of sugar. Assuming we have cut right down on high starch foods - rice, potatoes, bread and pasta - slow down sugar absorption in these ways:

• When we eat fruit, eat whole fruit, don't drink juice
• When choosing starchy food, choose food low on the GI index. This is food which absorbs relatively slowly, and so spikes blood sugar levels less. Porridge oats are an example of a low GI starchy food.

As a naturopath, I have given you here a diet for life - a diet that supports a healthy lifestyle, and helps to minimize the toxins produced by the body.

In this way, as fewer toxins are produced, your body has fewer to deal with, and it can do so more efficiently.

This whole dietary approach may be a bit much for you! Don't panic!

If you can do everything here, I think you'll find it good for your detox at home. If you can't, just adopt some of my recommendations. Review in a month or two and add some more if you can.

My top recommendations for Home Detox?

My top recommendations for carrying out a detox at home are:

1. Increase raw food and salads in the diet, and

2. Reduce the amount of bread, pasta, potatoes and rice in the diet.

If you want to help detox at home, the dietary information given here is a great place to start.

All the very best with your detox.

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DETOX will help to build the body

2 Recommended Detox Methods

Many approaches to detox can work. Often, it is just a case of which approach suits you - so you can follow it right through. Here are 2 approaches which have been carefully thought out.

Herbal 90-day Detox Diet Programme

This programme consists of unique herbal products for the three main detox organs: the Colon, the Liver and the Kidneys, as well as a Detox Tea. The products for the 3 main detox organs are available either in Capsules or as Drops, as you prefer. (Both are just a good - Drops are cheaper.)

This programme lasts 3 months, which is a good length of time. You also get unlimited free support by phone and email. You can choose to spread the cost over 3 months if you wish.

This reputable company has been in business since 1982.

12 Steps to a Complete Body Detox.

A complete approach to detox, by Calvin Newstead. Calvin applied detox principles to himself with tremendous success, then left a 20-year career to promote his detox approach.

You get the 12 steps book, and valuable information about acid/alkaline balance, candida, gluten, and other topics.  You are entitled to free lifetime updates.

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