Detox Diets

The word detox has taken on a new meaning these days and people seem to limit it to merely avoiding certain food items (meats, dals (pulses), alcohol etc) from their diets. But in fact detox has a very wide application and meaning. Before one attempts to detox, it's important to understand why we should do it and what the scientific principle behind it is.

It is believed that detox gained momentum in the form of naturopathy, which used it extensively. Along with the detox treatments,naturopathy is considered to be a science which is based on natural laws of healing. By natural laws of healing, it means that the body is a very intelligent being which has intelligence not only in the brain cells but in each and every cell of the body. This intelligence is capable of complete self healing once the healing processes are unlocked. To unlock these processes, one has to follow a certain regime, assisting and facilitating the body in this natural healing process.

Kinds of detox treatments

Mainly there are four kinds of detox treatments and it's a good idea to do them in tandem, this will ensure a healthy result over all; giving your body and mind the desired calm and vigor.

1. Food Detox: Here a regime is used to cleanse detoxify the liver and the colon.
   
2. Lung Detox: Here the air channels in the body get cleansed by performing Pranayam (breathing in Yoga).
   
3. Emotional Detox: Here the purpose of the detox is to cleanse the mind of negativity and all emotional baggage that we all carry. This can be done via things like meditation and hypnotherapy.
   
4. Detox via physical treatments: Things like abhyanga massage, colonic irrigation etc can be undertaken.   

Detox as a process

Before one begins to detox, it's wise to know how it will all pan out in terms of the time it takes and how long lasting the effects are. For starters, there might not be any immediate benefits; on the contrary the body might start to show some symptoms like rashes, headaches, cough, some weakness, lethargy and malaise. Though these symptoms soon begin to clear up and the body is full of energy and freshness!

Some Detox Diets

On the food level, one can follow a few of these below mentioned detox diets but if one suffers from any ailments, it would be wise to get medical advice first.

• Water diet: Only water is consumed the whole day.
• Juice diet: Only fresh fruits and vegetable juices with no salt/sugar are consumed the whole day.
• Raw foods diet: Raw uncooked food are taken the whole day, things like roasted nuts, sprouts, fruits, vegetable juices and salads etc.

It's important to avoid heavy foods 2 days after the detox diet and if the detox diet has been a long one then give your body at least one week to unlock the healing, before starting any unhealthy food intake again. 

Attempt to make healthy eating a lifestyle change because a detox diet once in a while will not give the true benefits.