The Top 3 detoxing mistakes and how to avoid them
Have you ever wondered if you were detoxing properly? There is a plethora of information and products out there about cleansing and detoxifying your body. In fact, there is so much information that it’s hard to know exactly what plan to follow, what foods to eat, what teas to drink and what supplements to take. The purpose of this post is to share with you the top three mistakes people make when detoxing and teach you how to avoid them.
I’ll help you avoid three huge pitfalls that could end up making you GAIN weight, decrease your energy and leave your body robbed of nutrients.
If this interests you . . . read on.
Why Should You Listen to Me?
There are so many people out there spreading information about detoxing and cleansing that it can be confusing to know who to listen to.
I’ve had my battles with, chronic stress, fatigue, anxiety and health problems and I’ve spent years studying and investigating new detoxification therapies, reviewing ingredients and testing herbs and supplements. I then explored a variety of cleanses and found that a Nutritional Cleanse was the most useful cleanse that I’ve used. It cleanses and nourishes your body from the inside out. Each product is certified organic by the USDA and are quality tested to ensure you receive only the best.
I’ve been in the health, fitness and wellness industry for 10 years, obtained my professional diploma in Nutrition, Food Science and Meal Planning, have a Bachelor’s in Exercise Science and I am also a Certified Holistic Nutritionist through the Institute of Transformational Nutrition. I have seen countless individuals unknowingly fall into the trap of bad detoxing. Well I’m here to set the record straight, once and for all!
A Few Quick Facts About Toxins
It is important that before you try to cleanse yourself of “toxins,” that you know exactly how they can affect your body and why “detoxing” is so important.
The world has become a toxic place and that has had a devastating impact on our bodies and health. From our physical environment to the products you use on a daily basis (including makeup, household cleaning products and even our toothpaste), toxins have saturated our lives.
According to a 2002 Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) study, at least two-thirds of Americans live in areas where toxic chemicals in the air raise the risk of cancer.
Also, In 1901, cancer was rare: 1 out of 8,000 people got cancer. Since the Industrial Revolution, the cancer rate today has risen to 1 in 2.
[Source: The American Cancer Society]
But It Gets Worse!
The Consumer Product Safety Commission connects 150 chemicals commonly found in our homes to allergies, birth defects, cancer and psychological disorders.
The Environmental Working Group (EWG), a nonprofit organization, analyzed the toxic “body burden” of Americans. The researchers tested for 525 toxins and found 455 different toxins in their research subjects. On average, participants’ bodies contained 60 toxins that could be detrimental to the stomach or intestines, 57 that could affect the health of the reproductive system and 52 that could affect the brain and nervous system.
This information is not meant to scare you, only to make you aware of the situation in our world and why cleansing and detoxifying your body – in the right way – is so very important.
With this in mind let’s take a closer look at the three biggest mistakes people make when detoxing and how to avoid them. I will touch on the misinformation that is so prevalent in the detoxing community and give you the right information so you can make more informed decisions and be more aware of some of the most common pitfalls to detoxifying your life.
Mistake #1: Depriving Rather Than Nourishing Your Body While Detoxing
There is a word that has been attached to detox programs for thousands of years and it can be very detrimental and that word is: fasting. Fasting and other caloric restriction programs have been used within religions to create a “spiritual awakening” in some cultures for healing and in Hollywood, as part of crash diets. However, the disadvantages and health risks of fasting far outweigh the benefits and can be very dangerous if not done correctly and under close supervision of a medical or nutrition professional.
Now I know intermittent fasting has been popular lately and just to clear the air, Yes, it is possible to lose calories, fat and weight from this popular diet. However, it is also possible to quickly gain the weight back, develop low energy stores which can result in a depressed mood, have problems sleeping and even develop organ damage if the fasting is extreme.
When you go to the extreme by restricting calories and essential nutrients, your body and health pay the price. Unfortunately many of the side effects that people think of when they hear the word “detox” come from this type of deprivation. Headaches, irritability, nausea, low energy, muscle and joint aches and acute emotional distress are all side effects of depriving your body.
You are also putting your immune system at risk without it receiving the proper vitamins and minerals to function properly. If you suffer from chronic stress, anxiety or depression, then fasting improperly can make your symptoms worse. Not to mention, if you are diabetic, you are putting yourself at risk of stroke or heart failure by playing with your blood sugar levels so dangerously.
There are also parts of your body that ONLY run on blood glucose, which needs to be replenished through healthy eating. Your brain, nervous system and eyes are all fed by blood glucose. If you restrict or cut out carbohydrates completely, then your thinking can get foggy and your vision can get blurry.
So why do people do this to themselves? There are generally two reasons people use in trying to support fasting.
First, you are supposedly giving your digestive system a break and second, you are supposedly releasing toxins. While there might be a bit of truth to both of these, you are also setting up your digestive system for further stress. Plus, any toxins that are released are released too quickly with no real exit strategy, which leads the toxins right back to where they started.
If you are trying to heal your body, you need high quality nutrients saturating your body to support this process. Think about exercise. After resistance training or a long bike ride, your muscles can become sore. This is partly due to the fact that they have been damaged, micro-tears in your muscle. In order to heal that muscle, you need the proper nutrition including the right balance of protein, carbohydrates, etc. to support the healing process.
When you are depriving your body of the essential vitamins, minerals and nutrients that it needs in order to perform the millions of tasks it performs on a daily basis, you are actually hampering its own ability to detoxify and heal!
Your cells and tissues need to be fed, not starved! Without other elements of proper nutrition such as fiber, and other vitamins and nutrients, your digestive system will slow to a crawl and even become further clogged, trapping any toxins that might have otherwise been expelled.
This is the opposite of what you were hoping to do!
Digestive health is an absolute key part of detoxing! It needs to be running in tip-top shape in order to move and eliminate toxins that have been stirred up in your system.
Fiber deprivation can cause your body to stop eliminating toxins. Your body then tries to unsuccessfully process the toxins again and tries to store them in your body.
Your digestive health and function can be compromised by the wrong types of food. In fact, you might be eating foods that you mistakenly believed were good for you only to damage your intestinal function even worse.
That is why I can help take the guess work out of detox! Supplements are designed to give you the nutrients you need to support healthy digestive and body functions while at the same time detoxifying and eliminating toxins the healthy way!
Remember . . . do not deprive your body. Nourish it for optimal detoxifying affects!
Mistake #2: Detoxing Too Quickly
You’ve probably seen the ads. They are all over social media and your favorite celebrities are promoting them. They sell a “Detox tea” or “Flat Tummy Tea” a “7-day detox,”, “two week cleanse.” They promise quick results at bargain basement prices. You would be better off taking a match to your money or eating it – that would be better for you than some of these products on the market out to make a quick buck and compromise your health at the same time.
You have spent a lifetime being exposed to toxic environments and years upon years of toxins being lodged into your body. You cannot rid yourself of these toxins in a weekend.
A study by the Environmental Working Group looked at the umbilical cord blood of a group of newborn babies. They tested for 413 chemicals/toxins. The laboratory found 287 of these. Of these 287 chemicals, 180 of them can cause cancer in humans and animals, 217 are known to be dangerous to the nervous system and brain and 208 can cause birth defects in animals.
Babies are being born with toxins already in their system, already at a disadvantage. Toxins have been building up in your body over your entire life.
Detoxing and cleansing programs that are short term can be ineffective for multiple reasons. First, detoxing really needs to be a lifestyle. And second, it can release large numbers of toxins that flood into your blood stream which can cause added stress on your body, skin problems like acne and, worst of all, you could experience negative effects just to have the toxins stored right back from where they came from because the body cannot release and eliminate them fast enough.
Your lifestyle has everything to do with how successful your detox and cleanse program will be. Study after study has proven that creating a real change requires healthy habits. However, bad habits are hard to break and it is just as difficult to form new, healthier habits. It requires work and attention until it becomes a regular part of your life. But, it is totally possible.
Do you know what happens to people who try to undergo a quick detox?
They experience all of the negative side effects mentioned above (think headaches, nausea, digestive problems and depressed mood). They believe that they might have done something good for the short period of time and then, you guessed it, go right back to their old unhealthy habits with no changes to their lifestyle. Without creating a change in your lifestyle and creating lasting new habits, you will remain toxic and unhealthy.
Quick Detox Programs Make You Fat!
If weight loss is one of your goals, then this is essential. Your body stores many toxins and synthetic chemicals in your body fat.
You see . . . most toxins are foreign to the body. Your body has no idea how to process them and is unable to digest them or use them for nutrients. So many toxins are kicked back to the safest place your body knows to store them – in your fat stores.
Your body recognizes fat as a very stable place to keep toxins. Because of this, your body does not want to let go of that fat. This situation is very real and it is causing thousands of people around the world to be heavy and unhealthy. If you do a short-term detox then you are not eliminating these toxins, which means it is going to be harder for you to convince your body to let go of that fat.
Small changes, like incorporating a Probiotic into your everyday life, or switching soaps to an organic detoxifying one, will help create lifestyle change which in turn will help you lead a cleaner, toxin free life.
Which leads us to our next biggest mistake . . .
Mistake #3: Not Taking a Holistic Approach to Detoxing
You have just read that your lifestyle is a crucial element for your detoxifying and cleansing ability. While a Nutritional Cleanse will get you on your healthy detox path it is important to know it is just a small part of what you can be doing to transform your mind, body and soul. There are simple changes that you can make today that will help.
Small changes lead to new habits and new habits lead to long-term lifestyle changes. Don’t try making all of these changes at once. Even small changes can begin to revolutionize your life.
Detoxing your mind can have powerful effects on your body because stress has a myriad of negative effects on the body.
Stress can release toxic hormones and chemicals that can be just as toxic to your body. Stress can have many causes but it is important to set some time aside to really analyze your life and examine from where and when stress comes.
Stress can be work related or it can come from toxic relationships. Stress can come from just about anything in life – but how you deal with it is what counts.
Transforming your mind is key to your overall health. Changing the way you think and feel about yourself is a huge step to getting on the right track to overall health.
Have you ever have one of those days where everything goes wrong, your clothes feel tight, your hair wouldn’t act right, your makeup is wearing off and it is not even noon yet!
If you are like most people, you will want to run home, curl up on the couch with your cat and eat a pint of Häagen–Dazs. Although this is tempting, you HAVE to make a CONSCIOUS DECISION to love yourself and nourish yourself.
This change can only happen within. It might take time, but when it happens, your life will change. Getting rid of toxic thoughts will begin to transform your life. You will feel happier in your own skin, more upbeat and things will just magically start to go your way. Plus, on those occasions when things go wrong, you will have other healthier ways of coping with the stress.
Here are some techniques I use to help nourish my spirit:
- Practicing mindfulness
- Sitting in silence and appreciating being in solitude
- Meditate (guided meditations, a class or quietly on your own are all great options)
- Take a yoga class
- Take a break from TV, the Internet, and social media and spend time at the beach or taking a long walk in nature to reconnect
- Visualize how I want my life to feel. From the way my home would smell to the emotions I would feel regularly. This helps to bring that positive energy into your life rather than wait until things change.
Hopefully, after reading this, you will avoid the Three Biggest Detoxing Mistakes and be on your way to a cleaner, healthier you!
Because I see so many mistakes people make when cleansing, I feel passionate about educating people on how to make better choices. Because of this . . .
I’m Redefining “Detox”
There is a stigma when people hear the words “detox” or “cleansing.” They typically think of fasting, starvation, unpleasant side effects and an overall unhealthy thing to do to your body. That is why I decided to create a program with products that allow you to cleanse and detox your body in a healthy and safe way.
Most people do not realize that you need more nutrients when you detox, not fewer. By following the traditional idea of detoxing, you often end up doing more harm than good. Given what I knew, I saw an extraordinary opportunity to create real change.
With nutritional detox cleanses, there is no fasting, no juice diets, no starvation diets and, best of all, no unpleasant side effects. This nutritional detox “reset” cleanse is designed to support the body’s natural detoxification process by nourishing it so that it can do its job more efficiently and effectively.
You need to embody the idea of cleansing in your lifestyle, one small step at a time, one product at a time, one day at a time.
I define detoxing as: “lifestyle changes that reduce the exposure of toxins while nourishing the body to improve digestion and elimination.”
If you live a busy, stressed out life or struggle with chronic stress or anxiety then I understand how this can be difficult. That is why I created an easy, done for you cleanse that will help you take the guess work out of everything and works for people who live busy lives, just like you!
To learn more about my 21 Day Total Body Reset click here. I hope this helps!
In Good Health,
Amber Stew BS,
Holistic Nutritionist
Certified Master Life Coach
ACSM Exercise Physiologist,
CTNC Mental Health Specialist
TBMM Corrective Exercise Specialist
DISCLAIMER – PLEASE READ: The statements made in this blog have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and represent the opinions of the authors. The authors are not Medical Doctors and do not engage directly or indirectly in diagnosing disease, dispensing medical advice, or prescribing the use of any products or services as treatment for sickness or disease. This information is for educational purposes only. You should always cooperate with the health professional of your choice with a mutual goal of building good health. Please consult the physician of your choice before starting this, or any, diet plan or exercise program. Do not use or apply any of the information contained in this book if you are nursing or pregnant. Any application or use of the information, resources, or recommendations contained within this book is at your own risk.
This guide contains material that is protected under International and Federal Copyright Laws and Treaties. Any unauthorized reprint or use is strictly prohibited.
Hi! My name is Amber and I’m a Body Goals Builder, Master Life Coach, Certified Health Coach, CTNC Mental Health Specialist, Stress Alchemist & Fear Conqueror
I used to be a people pleasing, work-a-holic who stressed herself out to climb the wellness industry’s corporate ladder, while obsessing over her self image. I soon realized that none of it mattered if I wasn’t happy with myself, inside and out, and surrounded around people who loved and respected me.
I now help individuals who are stressed out, out of shape and struggling to find balance in their lives learn how to ease their worries, improve their health, create 10x more joy in their lives and manifest the life of their dreams. At the STEW Project, we are maximizing our living potential by Simply Taking an Emphasis on Wellness.
