Why Should You Try Eating Food Raw As Part of Your Detox Diet

Are you concerned about your health? Chances are you will say yes but are you really doing anything about it? If you want to remove those toxins that are collecting in your system, one method you can try is known as the Raw Food Detox Diet.

The Raw Food Detox Diet happens to be one of the most popular diets around. This is because while many will only let you lose weight, none of them are specifically designed to help you get rid of these harmful toxins.

But why eat raw food when you can cook it ? This is because when food is prepared and then cooked, some of the nutrients and vitamins which are also important for the body are lost.

What is even more astonishing is the fact that when it is cooked, you changed its natural state. Thus, new chemicals are created and the natural enzymes are destroyed.

When you take it out of the pan and put it on your plate, it somehow slows your metabolism and impedes certain primary functions of the body especially the flushing and detox functions of the organs.

If this does not yet convince you that eating raw food is much better than cooked ones, note that the raw food diet boosts your immune system, may help decrease or increase weight and again, detoxifies your body.

Compared to an average meal consisting of animal flesh which normally takes 8 hours to digest, the only thing it gives you is energy to burn what you ate and nothing else.

It may a significant change for you to eat food raw when you are used to eating it cooked. This is why the switch should be done gradually like having a quarter of the food cooked while the remainder is raw. Who knows? You may like to eat raw food that will give you the complete nutritional value found in each one.

The detox diet consisting of raw fruits and vegetables only lasts a few days. When it is all over, you can go back to eating other solid foods including fish, chicken and meat. You may even want to mix a few raw dishes sometimes like sushi which is also great to eat.

Before you start eating raw food, you have to prepare yourself both physically and mentally for what is about to happen next. You can prepare physically by starting an exercise routine and cutting down on certain food and then substituting it with beans, organic fruits and vegetables.

Although detox diets are generally safe, it will still be a good idea to consult your doctor because you could be one of those individuals that are not cut out for the program.

People who should not try the detox diet in any form include pregnant or nursing mothers, those who have just undergone surgery and individuals that have been diagnosed with certain medical conditions. If you insist on trying it, make sure that this is being done under medical supervision.

Eating food raw may be different but it is one way to get all the essentials you need to detoxify your system. Will it be challenging? Yes during the first day since there is a lot of adjustment involved but if you are able to stick to it, then you will surely feel good thereafter.

Detox Diet: the Key to a Healthy Lifestyle

Detox, short for detoxification, is the body’s natural, ongoing process of neutralizing or eliminating toxins from the body. Toxins are chemically changed into less harmful compounds and flushed out of the body through stools or urine. Detox diet is the method of taking in certain food and drinks with the end purpose of getting rid of toxins from the body for finest health.

In short, it is a diet which detoxifies the body. Detox diets may vary in forms and the substances to ingest. In most of the cases, the food selections are very strict. On the other hand, some are more lenient but then certain drugs are prescribed to assist in the detoxification.

Detoxification is good for the body if done properly and with professional guidance. It is highly recommended that a person who wishes to undertake detox diet must first consult a physician or dietician. This is because detoxification may be harmful to the body if not conducted properly. Sometimes the misuse of a detox diet may produce certain diseases or even malnutrition. But with the proper guidance, detox diet can make a body healthier and stronger.

When a body is detoxified, the toxins are removed from the body through the urine or the stools. When there are less toxins in the body, blood circulation gets better, respiration is stroger, stamina is improved, stress is decreased, and the person himself will feel better. But the most popular reason why people go for a detox diet is that it is the quickest and safest way to lose weight.

Most detox diets comprise of only fruits, vegetables, and water. Since this sort of diet is very strict, meat, dairy, alcohol, and bread are big no-nos. This allows the body to absorb less calories and carbohydrates. Detoxification also produces the effect of lessening harmful substances in the body like fat and cholesterol.

However, since a deox diet is very strict, it is highly advisable that it only be used for a short period of time. Detox diets are regularly short-term only and this sort of diet is not recommended to be done for a long period of time because it may be a cause of malnutrition. A detox diet is usually low in protein and carbohydrates. Without these, muscle growth and energy is easily diminished.

So, detox diets must only be used for a short-term basis. After following a detox diet many people report having ‘more energy and losing weight quickly’ and given that the diet is so restrictive, it is hardly surprising that you will have lost a few pounds.

However, detoxing is not a weight management solution. Following the detox program will not teach you anything about basic weight management strategies such as portion control or a healthy meal pattern. As a result most people gain weight again and feel just as sluggish as usual once they stop the diet and return to their old eating habits. The real reason that detox diets work in the short-term is because people make a special effort to change their eating habits for a few days.

It stands to reason that if you swap chips and fizzy drinks for fruit and water you will loose weight. Also, if you’re not eating lots of high fat meals, which slow your body down as it tries to digest them, you will have more energy.

The 7 Essential Criteria to Look For in a Good Colon Cleanse

How Do You Pick  A Good  Colon Cleanse? How Do You Know Which One To Trust? And On What Do You Base Your Cleansing Decisions?

There are 7 Essential Factors to Look For To Make Sure You’re Getting A Good, Safe & Healthy Cleanse.

1) Recognized Academic Training and Proper Credentials

You wouldn’t ask for medical help from a mechanic, or get a construction worker to pull out your tooth, because they are not qualified to do so. Yet when it comes to one’s internal digestive health, very few people take the time to consider the qualifications of the producers and manufacturers of cleanse products.  In fact, scarily enough, cleanse product producers like DrNatura, Dual Action Cleanse and The Almighty Cleanse, don’t state their credentials or even the name of the manufacturer anywhere on their sites.

A truly good cleanse should have not only the right ingredients, but also the proper blend and balance of ingredients. Only a well trained chemist or formulator would have the scientific training to make a truly effective cleanse. Medical doctors and naturopathic doctors who are involved in the Research and Development of a good cleanse product are also important because they have a sound knowledge of our biological and physiological systems.

2) All Natural, High Quality Ingredients, In The Right Blend

Since the point of cleansing is to detoxify the body, and rid itself of harmful agents, it would be contradictory to use a cleansing product that is made up of chemicals, especially when the body can naturally detoxify itself through cleansing systems such as the liver, kidneys, lungs, colon and lymphatic system. Using a cleanse with high quality, all natural ingredients simply kick starts the body, and jump starts it to function as the miraculous mechanism it was created to be.

Not all “natural” ingredients, however, are beneficial for one’s body. Psyllium Husk and Bentonite which are found on products like Blessed Herbs and DrNatura’s Colonix, have been associated with allergic reactions, negative side effects and digestive complications. Just because a cleanse product boats “all natural” ingredients, is no reason to pull out that credit card just yet.  If you think about it this way, remember that poison ivy and tobacco are “all natural” too.  One should also look for a cleanse that has its ingredient label clearly listed on the website, with the quantities of each. Having all natural ingredients listed on the site, doesn’t mean that the ingredients are in a good proportional ratio, or in effective quantities. Of course, you as a consumer will not know what the balances of ingredients should be. But if a company does not post  their ingredient label on their site, or list their quantities, one should probably consider another cleanse, because the consumer has no idea what he or she is truly purchasing.

3) Whole Body System Cleanse

While colon cleanses are all the rage, toxins can and do exist all over our bodies. Parasites for example, can be in our blood and tissues. They release toxins into our systems that make us ill, lethargic and feeling generally unwell. Cleansing just the colon will have no effect on parasites in other parts of the body. The Candida fungus can also be found in various parts of the body, and they too, release their toxic waste into our systems. One thing that people may not be aware of is that toxins do not only exist in our colons. They often get absorbed into our fat cells. Simply doing a colon cleanse will have absolutely no effect in those areas. The final reason why it is important to do a whole body system cleanse is that there are other systems which help the body to detoxify itself as well; including the liver, kidneys, blood and lymphatic system. The colon is actually the last stop on the body’s cleansing journey; so just doing a colon cleanse, is like putting dirty food on a clean plate. The plate (like the colon), still gets contaminated.

A really great cleanse then, cleanses not only the colon, but additionally the other systems mentioned as well (liver, kidneys, blood and lymph system)

4) Replenishing Support

Ever heard the saying “Throwing the baby out with the bath water”? That means that you throw out the good with along with the bad. When we cleanse our systems, not only do we remove the toxins, but we additionally remove the essential vitamins and minerals we need for our bodies to function it’s best. We also clean our the “good” bacteria in our systems, which help to maintain a healthy digestive system and good gut flora. It is critical that a cleanse not just be one individual product, but an entire system that supports the consumer from beginning to end. An excellent cleanse to purchase would be one that also offers vitamin, mineral and probiotic support, so that the consumer is not left hanging, or left to replace these essentials on their own. The great thing about a cleanse that offers vitamins, minerals and probiotic support along with its cleanse, is that the products will likey have a more synergistic effect since they are manufactured by the same company, rather than using several different brands.

5) Simplicity

Consumers are more likely to be successful through their cleanse experience if they can do it well and with confidence. This implies that a cleansing system should be easy and simply to do, with clear instructions to follow. Simplicity, however also means, simply no hype. One should be very, very weary of cleanses that sell on hype. This means big, bright “As Seen On TV” banners, pictures of celebrities, and tons and tons of testimonials. Nothing is wrong with any of these things if the four above mentioned criteria are also in place. However, more often than not, these marketing ploys are used as distractions to lure the consumer away from examining things like manufacturer credentials and qualifications, ingredient labels etc.  More often than not, the cleanse products with simple sites that demonstrate their quality, not their hype, are the better quality cleanses.

Other qualities in a good cleanse that one should look for include:

6) A Fair Price.

If a cleanse product is too inexpensive, it likely contains cheap ingredients that will not truly serve the consumer in the long run. The better quality cleanses run around $150 for a short cleanse to $400 for a longer, whole body system cleanse. There are of course those who will significantly mark up their profit margins, so price alone means nothing. All of the above factors should be taken into consideration as well when choosing your cleanse.

7) Support.

An outstanding cleansing manufacturer will offer support to it’s clients in the way of helping them through the cleanse or answering any questions and concerns that the cleanse practitioner might have. Good customer service goes beyond handling complaints, or giving an estimated time of product arrival.

Conclusion

With so many consumers in want of cleanse and detox products, the market has responded by trying to meet that demand. Unfortunately, however, some manufacturers wanting to cash in on the trend, have done nothing more than put some natural ingredients together with bowel stimulating agents, thrown them in a pretty bottle, and called it a cleanse.

Up until now, it has been difficult, if not impossible, for a consumer to know how to properly evaluate a cleanse. This is especially true because all cleanse sites have testimonials, and their users have all had great results. Sometimes this is nothing more than a placebo effect and people return to their normal state of health within a very short period of time. Another explanation for their feelings of new found health are that the purchaser is not ingesting the bad foods anymore. They are drinking lots of water, staying away from caffeine and tobacco and are putting in good herbs into their body they would have not ingested before. But none of that has anything to do with the cleanse product itself. Consumers can therefore, unwittingly end up paying a lot of money for results they could have gotten simply by fasting or modifying their diet and leading a healthier lifestyle in general.

The moral of the story is, if you are going to purchase a cleanse, and want to get good value for your dollar, use the 7 Essential Criteria For Picking A Cleanse, and you should be well on your way to truly better health.