Here’s what happens to your body when you detox for 1 week

Detox has been practiced for centuries by different cultures around the world. It is about resting, cleansing and nourishing the body from the inside out. By removing and eliminating toxins whilst feeding your body with the right nutrients, detoxifying is believed to help protect you from disease and renew your ability to maintain optimum health.

In a nutshell, detoxification means cleansing the blood. To do this, impurities from the blood in the liver needs to be removed and eliminated. Through detoxification, the body also eliminates toxins through the kidneys, intestines, lungs, lymphatic system, and skin.

When detox is done in a healthy way, you can expect to make upward strides toward greater health. You might even notice your body changing for the better in just a few days. We talked with the experts to find out what really goes on inside when you embark on a detox program.

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But first things first, we need to figure out what kind of detox we’re getting ourselves into. Juice cleanses and teas have become quite trendy in recent years, but experts do not recommend these liquid-only diets and instead recommend a clean-eating detox that involves real, solid food. By following a clean-eating detox, you essentially cut out processed, fatty foods along with wheat, dairy, sugar, alcohol and caffeine, and focus on consuming more lean proteins, fruit, vegetables and whole grains.

So what happens when you start eating clean?

Your gut

The over consumption of processed foods, excess sugar and dairy can wreak havoc on the bacteria balance in your gut, leading to a range of symptoms. During a cleanse, you give your gut to take a break and rebalance the gut microbiomes.  After just a week of a clean-eating detox, you’ll likely notice an overall improvement in digestion issues, ranging from a decrease in bloating and gas to an increase in healthy bowel movements. By getting your gut back in good working condition, you can expect and improvement in other personal aspects too, such as your mood, sleep and even your skin.

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Your liver

The liver’s function primary function is to detox your body by eliminating toxins but when our toxin intake is more than what our body can keep up with, our bodies end up we end up storing toxins and creating both fat and inflammation. When your body embarks on a detox, you give your liver a chance to be more effective in doing its job and function better, processing toxins into substances that can be expelled by the body.

Your skin

Sometimes in order to get a good place, you first need to get through a bad patch. This is true for your skin when your body in undergoing a detox. Once your body starts flushing out toxins, your skin may look worse before it looks better but give it time and you will start to see improvements in your skin, from lower oil production, to lessened acne and even a healthier glow to your overall complexion.

Your brain

Your body naturally experiences a form of withdrawal in the initial stages of detox. It’s not uncommon for one to experience headaches in the first few days of a detox program. But don’t let this set you back. Give it time and usually by Day 3, you’ll start to feel clearer and lighter you may even experience a new wave of energy and even better mental clarity, concentration and focus.

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Your mood

On a clean-eating diet where processed food is eliminated (this includes sugar), mood swings are to be expected. Sugar in foods is often linked to comfort eating so cutting out sugar naturally creates an emotional trigger. Before one could experience the pros and highs of cutting out sugar, they would need to stand resolute in their detox plan and not cave in. In just a few days, your body will thank you for it, as you experience an improvement in your sleep, energy and especially in the way your clothes fit you better.

A detox doesn’t have to be forever. See it as giving your body a little vacation to clean up the junk your body has accumulate and reset. You could even find a detox that complements your existing lifestyle, be it a 1 day cleanse or daily supplements to effectively manage the detoxification process.