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Nine Daily Detoxing Rituals That Don’t Involve Starving Yourself

Do you find it hard to get going in the morning?

Does your energy take a nose dive in the afternoon?

Does your skin look pasty and puffy?

Do you have trouble falling and staying asleep?

If you answered yes to one or more of these questions, your body is screaming for a detox. Don't worry-- detoxing doesn't mean paying for an expensive retreat, or starving yourself for a week. The best way to detox is to fit simple rituals into your routine, naturally evoking your body's internal cleansing systems. What you do each day is much more important than doing an extreme once-in-a-while detox.​

The following nine steps are inspired by Ayurveda, India's ancient medical system, and they are backed by Western science. The changes are simple and cost less than $5 a day.

Nine Ways To Detox Your Body And Mind Each Day

1

CLEAN OUT YOUR COLON EVERY DAY

Have a bowel movement each day. The longer that material sits in your colon, the more toxins are re-absorbed into your body. It is crucial to your health to have a daily bowel movement, preferably first thing in the morning.

Having trouble? Try these simple tips

1. Add 1-2 tablespoons of ground flax seeds to your breakfast. Oil and fiber in flax encourages bowel movements. And flax delivers a boost of anti-inflammatory Omega 3 Fatty Acids.
2. Start your day with a breakfast of oatmeal with apples. The high fiber content of the oats and apples encourages food to leave your body.
3. Ginger helps your intestines to push food out (See step #3).

2

DRINK WARM LEMON WATER WHEN YOU WAKE

The best time to hydrate is early in the morning. Your body has been resting, and water with lemon flushes out toxins. Warm water hydrates your cells after their nightly detox. Adding lemon gives the water vitamins, minerals, and electrolytes to fortify your cells. The high acidity of lemon peels may help to control blood glucose, and encourage mineral absorption.

Simply squeeze one lemon into three cups of warm filtered water, and drink it. Rather than guzzling water all day, hydrate early in the morning, and let your kidneys rest.

3

USE GINGER TEA TO DETOX AND HEAL

Ginger is a panacea. It decreases inflammation, protects from radiation, combats nausea and improves intestinal motility. Use ginger to improve your digestion, and prevent problems like constipation and IBS. The following ginger tea recipe gives your body a boost after lunch when you often feel a slump.

To make ginger tea: Boil two tablespoons of grated ginger with four cups of water for three minutes. Turn off the heat, filter (or enjoy the ginger while you drink). Sweeten sparingly with honey or brown sugar.

4

ADD TURMERIC WITH BLACK PEPPER TO YOUR MEALS

Add a little turmeric to your lunch and dinner to support your body's detoxification. Turmeric has been shown to rid the body of heavy metals like mercury. Researchers credit a little daily turmeric with preventing Alzheimer's and dementia in India. Along with ginger, turmeric also is a powerful anti-inflammatory. Use black pepper with turmeric, and your body's ability to use the turmeric will be increased 1000 fold.

Sprinkle 1/4 teaspoon of tumeric with a pinch of black pepper on your lunch and dinner.

5

CURB YOUR EVENING SNACKING

Daily mini-fasting is one of the habits of the world's longest-lived people. In his book The Blue Zones Solution, Dan Buettner found that people in Blue Zones, places having higher concentrations of centenarians, tend to consume food earlier the day and go longer periods without eating. Now, I'm not suggesting that you starve yourself. Rather try to have a twelve-hour period between your dinner and breakfast. And even better if you can stop eating three hours before bed. 

Try to have your latest meal by 7pm, then don't eat until at least 8am. This gives your digestive system at least a twelve hour rest between meals. Let your body do its housecleaning while you sleep.

6

INDULGE IN A COCONUT OIL MASSAGE

Oils are revered in Ayurveda, India's ancient alternative medical system, for their calming and grounding properties. The silky soft touch of oil on your skin smoothes away your day's rough edges. Oils are the best skin moisturizers. Sesame and coconut oil are antibacterial and contain antioxidants. If you use lotions loaded with chemicals, your body absorbs them. A rule of thumb for health -- never put anything on your skin you wouldn't put into your mouth.

Use organic, cold-pressed coconut, almond or sesame oil. After a warm bath or shower, massage the oil into your entire body. Start with your shoulders and arms, and make your way down. Finish at your belly by making a circular motion. Ahh. Now go to bed and sleep peacefully.

7

ENJOY AN ELECTRONIC DETOX EACH EVENING

Want to sleep deeply? Turn off all screens two hours before bed. Using screens at night stimulates your senses and encourages mindless time wasting. Avoid looking at Facebook and focusing on other people's lives. Dim the lights. Enjoy your bath or shower, and follow with an oil massage. Find a calming, relaxing book to read. See how you'll sleep like a baby.

8

HARNESS YOUR BODY'S DIGESTIVE POWER

Your body is happiest when you eat your biggest meal at noon. This is another habit of centenarian cultures. Your digestion is strongest at noon, and you have all day to burn off the calories. Eating heavily at night can impair sleep and encourage weight gain. Eat a bigger meal at lunch, and eat lightly at dinner.

9

SLEEP BY TEN 

Rather than sleeping from midnight to 8 a.m., try to sleep from 10pm to 6am. When you sleep around midnight, your body reaches another alert state and you'll have trouble falling asleep. Many people get hungry again at midnight -- thus the midnight snack. If you are asleep, your body can rest rather than digest food. And you'll wake feeling light and refreshed. Try it for yourself. This habit costs nothing, but takes willpower.

Make Detoxing A Part Of Your Routine.

Detoxing is much easier than you think and costs almost nothing.

When you care for your body and mind each day, you'll feel energized and vibrant.

And you'll have more time to spend doing the things you love and enjoying your life.

Stock your healing home with ginger, turmeric, lemon, flax and coconut oil.

You can try one at a time, but these steps work best when done together. If you turn off screens by 8pm, you'll be sleepier by 10pm. And if you eat a light dinner, sleep comes easier.

It's that simple to use nature's bounty to boost your energy and rediscover your inner glow.

Jessica Blanchard

Jessica Blanchard is a registered dietitian, longtime Ayurvedic practitioner, and yoga teacher. She's on a mission to dispel dietary myths and make healthy habits accessible to everyone. She's here to help you on your journey to a healthier, happier and more fulfilled life.

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