So how many of us began the New Year, certain that this year we would follow through on our New Year’s resolutions. And guess what, here we are 7 weeks on and how many of us have already forgotten what those resolutions were!! I’m sure many of us believed, after the difficult year we just experienced, and maybe with all that COVID weight we have gained, that this year may be the year of looking after our health.  

So, let’s take stock. Most of our visitors have gone home, the kids are back at school, and there’s really no excuses.  I often suggest a great way to kickstart our plan for good health is to look at a sensible detox programme. A detox should be a very sensible eating plan used in conjunction with a good detox supplement to help detox the body. In store we have a comprehensive booklet suggesting an eating plan, with recommended foods plus recipes to help you throughout a detox.

There are many programmes available and recently we have been recommending a tasty berry detox powder which tastes great and is easy to incorporate into our daily eating programme. It can be added to water, our favourite protein shake or even our greens powder. Over the past few years, I’ve found many customers have been reluctant to take lots of tablets which is often the case with detox programmes. I’m sure this is why this tasty powder is such a hit.

This is a gentle naturopathic formula containing Vitamins B2 and C, Selenium and Zinc to help protect our cells from free radicals. It has extra B vitamins such as B6 and B12 to help with fatigue plus 5 amino acids (glutamine, glycine, methionine, cysteine and taurine). There are superfruit berries such as blackcurrant, passionfruit, lemon, blueberry and pomegranate as well as beetroot. There’s also herbs such as rosemary, schisandra, artichoke, echinacea, acerola cherry, barberry, milk thistle, turmeric, green tea, ginger and black pepper.

Adding a good bowel formula I believe can also be helpful when undertaking a detox. Something gentle like Motion Potion which is a great bowel tonic, not a laxative, would be great to add to this formula. Once again, it’s a powder so can easily be added to your berry powder. I have written previously about the benefits of Motion Potion particularly for treatment of constipation and other bowel issues.

We are often asked – when does a person need to go on a detox? The answer is simple – everybody should detox at least once or twice a year. Why wait until we get sick or feel sluggish before we take that step? Why not use detoxing as a preventative for illness? We think so highly of our motor vehicles, we have them serviced regularly, however we expect our bodies to go on forever without the same tender loving care.

The other question often asked is what causes toxins to build up in our bodies so that we need to go on such a detox. There are many and varied reasons:

1. Constipation – this is a chronic problem in western society. Constipated waste backs up, trapping toxins in the colon, causing fermentation and decay which is re-absorbed into the bloodstream. This then pollutes tissues and cells – a nice thought!

2. Low Water Consumption – Most people do not drink enough water (approximately 8-10 glasses per day). By not drinking sufficient water, we allow toxins to stagnate in our bodies by not flushing out the waste with enough water.

3. Stress – the other major problem in our society. Stress causes bad digestion, absorption and elimination of foods thereby causing toxicity.

4. Poor Diet – just look in the shopping trolleys of most shoppers as you line up at the supermarket. Need I say more!! Once again poor digestion and absorption causes toxicity by our consuming foods low in fibre, highly processed, high in fat, sugar etc. Plus of course all those chemicals in the food we eat – preservatives, food additives, pesticides etc.

5. Alcohol and Cigarettes – little needs to be said about these. I’m sure we all know the toxicity of drugs of any kind.

So, there you have it – five good reasons to detox. If you hadn’t been convinced before, you must surely be convinced now! Don’t wait until you become ill before you do something about nurturing your body. Take time out to give those poor organs a rest – fine tune your body instead of your car for a change.