Why Your Body Needs a Clean-Slate Detox

Whether you made one too many toasts on New Year’s Eve, or you’ve been steadily ramping up the sugar since Halloween, it’s no secret that most of us end the year feeling weighed down and sluggish.

Celebrating a New Year can be an inspirational time to set healthy goals and get our vitality back on track.

But the question is, where do we start?

With a clean slate—and that means detoxing: safely and effectively removing toxins from your body.

A detox helps clear out a backlog of toxins like heavy metals, pesticides, endocrine-disrupting compounds, and much more. Whether these toxins accumulated over the last year, or the last decade, one thing is certain: Gently and effectively removing them from your body can let you sail into a new year with health, wellness and better energy.

Were you able to resist the sugary holiday treats that popped up everywhere these last months? If not, don’t be hard on yourself. It’s nearly impossible to avoid the excess of sweets this time of year. Sugar, gluten, and dairy taste great—but they wreak havoc on our systems.

Refined sugars and carbohydrates trigger glucose and insulin spikes. They also fuel inflammation and free radical production, resulting in oxidative stress, and an increase in toxins in the body.

Gluten and dairy proteins can act like toxins in your body, even if you don’t have full-blown food allergies. That’s why most of us feel “off” after eating things like lasagna and cheesecake.

And if you had any spiked eggnog or champagne, the toxins and additional liver stress brought on by holiday drinking make it the perfect time for a clean-slate detox.

Toxins slow you down, and can drain you of the crucial nutrients your body needs for energy. Plus, they can also interfere with energy production and management by impacting the function of our mitochondria – the tiny cellular “engines” that create energy for the body. That leaves you feeling exhausted, even if you’re getting plenty of sleep.

When done correctly, detoxification can help remove the extra toxic burden weighing you down, so you’ll feel rejuvenated and energized.

When your body is full of toxins, your immune system becomes overworked and overextended. This can lead to immune issues and suppression in some cases, or inflammatory autoimmune issues on the other hand. When the immune system is tied up fighting toxins, it can be less effective against cold and flu viruses. Detoxing gives your immune system a chance to relax and reboot, so it can respond quickly and correctly.

Brain fog—confusion, memory problems, and slowed thinking are all signs of toxin overload. Toxins cause inflammation and oxidative stress that can derail cognitive function. They also rob your body of essential nutrients, including the ones your brain needs to work at full capacity.

Luckily, clearing out toxins can help restore brain power. You’ll be able to think more clearly, learn more effectively, and recall memories more quickly.

Toxic inflammation and oxidative stress doesn’t just affect your brain power. It also causes mood disorders like depression and anxiety. New research highlights the many links between environmental toxins like air pollution, pesticides, and heavy metals, and mental health concerns. Toxins can make you feel sad, irritable, scared, and even suicidal because of their many negative effects on your neurological system.

Giving your body the tools it needs – from superfoods and nutrients, to researched detox ingredients, will help brighten your mood and calm your anxiety.

Unfortunately, the world of detox includes lots of questionable products and methods promising a quick fix cleanse or 7 day weight loss fix detox. The truth is, most of these inferior detox products are not researched, and can even be harmful because they often weaken the body with harsh ingredients and aggressive protocols.

For a safe, effective and health-promoting detox, it’s important to have the right information, and take a gradual approach using clinically proven, safe detox supplements.