Dietary Detoxing: Doing It Right
Detox is short for detoxification, a process of removing potentially toxic substances from the body. This process is traditionally known to involve herbs but can also be achieved by the consumed. This short term diet seeks to minimise the amount of chemicals ingested, emphasise food that provide vitamins and focus on foods that contain high amounts of fibre and water. This in turn helps to increase the frequency of urination and bowel movements. A detox diet may not be right for everyone so research and consultation is necessary before getting started. Keep in mind that these special diets aren’t designed to cure diseases but instead to flush the system thus allowing it to run more efficiently.
These diets may be similar to what some persons know as the once popular ‘wash out’. This custom of cleansing the body with herbs and ‘bitters’ was largely practiced in the rural areas of Jamaica and was generally orchestrated approximately at the end of every summer holiday. Foul tasting liquids would be administered to children before they head back out to school, which would induce rapid bowel movement, thus detoxing the body and allowing the child to go back out ‘fresh’ for the next school year. The results would be healthy looking, glowing skin, strong, lustrous hair and the absence of pimples and other skin disorders. Cleansing and detox diets have been customary in Eastern cultures as well and for centuries have been regarded as a great way to maintain optimal health and prevent diseases.