When you hear the word detox, do you instantly think of a restrictive, time consuming diet?

The mainstream perception of doing a detox is that it’s difficult (and will make you starve), so you’re probably thinking “no thanks” to detoxing daily. But the truth is, you can detox daily without going on a diet or making drastic changes to your lifestyle and routine. The smallest tweaks and changes (that can be as simple as replacing a granola bar with an apple) can help with an easy detox that can lead to better health and wellness so that you can feel your best.

Detox is a term often used interchangeably with cleansing, and it means to help the body eliminate toxins that negatively impact our health and wellness by supporting the primary organs of elimination. The main organs that help your body eliminate toxins are your liver, kidneys and colon.

Toxins come at us on a daily basis through our environment (pollution in the air we breathe), our food supply (refined sugar and additives and preservatives in processed foods) and chemicals in the water we drink. Our body even produces toxins while performing natural functions, such as metabolizing food. These toxins get absorbed into our bloodstream, where our liver is responsible for filtering them all out of our system.

And although your liver is a super-charged organ that can handle a very heavy workload, even it can get overburdened at times. If your toxic load is too high, your liver will have a difficult time keeping up with filtering all of the toxins out. Instead of being eliminated, these toxins can get re absorbed and stored in adipose tissue, or fat cells.^[1]

If you have a diet high in refined sugar, or have taken antibiotics for a long period of time, it’s also possible (and quite common) to have an overgrowth of bad bacteria in your gut.

When your natural balance of good and bad gut bacteria is disrupted, the “unfriendly” bacteria produce toxins of their own.The toxins that are produced within your body are called endogenous toxins, and the toxins that come from outside sources, such as the environment, are called exogenous toxins.

Both types of toxins can be harmful to health, so the body must work hard to eliminate them.

What if I told you that each day, you’re already on a detox, no matter what you eat?

In a way, you are! Detoxification is a natural process that the body is already equipped to do. It works hard to eliminate toxins every minute of the day to keep your cells and body healthy. So when we talk about doing an easy detox, or going on a cleanse, it simply means that we’re adding in more foods, liquids, superfoods or nutritional supplements (while taking out foods that create toxicity, such as coffee or sugar) to support the health of your organs of elimination. Doing so helps give your body a rest and offers extra support to perform its functions more efficiently. This helps promote the elimination of extra toxins that may be stored in your system.

Have you ever felt like you just can’t get enough energy? Or that your brain is foggy when you’re trying to concentrate and focus? Having a heavy toxic load in your system could be to blame. The toxins that get stored in your body can lead to oxidative stress and affect your neurological system.^[2]

In general, toxins weigh down your body and congest your cells. How good could you possibly feel if your cells aren’t feeling so well? Promoting the elimination of these toxins by eating nutrient rich foods and herbs, exercising, drinking plenty of water and taking herbal supplements can help “clean” you internally, which will leave you feeling energized, refreshed and even more enthusiastic and positive about life!

Other common benefits of improved body detoxification include:
- Reduced bloating
- Increased energy
- Increased mental focus and concentration
- Clear, glowing skin
- Weight loss
- Restful sleep
- The need for less sleep to feel rested and energized
- Improved digestion
- An overall enhanced sense of well-being
- Natural weight loss… and the list goes on.

The good news is, you can experience all of these benefits by promoting daily body detoxification through your diet.

Don’t get me wrong- you don’t have to wait for the signs to detox. It’s better to start an easy daily detoxification process before the signs and symptoms surface. But many people experience symptoms on a regular basis that they chalk up as “normal” for them, although they are actually signs of a toxic body.

Here are the most common signs that you may have a toxic body:

- Feeling irritable and moody on a regular basis
- Constipation
- Cravings for sugar, starch or dairy
- Bad breath
- Acne
- Difficulty losing weight, despite exercising
- Bloating
- Increased visceral (tummy) fat
- Frequent flatulence
- Feeling “blah”

These symptoms are the most common signs that your liver could use some extra support to help eliminate toxins from your body.

So, how do you begin offering your liver that support to promote detoxification? Here are 6 ways quick and easy ways to detox daily, that won’t cause stress, starvation or overwhelm

Homemade vitamin water is a win-win for promoting detoxification.

Water is the fluid that helps your body flush out toxins from your system. It’s needed in adequate amounts (the minimum you’d want to be drinking is half your bodyweight in ounces). Without drinking enough water, the toxins have a much harder time leaving your body and can stay in your system longer.

Kicking your water drinking up a notch by making homemade vitamin water actually makes drinking water more appealing, and adds extra antioxidant vitamins and minerals! You can make homemade vitamin water by adding your favorite frozen fruit and herbs (berries and mint go particularly well) to ice cubes before you freeze them. You can also put the fruit and herbs directly into your water if you wish. Here’s my favorite detox vitamin water recipe:
1 bunch organic mint
the juice of ½ lemon
24 organic raspberries
1 serving Sun Wakasa Honey
water to fill ice cube tray

Chop mint into small pieces and add alongside raspberries into an empty ice cube tray. Top ice cube tray with water and lemon juice, adding Sun Wakasa Honey last. Freeze and place in water as desired.

*Note: While it’s recommended to reduce your intake of sugar to help promote body detoxification, Sun Wakasa Honey is a nutritional supplement that contains Chlorella Growth Factor, a nutrient found in chlorella that promotes cellular repair and regeneration. Therefore, it’s considered a detox-friendly (and detox-encouraged) food!

Apple cider vinegar has become more popular in the recent years because of its many uses from household cleaning to natural fertilizers to breath freshener, a metabolism booster and even aftershave. But one of the benefits of apple cider vinegar (ACV) you hear the most, is its ability to promote digestion and provide good bacteria to the gut. Both of these properties make it an ideal food to consume while trying to promote detoxification.

You can add apple cider vinegar to any recipe you’d like. It has a bit of a tangy taste, but is fairly versatile, especially when added to salad dressings. Some even like using apple cider vinegar in their lemon chicken recipes. Adding apple cider vinegar to drinks is another way to enjoy it in a more concentrated dose.

By blending 1 tsp of apple cider vinegar with lemon, Sun Wakasa Honey, water and cinnamon, you can create the perfect liver-supportive tonic in your kitchen in under thirty seconds.

Spices are an underrated way to help support the body’s natural detoxification process. Spices such as turmeric, ginger, cumin, cinnamon, cardamom and cayenne pepper, when combined with wholesome, natural ingredients, can help aid the body’s natural detoxification process. For example, cinnamon on rich desserts will likely be outweighed by the negative effects of white sugar and flour. Instead, enjoy it on an apple with some almond butter.

Spices such as cardamom are also said to help diminish bad bacteria from the gut, making it an ideal spice for detoxification.

Enjoy spices in homemade curries, chili, tea and soups to get the most out of their health benefits- and flavor!

Chlorella is a powerful natural detoxifier for many reasons. First, it has the natural ability to bind to toxins such as heavy metals that get stuck and stored in the body to safely eliminate them. This is a natural process called chelation. Second, it has tons of plant-based nutrition from antioxidant vitamins and minerals, essential fatty acids and fiber.

Fiber is a key detoxification nutrient, as it helps “sweep” out your intestinal tract just as a broom would sweep debris from your home. Fiber is found in most plant based foods, especially chlorella. I recommend Sun Chlorella because of their remarkable health benefits, but also because they come in convenient grab’n’go packages that make detoxification easy in busy schedules.

Sun Chlorella are also one of the best supplements for energy, and work especially well to maintain the body’s energy levels during a natural body detox.

Now that you understand how important fiber is to help your body detoxify from toxic waste, you’ll be happy to know that you can get plenty of fiber by eating chia seeds.

Chia seeds are a versatile ingredient that can be added to any dish, and they also contain other natural body detox-supportive nutrients such as omega 3 essential fatty acids.

I recommend eating chia seeds by adding them to a cold beverage or making chia seed pudding, such as a Strawberry Banana Chia Seed Pudding. Wherever possible, avoid adding them to hot foods such as steaming-hot oatmeal as it can oxidize their delicate fats and nutrients.

Probiotics, also known as “friendly” or beneficial gut bacteria, are one of the most important nutrients you can get in your diet.

Probiotics help keep your digestive system clean and free of toxic waste, and allow your body to function optimally. Since it’s estimated that 80% of your immune system exists in your gut, it’s important to make sure your gut is an optimal environment for health- and you can do this by adding more probiotics to your diet.

Probiotics can be eaten in food form, from sauerkraut, kimchi, apple cider vinegar, kefir and plain, unsweetened yogurt. You can also take a high quality enteric coated probiotic supplement for a more concentrated dose (which is recommended if you’ve recently taken antibiotics or eat a lot of sugar, caffeine or processed foods).

If you follow these recommendations, or add in a few easy detox tips of your own, don’t be discouraged if you feel less than great during the first week. That’s a sign your body is detoxifying. As toxins are released, they can impact your mood and energy levels and cause other symptoms such as:
-Acne breakouts
- Itchiness / rashes
- Constipation (be sure to drink lots of water and increase your fiber)
- Frequent bowel movements
- Emotional symptoms such as depression, moodiness, irritability
- Cravings for sugar
- Difficulty sleeping

All of these symptoms are normal for the first week or so, and their severity (or if they even happen at all) will depend on your body’s current state of health and toxicity.

The symptoms shouldn’t persist for longer than a week, so if they do, consult a licensed healthcare practitioner for further direction. It’s also a good idea to speak with a certified nutritionist or healthcare professional is possible prior to doing a natural body detox, especially if you have existing medical concerns.