“Body Detox” is one of those terms that carries contradicting connotations and can lead to unnecessary arguments among friends, family, and the scientific community.
The truth is: Your body is undergoing constant detoxification.
The liver, adrenal system, kidneys, gut, blood, and even your brain, are constantly working to remove waste - from free radicals to toxins, to negative thought patterns or memories that affect your everyday performance. If it’s not serving you, your body knows it has to go.
Your eating habits, living standards and exercise routines (or lack thereof) can make these processes easier or more difficult for your body. It’s really that simple.
You can support your natural body detox process with nutrition and supplements.
The foods you eat, the amount of water you drink, they all come together to either aid and abet or slow down the body detox process.
If you want to know which ones to eat, here we listed 19 superfoods that super-charge body detox, and recommend that post as complementary reading.
Knowing that your system takes all the things you consume, put on your body, and think as body-fuel, you want to make sure that you only put the purest quality kind in it - like aircraft-level, light diesel.
But, what happens when you go from old fashioned coal to diesel?
Your body chokes before it soars.
To step away from the plane analogy a bit, that means it may feel uncomfortable for a bit before you feel all the benefits of body detox.
Especially if this is your first detox program.
If your machine is used to running on coal, then it will have a period of adjustment when you put that Grade-A fuel in it. At first, it will be throwing out bits and pieces of that crabby, icky stuff, until all the pipes and inner pieces are cleaned, lubed, and ready to run.
Post-body detox, it’s a turbojet.
If that analogy was too mechanical for you, think of a body detox like a child that’s just been told they can’t have candy anymore. You know they can’t sleep if they have any sugar after 5 PM. But initially, that child will rage and demand candy by every means necessary - especially true if you've caved on this rule in the past. But this time, you hold your ground, and eventually, they go to sleep. Rest well, and even forget about the candy.
The next night, the process is a bit easier. And a few in, they aren't even asking for the candy anymore!
Your body does the same when you go through a body detox, liver detox, or gut cleanse. At first, it rebels against the changes (after all our bodies are designed to keep us safe in the comfort zone of the known). Then, it realizes this is the new “now” and starts to show its appreciation.
So what can you expect with a body detox or gut cleanse?
The 11 Phases of a Body Detox or Liver and Gut Cleanse
The Standard America Diet (aptly-nicknamed the SAD diet) is full of excess sugar, processed foods, fat, and dairy that can wreak havoc on gut bacteria, the liver, pancreas, immune system, and adrenal glands.
You probably know that these can lead to a number of health issues that range from constipation to Diabetes Type 2.
Many of these issues are preventable, and even reversible, through active body detox. Yes! It can be as simple as a few dietary changes in order help your organs eliminate all the effects of those SAD foods.
When you cut processed foods, sugar, wheat, fried and fatty foods, dairy, alcohol, salt, and/or caffeine (all the most common culprits of chronic inflammation, weight gain, and sluggish immune system) you may experience some withdrawal symptoms.
Even as you start fueling your body with lean proteins, low-sodium meals, more fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, you might be surprised to feel these 11 initial "symptoms" of a body detox:
1. Hunger and Cravings
“Help I’m on a clean diet and nothing keeps me satisfied!”
When you change your dietary habit, the gut bacteria that had either overgrown (like Candida Albicans) or sprouted and thrown the system off balance, will not want to go quietly into the dark night. Rather, they’ll rage.
They’ll make you feel hungrier for more “comfort” foods, like white carbs, sugar, salty foods, and fats (hello french fries). This is because you’re starving them out and they want to survive.
Since we actually want to curb old cravings - this is a body detox after all - it is vital to ignore those food cravings. You can also replace them with something similar, that won’t feed the bad bacteria. In fact, this study concludes that “one way to change eating behaviors is by intervening in our microbiota.”
On a body detox and feeling a sugary craving?
Have some Red Juice, it has no sugar, but it is “Tart Sweet” and will calm your nerves gently while boosting your immune system and energy levels with 11 superfoods.
2. Brain Fog or Concentration Issues
Feeling tired, sluggish and/or having difficulty to focus?
Experiencing “brain fog” is a common symptom of body detox. It’s a withdrawal effect, caused by the chemical adjustments your body is undergoing in the first phase of your new diet.
Your brain is a little occupied in the background coordinating changes (“that fat we stored for a rainy day, we need to burn that now people!” - your brain), and as a result, you feel a little below your desired energy level.
Support this phase with our Pure blend for enhanced cognitive function and mental clarity.
3. Bloating
As bacteria dies out and prebiotics (the good guys) resettle in, you’ll likely experience some inflammation or bloating.
This is perfectly normal and to be expected! Like all the other symptoms, this too shall pass. If you want to get over this phase faster consider adding a probiotic supplement to your diet, or some turmeric that fights inflammation.
4. Emotional Fluctuation - AKA Cranky McCrabiness
Having food cravings, cooking and meal prepping, feeling bloated, and a little sluggish - these are all the ingredients of a bad mood.
You’re not eating the things you think you want (it’s really that bad gut bacteria speaking), and you’re tired. This diet change and body detox are not feeling super fun right now.
Of course, you’re emotional. That's ok! Be gentle with yourself.
Your gut is known as your "second brain" because of how powerful it can be when it comes to affecting mood swings.
In fact, 90% of the body’s serotonin is produced in the gut. Additionally, 50% of your dopamine is also produced in it, therefore as you release and remove toxins your body’s ability to produce those “happy feelings” is temporarily affected.
Your gut activity may explain your mood.
Want to feel better? Take a quick nap and then a brisk walk around the block.
5. Increased Thirst
Your body needs water! If you’ve been on a diet of soda and processed drinks, you likely were neglecting water intake and may have even developed a lack of taste for it.
As your body works to flush out all the waste through body detox and gut cleanse, you’ll experience an extra thirsty feeling.
Listen to it - drink up!
6. Better Bowel Movements
It's well-known that a body detox can well, clear things out a bit. That is the purpose!
Typical symptoms of poor gut health are constipation, slow painful movements, or continuous emergency trips to the bathroom after maybe a week of not being able to “go”.
You’ll start noticing that after a few days of the body detox and gut cleanse everything starts to self-regulate and healthier, easier, bowel movements start to happen.
Good news, you’re almost out of the unpleasant phase!
7. Visibly Improved Skin and Hair
As antioxidants find their way to their proper destination, your body detox starts to show off results in clearer skin: few to no pimples, radiant glow, more hydrated looking skin, shinier hair, stronger nails.
This means the gut cleanse has gone full circle and your microbiome is back to normal.
You may experience ups and downs, but there will be a steady improvement and you’ll be able to see it - and enjoy it!
8. Mental Clarity
That day when you wake up feeling refreshed and reborn is truly a breakthrough part of every body detox.
Hello, more mental energy, quick thinking, and better memory.
A body detox -which also comes from dropping processed sugar, and yes, fries- can temporarily affect your thinking. The minute the toxins are flushed out your mental clarity rises and you feel more aware, present, and happy.
Ahhhh....enjoy it!
9. More Energy
No more unexplained tiredness!
This is what we've come for. You’ve received a boost of energy as you feed your body the right fuel and nutrients, you start to soar. Sleep quality improves, regular schedules are easier to follow, and your physical capacities seem to grow.
In reality, this is just the same you, on better food.
Want to boost it even more? Get some Green Juice designed to support daily liver detox, and blood/gut cleanse, with 11 superfoods that keep that spring in your step long after your initial body detox.
10. Weight Loss
The golden hour, you started to drop some weight, the bloating faded visibly as your body gets rid of inflammation and you inadvertently have a stronger immune system.
11. Stronger Immune System, No Inflammation
You may not notice it yet, but you'll likely recover faster from colds and injuries, and resist weather changes better.
Your post-body detox gut is a machine that can fend off viruses without you even noticing!
You made it. You cleared your body from all the things that were holding it back, aided your liver in body detox, achieved peak gut cleanse, and finally have your second brain -the gut- in order.
Not to mention, that dopamine and serotonin production is back on.
Congratulations on sticking it out and making it to the other side!
In addition to the amazing sense of pride from detoxifying your diet, regaining control of your health, and making it through those initially challenging days, just remember one parting thought...
A Body detox is more than a “gut cleanse”
You see it all the time: unscrupulous people offering magic and super fast fixes for liver detox, gut cleanse (a super popular detox method nowadays) and weight loss.
But we would rather be honest with you: while it is possible to see detox results -and benefits - in as little as a few days, a sustainable system reboot only starts with a body detox.
It continues with an adequate, nutrient-rich, diet and incremental lifestyle changes.
When we talk about doing a body detox - and what to expect when you try one- we’re not talking about a silver-bullet, lose-20-pounds-in-72-hours, quick fix.
Those are unhealthy attempts at body detox that end up doing more harm than good; your body needs time to process the new consumption patterns and the majority of the times, it doesn’t like it at first.
We hope this post clarified the body detox process for you and gave you more insight into what to expect when you’re detoxifying. Rather than wait for an enchanting, bump-free ride, arm yourself with determination, knowing that the best is yet to come!