If you’ve ever wanted to lose a few pounds, shed some extra water weight, or just reset your body after a weekend of crushing too much pizza, then you’ve probably thought about doing a detox at some point. But what if I told you that your body needs to detox more often than the moments you get frustrated trying to wiggle into your skinny jeans? Would you recognize the signs and symptoms?
It’s common for people to misread the signals that our bodies give us when it’s time for a detox because these signals are also common PMS symptoms. So, how can you tell if you need a detox? These are the clear-cut signs you need to detox, how to treat it, and the benefits you can expect once you start.
Article At a Glance
- What is a detox?
- Detox benefits
- Signs you need to detox
- Treatment
What Is A Detox?
So, what is detoxing? Simply put, detoxification is when you rid your body of impurities and toxins that have accumulated over time. Toxins are potentially harmful substances we come into contact with every day—from pesticides on your produce, pollutants in the air, unpronounceable ingredients in processed foods, cleaning products, and even heavy metals like mercury and arsenic in the soil, just to name a few.
The good news is that your body is fully equipped to detox itself (considering you don’t stumble into a radioactive swamp somewhere). But if you’re carelessly exposing yourself to environmental toxins and skimping on nutrients and proper hydration, your body’s natural detoxification system can be inhibited.
This is a huge problem for a lot of people that attempt a detox. It’s important to remember that you can’t expect your body get rid of all the junk if you keep giving it more junk. It’s like trying to clean a glass with dirty water. It just doesn’t work. When you detox, make sure to incorporate high fiber foods with lots of vitamins and minerals, along with drinking plenty of water.
Detox Benefits
Detoxing your body has a variety of health benefits, including:
- Toxin removal
- Boosts energy levels
- Reduces bloating
- Increases metabolism
- Improves complexion
- Boosts immunity
- Better smelling breath
- Promotes weight loss
The most noticeable benefits from a detox are typically physical ones. Because toxins tend to build up in major organs, like your liver and stomach, you may experience more noticeable changes in these areas. For example, you may experience less bloating, more energy, and clearer skin. Less fatigue, better quality sleep, and better concentration have all been associated with detoxing as well.
Once people begin to feel better physically and mentally, the feeling can become addictive and can often lead to a healthier lifestyle altogether. It is very common for people to kick bad habits that contribute to the toxicity, like smoking, unhealthy eating, and drinking excess alcohol.
Signs & Symptoms
Our bodies do an incredible job letting us know when something is “off”. If even gives you some signs you need to detox when your body can’t operate at it’s best. If you have experienced four or more of these symptoms over the past three months it’s possible that you might have a congested liver that needs detoxing.
1. Chronic headaches
How can a headache be a symptom of a diseased liver, you ask? The pain you will feel will be in the temples or the back of your head. It can often be confused with a tension headache. But to determine the true cause of this headache you should note if it is accompanied with stomach pains, the feeling of fullness, discomfort, or nausea.
Toxins in the body can prevent the liver from performing its normal function of sending us the energy we need to the brain. This irritates the central nervous system and we experience pain and fatigue as a result.
2. Bad breath or white/yellowish coating on tongue
Having one or both of these symptoms might be a sign that you have a chemical buildup in your body. There are hundreds of different bacteria that live inside your mouth. Although most of them are completely normal, there are a few that can cause a thick coat of white or yellowish matter on the tongue that can also contribute to chronic bad breath, or halitosis.
This type of bacteria is caused by poor gastrointestinal health or a diseased liver. It is very common that a diet high in fat, alcohol, sugar, and chemicals from processed foods are the underlying cause of this. When the liver is overworked, it’s unable to remove toxins as quickly as we consume it.
Our bodies have the ability to naturally combat toxins, however, when you experience toxins in excess, your body struggles to keep up.
3. Abdominal bloating or gas
When poison doesn’t escape your body, it can stick around in the form of belly bloat and gas and cause uncomfortable stomach pains. According to Functional Medical Practitioner, Dr. Will Cole D.C.:
“Your microbiome contains a vast collection of bacteria. When you don’t have enough good bacteria, bad bacteria takes over and leads to inflammation and a slowed metabolism.”¹
When your digestive system is slowed down or damaged, the side effects will be very hard to ignore… Hello sweatpants!
4. Low energy/mental fog
When your body can’t eliminate toxins quick enough, they can build up and cause inflammation. This type of inflammation causes a condition known as “leaky brain” which occurs when there is damage to the blood-brain barrier (the filter that prevents toxic substances from reaching the brain). If you find that you aren’t able to focus or if you are experiencing chronic fatigue you this might be due to toxicity in the liver.
5. Moodiness/insomnia
Adrenal fatigue is a very common side effect of a toxic liver. When your liver attempts to detox itself it goes into hyperdrive and can create stress on the adrenal glands, forcing them to overproduce or underproduce cortisol (the stress hormone). Adrenal fatigue and can cause your internal clock, or “circadian clock”, to be off. Basically what this means is that your body struggles to determine the time of day, which can lead to a lot of restless nights and cranky moments throughout the day.
6. Skin breakouts/itchy skin
Your liver is your body’s main detoxifying organ. When there is a build-up of toxins, it needs to eliminate waste in other ways. Since your skin also eliminates toxins through your sweat, you may experience issues with your skin. Breakouts, rashes, and dry skin are common side effects of excess toxins being released.
7. Muscle aches and pains
If you aren’t pushing yourself at the gym but constantly feel sore and achy, you most likely have chronic inflammation.
How To Treat The Side Effects
The symptoms of needing a detox can be brutal. But the good news is that there is something you can to get the detoxification process started.
1. Eat clean
Eating clean basically means choosing foods that are in the most natural state as possible when you acquire (eat) them. For instance, eating a whole, fresh peach would be a food in a more natural state compared to eating peaches from a can. The less processed the food, the more natural it is.
2. Eat more fruits & vegetables
Fruits and vegetables are packed with micronutrients (vitamins and minerals). These micronutrients help your organs and body function more efficiently allowing your liver to properly detox. They also provide copious amounts of fiber that regulate your digestive system and flushes toxins.
3. Eliminate added sugar, alcohol, & junk food
This might seem slightly obvious when you’re trying to detox, but it’s an important reminder to leave the unhealthy diet behind you. This means eliminating foods that make it harder for your body to digest.
4. Take care of your gut
When it comes to detoxing, it’s important to take care of your gut. Taking a pre- and probiotic helps to activate the body’s digestive system to flush out toxins, promote your body’s overall balance, calm bloating, and can even help you lose excess pounds.
5. Use a natural detox tea (without laxatives!)
When you begin any detox routine, your body will be adapting to new things—which means it might need some help regulating. Using a natural detox tea, like SkinnyFit Detox, contains 13 powerful superfoods that helps with excess bloating that comes with adapting to a healthier diet.
The best part is that SkinnyFit Detox doesn’t contain any laxatives (unlike most detox teas on the market), which means you won’t be running to the bathroom every few minutes! Detox teas that contain laxatives can cause stress to your digestive tract and can end up causing more damage than you think! SkinnyFit Detox helps you detox naturally and comfortably.
Mentioned In This Post
SkinnyFit Detox Tea
Slim down, soothe bloating, and boost your energy naturally! Unlike other detoxes, SkinnyFit Detox has NO laxatives and is made with 13 metabolism-boosting superfoods.
