5 Ways To Detox Your Body That Don't Involve Limiting Your Food Intake

I'm sure you've heard of the age-old detoxing trend.

You know, that thing where you pretty much starve yourself for a week, with the tiny exception that you still get to consume completely unsatisfying green juices that are supposed to transform you into a new, glowing person by the time your seven days are up.

I don't know about you, but that life is really not for me.

I want a clean, healthy body from the inside out, but I would still like to enjoy my food at the same time.

Is that really too much to ask?

Elite Daily spoke with Mindy Lu, a nutritionist and food and body therapist, who discusses her take on detoxing your body without limiting your food intake:

When you do [something like a juice cleanse], you're not taking in any proteins or any fats. Proteins and fats are really important for neurotransmitters and hormones, so your body goes out of whack [without them].

Lu stresses that juice cleanses severely limit your body of the nutrition it needs which, in a way, counteracts the whole detox aspect of it.

She explains,

I think if people want to make lifestyle changes to benefit their health. It's more than what you put in your body. It's a mental mindset. Food is not just about food. It's about how you feel about food, how you think about it, it's your fears and anxieties about it. What about food makes you happy?

In fact, detoxing from food altogether actually warps your brain, as well as your emotional behavior:

Mentally, when you're restricting [food], it leads to more harmful health behaviors that become problematic in the future. Rather than detoxing, I'd really recommend exploring what health means to you. What are your challenges around creating good healthy habits? There are other ways of caring for your body that are not detoxing. Acts of self care are not just cleansing for your body, but [are cleansing] for you mentally and emotionally too, and that goes a long way.

In the name of healthy self-care, here are five ways you can start to detox your body, without all the ridiculous and unnecessary food restrictions.

 1. Oil Pulling

Oil pulling can literally save you a trip to the dentist.

It draws the impurities out of your body, improving your oral health as well as overall health.

Some of the benefits include whiter teeth, improved breath, and cavity prevention, just to name a few.

Feel free to choose any oil of your liking, whether it's sesame oil, grape-seed oil, or basically any other type you can find! Most people tend to opt for coconut oil, due to its antibacterial properties.

2. Facial Steaming

Herbal facial steams cleanse your pores, hydrate your skin, and give you that healthy, radiant glow we all adore.

The steam helps to open your pores, and thus removes bacteria, dirt, and impurities.

The moisture of the heat revives your skin and allows it to accept moisture more easily, and the glow comes from a healthy circulation of your blood flow.

‪3.  Hot Yoga

Hot yoga cranks the heat up to a whopping 105 degrees, so you already know that impurities are being shed left, right, and center up in that yoga studio!

The more you sweat, the more toxins you release.

Yes, it'll be uncomfortable, but trust me, it'll be so worth it.

‪4. Drink Plenty Of Water

Detoxing your body can honestly be as simple as upgrading your daily water intake.

Water helps to flush your body of toxins, and it also helps you move your bowels more easily. And, come on, who wouldn't want that?

A solid daily dose of H20 also allows your cells take in nutrients, remove waste, and transport nutrients to every organ in your body.

‪5. Probiotics

Probiotics are good for breaking down toxic man-made chemicals that your body otherwise cannot defend itself from.

Shoutout to the release of those nasty impurities. #WeDon'tWantYouHere.

And special shoutout to a detox that still allows me to enjoy my three meals a day, and snacks in between.