Seven-Day Detox Through the Seven Channels of Elimination

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The seven-day detox plan can take the load off the organs that detoxify the body while at the same time supporting and improving their performance.

The purpose of any detox plan is to take the load off the organs that detoxify the body, while at the same time supporting and improving their performance. When the body confronts a toxin or foreign substance, it uses seven channels to eliminate the toxin as quickly as possible. If a channel of elimination isn’t working effectively, the body recycles the toxin or foreign substance — and that can lead to poor health.

If you detox by focusing only on diet and ignore any of the seven channels, then you aren’t detoxing effectively. To gain the full health benefits from detoxing, you need to detox through all seven channels of elimination:

The Seven Channels

1. The liver works to cleanse the body of toxins and foreign substances.
2. The lungs are used to pull in oxygen, which every cell in your body needs.
3. The lymphatic system is a body-wide filtration system that supports immune function. Movement causes this system to work effectively.
4. Blood serves a similar purpose as your lymphatic system, transporting substances throughout the body for either use or elimination.
5. Skin is your body’s largest organ of elimination. Adding no toxins to it, sweating, and cleansing it is a nice way to keep your skin healthy and ensure this important channel of detoxification is working at full capacity.
6. The colon is the channel through which waste is physically transported out of the body. Hydration is essential for good colon function.
7. The kidneys generate urine, which is a vehicle for moving waste products out of the body. Like the colon, hydration is essential to kidney function.

Seven-Day Detox Plan

Follow these seven rules or habits for a full week.

1. Exercise daily for at least 30 minutes. Do something that causes you to “huff and puff,” like brisk walking, jogging or other aerobic activity. This will open the lungs, get your blood flowing and help your lymphatic system filter toxins.
2. Breathe deeply. Incorporate deep breathing into your day for at least five minutes each day. Sit quietly, focus on your breath, and breathe in and out slowly and deeply. This is a good time to meditate, which will help detoxify your mind as well as your body. (Also, it is another great way to use the lungs during your detox.)
3. Aid digestion. Start each morning with a coffee or tea replacement, for example, the juice from half a lemon squeezed into a cup of hot water. After lunch, drink a one-quarter cup of apple cider vinegar mixed with water (hot or cold). Before or after dinner, drink hot herbal ginger tea. This will help the colon, a vital channel for your detox.
4. Drink water. Drink up to 8 glasses of water per day.
5. Sweat and cleanse. In addition to daily exercise that may cause you to sweat, engage in some form of passive sweating daily. For example, sitting in a sauna or hot shower (but not in the water yet) or sitting outside on a hot day. When you shower afterward, use a body brush or loofah, in a circular motion, to remove the released toxins and dead skin.
6. No toxins in your body or environment. No alcohol. No caffeine. No added sugar. No excessive salt. No smoking. No tobacco. Nobody or hair products with artificial fragrances. No harsh chemicals or cleaning products.
7. Eat well. All or most of your food should be organic to ensure pesticides and other toxins do not enter your body and tax your elimination system. There are also foods to avoid and to enjoy:

Food to Avoid

• Alcohol
• Caffeine
• Added sugar
• Excessive salt
• Dairy products — except plain yogurt or kefir
• All grains (including wheat rye, barley, oats, and spelt) except brown rice or quinoa — this means no bread, biscuits, cakes, pasta, etc.
• Dried fruit (dried fruit without sulfur is acceptable, but it’s still better to avoid all dried fruit)
• Fat and skin of meat (both store more toxins than the meat itself)
• Processed food
• Preservatives (like nitrates and nitrites)

Food to Enjoy

• Herbal tea
• Fresh fruit
• Fresh vegetables — raw or cooked
• Fresh fish
• Lean red meat, chicken (without the skin), pork (without nitrates or nitrites), or lamb – only one serving of meat each day, and preferably only two to three servings per week
• Legumes, such as kidney beans, chickpeas, lentils – dried or canned
• Eggs, preferably organic
• Olive oil (preferably extra virgin)
• Nuts — Raw (or roasted at home) unsalted almonds, walnuts, macadamias, and cashews
• Seeds — raw (or roasted at home) unsalted sesame, pumpkin, and sunflower seeds

Sample Seven-Day detox plan: What to Eat

Breakfast:

• Hot water with lemon
• Two to three eggs (boiled, scrambled or fried with olive oil)
• Fresh fruit
• Mid-morning snack: one-quarter cup nuts or seeds

Lunch:

• Large salad with vegetables and legumes, without meat or cheese
• Olive oil and vinegar
• Mid-afternoon snack: Fruit, vegetables and hummus, or nuts or seeds

Dinner:

• Lean protein or fish
• Vegetables
• Brown rice or quinoa
• Fresh fruit for dessert

Give your body a break and improve your health by following this gentle and doable detox for seven days.

© Photos/iStockPhoto

This post is not intended to substitute for medical advice or prescribed medication. Especially if you have special health needs or a special diet, consult a physician before undertaking any new diet or exercise plan.

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