There is a reality: the body gets intoxicated. We intoxicate it. Euphemisms catch up with us: “No, it’s nothing,” we say when our organs start to complain. We ignore that they communicate through sensations for us to look at them, to observe the red flags they raise. Our dull and stained skin tells us this too. The sleep that slips away between surreal episodes announces it to us. The lack of energy indicates it to us. The beginning of the year is perhaps the best shore to dive into new adventures. We need to start anew. A birthday, a new moon, a Monday: everything works. Starting points empower us to distance ourselves from the toxic in our lives –the indifferent partner, that insidious crutch, the friend who takes away our peace, the foods that might be poisoning us without us even stopping to look at their harm–. Israel Chirino, an expert in trofology, indicates that ideally, the body should undergo a detox three times a year, but if that’s not possible, once is enough. “We are in contact with toxins 24 hours a day, whether through food, through breathing, or through contact with some cosmetic, some cream that goes on the skin,” confirms the so-called Trofoamigo. For our clinical nutrition expert, Jennifer Asencio, it is advisable to detox after the year-end feasts, as what we achieve through restriction is to cut the path towards our annual health goals: losing weight, getting rid of cholesterol, leaving behind fatty liver. Detoxification helps release toxins from those organs dedicated to eliminating substances from the body, such as the lungs, liver, kidneys, or colon. When there is an accumulation of toxins in them, discomforts or, worse, diseases begin to arise. We cannot deny it. Sometimes we make wrong decisions about what we put on our plate. Sometimes it’s not just sometimes, it’s always. We put processed meats, excess sugars, iodized salt, refined flours, or trans fats that, due to their quantity and frequency, the body cannot process – the organism stops assimilating and discarding them. This produces immune reactions in our system. “It is necessary to neutralize them so they don’t cause us other types of problems like cellular mutations, which in the long run could develop cancerous tissues, etc.,” asserts Israel. It’s the same for the tuning and balancing of cars. A detox should be done regularly to maintain the proper functioning of organs, metabolism, skin, sleep, and improve quality of life. The way to achieve this is by restoring the body’s biological harmony, “much work is done with the acid-alkaline balance to achieve homeostasis. What detoxification seeks is to recover that balance between both,” states Israel. There are several types of detoxification, but what Trofoamigo recommends is that it be biocompatible with the organism, that what we choose be a source of enzymes and live nutrients. Other methods include supplements, but according to their recommendations, we should choose the most natural option. It’s not about eating air. In the vineyard of detoxification, there are kind, basic foods that help us eliminate what the body has in excess. Chirino recommends greens: lettuces, chard, spinach. He suggests that they be organic, from local farms.He asks us to pay close attention to hydration because not all water is good: to make it potable, it is sometimes subjected to excessive chlorination that could harm the kidneys. The best is slightly mineralized, ionized, and alive water. “Currently, there are filters on the market to achieve this type of water. They even come in portable versions,” he says. He urges us to eat raw ingredients, or at least lightly cooked, that still feel crunchy when bitten, to avoid processed foods and alcohol. Not to disguise food with excessive dressings or too much honey, to undertake detoxification with full awareness. For her part, Jennifer Asencio recommends starting with a 12 to 16-hour fast, drinking green tea, as it “helps a lot to clean the urinary, hepatic, and biliary pathways, as well as to increase the gut microbiota. This produces changes in the body’s pH and improves conditions for more good and beneficial bacteria for the intestine.” Additionally, she states that taking apple cider vinegar on an empty stomach improves intestinal motility and helps clean the urinary and hepatic pathways more easily. With just a juice in the morning, detox will not show all its benefits. According to what the experts tell us, a complete treatment, a change in habits for a few days is necessary to restart the body from head to toe. You are not alone in your health goals. Our in-house nutritionists have created this
detox challenge for us to start the year in a healthier way. We will begin together on January 10 and it lasts ten days, will you join us?