You are never too old to find the “new you” and what better time than the New Year? After the excesses of the holidays, you may want to get serious about getting your beauty and health regimen back on track. One way to do this is to “detox” your system.

One of my favorite authors on the subject is Mark Hyman, MD. He is  is a New York Times bestselling author of UltraMind, UltraMetabolism and The UltraSimple Diet  and editor in chief of “Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine,” the most prestigious journal in the field of Integrative Medicine, and the Medical Editor of Natural Solutions.

Detox – what does it mean?

Detoxing is a continuous, natural process our bodies are designed to do automatically through sweat, urine and stools. However, in our current modern environment, our ability to detox is affected when our body gets overloaded from toxins in our diet and in our environment.

Sources of toxins could include:

Heavy metals, mercury and lead, petrochemicals, residues, pesticides and fertilizers

Molds and toxins from molds

Food sensitivities

Too much processed food

Stress

When this happens, inflammation results. Most people don’t realize toxicity can lead to more simple health concerns we take for granted, like:

Headaches

Joint Pain

Constipation

Irritability

Weight loss resistance

Itchy skin and rashes

Bad breath

Poor concentration

Fatigue

What are the benefits of Detox?

Clearer skin and eyes

Weight loss

Increased productivity

Increased mental clarity

Greater motivation

Reduction of allergies

There are a lot of different programs out there to help you — some are more intense than others and you will have to find what works best for your body.

Think nutrition! Start eating the things that are good for you, fresh, organic produce and whole grains to start.  Stop putting into your body things that are bad for you, like  refined sugar, flour, alcohol, sedatives, stimulants.

Keep hydrated and drink plenty of water – since toxins are passed out through urine.

Exercise five times a week.

Try saunas, Jacuzzis or hot-baths.  They are good for relaxing and the sweating helps to get rid of the toxins as well.

Keep your bowels moving.

Detoxing with Food  – If you really are serious, you should do your food detox for 2-3 weeks

During these two weeks, you want to avoid:

High fructose corn syrup and trans fats

Refined and processed foods

Caffeine and alcohol

Sedatives and stimulants

Avoid common food allergens like gluten, dairy, soy, corn, eggs, nightshade and yeast

How you can detox at home

When you wake up in the morning, you want to drink a lot of water. And having a warm glass of water with lemon is actually really good for cleansing your system.

You want to have a really good breakfast with enough protein to get you going so that you don’t feel hungry throughout the day. For example, you can make yourself a nice turkey pattie with some polenta as a side, or if you want to make a healthy smoothie with lots of fruits and vegetables, remember to add a couple tablespoons of hemp protein powder or brown rice protein powder.

A light lunch could be organic grilled chicken breast with a fresh green salad, and some quinoa pilaf.

What we want to do is to make sure that you are having small snacks throughout the day so that you are not feeling hungry and you are keeping a consistent blood sugar level in your body. For that, we would recommend a few snacks throughout the day. Have some almonds and raisins handy if you are out and about, and you can always snack on them in the office.

Eat organic meats and lots of healthy green vegetables.