Detoxification is not a petty indulgence or a one-off event or even something is solely restricted to be done in detox spas. It is a lifestyle. It is an ongoing process. A major part of detox therefore will have to happen where you are most of the time and that would be your own home. You may detox at home by making simple dietary changes and monitoring it on a regular basis.

Maverick filmmaker, Morgan Spurlock, made a hit documentary called “Super Size Me”. He volunteered himself to be the guinea pig for this documentary film. He ate nothing but McDonald’s fast food meals for 30 days, gaining nearly 25 pounds. His health deteriorated rapidly and it was really bad. It was worse than he expected it to be. He developed quickly serious health problems, including high blood pressure, high cholesterol, depression, headaches, mood swings, and liver problems.

His girlfriend, Alexandra Jamieson, who is the author of ‘The Great American Detox Diet’ faced an uphill task of detoxifying Morgan and restoring him back to his original state. Being a health counselor, she developed a two-month home detox program. Her main detox recommendations are as follows:

Drink 8-10 glasses of clean, potable water. This flushes your body system and replaces the water lost through perspiration and excretion. Avoid eating refined carbohydrate products such as sugar, white flour. They pump up the body with empty calories and give you a temporary ‘carb’ high. Instead use better substitutes such as agave nectar. Break free from your addiction to caffeine-laced beverages. Caffeine is a strong stimulant and interferes with your normal sleep patterns. Include essential fatty acids in your regular diet. These essential fatty acids can be found in unrefined flax seed oils and walnuts. Avoid these like the plague – unhealthy saturated fats (almost all fast food) and hydrogenated fats, usually found in processed foodstuffs.

Increase the amount of fiber intake in your daily diet. Fiber promotes good bowel movement which is a simple way of detoxifying the digestive and intestinal tract. Consume more complex carbohydrates such as whole grains, fresh fruits and organic vegetables. Eat less protein especially meat and dairy products. Both contain voluminous traces of chemical hormones and antibiotics. Replace animal sources of protein with non-animal ones.

Reduce your exposure to toxins and pollutants by adopting a ‘green’ lifestyle. Re-evaluate your lifestyle choices. The best home detox program would ideally require an ongoing commitment to a lifestyle of detoxification. Choose organic foods and practice controlled eating. Use saunas, steam, colonics, skin brushing, epsom salt baths, and massage as frequently as possible. You can lower stress and anxiety through meditation, visualization, relationship-nurturing, and positive-thinking.