How to detox and lose weight in good time?

It's summer! It's time to rev yourself up, detox and lose weight for those skimpy bikinis and lovely clothes you want to get back into. You want to feel good about yourself again, but you don't know how to dress your bigger body.

It's definitely not too late!

The time factor is on everybody's mind. They think it's too late to detox and revamp their diet because they didn't do it in spring.

Guess what? It doesn't take that long to do a detox, and you can do it at any time of year to look good and feel good about yourself again.

You might be feeling bloated and heavy, but you are only a week or two away from feeling fitter and healthier. Hooray!

Here are my top tips for a successful detox at any time of year!

Avoid the nasties

Try to avoid alcohol, over the counter drugs and caffeine to really give your body a rest, and revamp your diet!

Cut out excess fat from heavy meats and full fat cheese, as well as sugar and all its relatives such as high-fructose corn syrup, honey, molasses, maple syrup, sugar cane, pure sugar cane juice, evaporated cane juice, dried cane juice, maltodextrin and all products ending in "ose" (such as sucrose, fructose and levulose) which are just as bad.  

Up your water intake

Up your pure water intake, and include herbal teas in your quota. More water throughout the day will help you flush out toxins and clear your system out.

Aim for 8-10 cups of pure water/herbal tea per day.

Eat a daily mix of detoxifying foods

The cruciferous vegetables which include broccoli, cabbage and brussels sprouts work on your liver detoxification pathways, as do beetroot, asparagus, onions and green leafy veg. Eating these will literally help you excrete more toxins.

You should also include vitamin C rich foods like peppers, kiwis and tangerines in your diet, as well as high fibre foods like whole oats and rye to keep you regular. Staying regular prevents toxins building up in your body.

Add healthy oils

Add a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil to your food each day.

Eat good protein

Protein is important for a liver detox, so be sure to have at least two servings a day of healthy protein a day (the size of one palm).

Healthy protein includes lean chicken, turkey, fish or eggs.

Sweat it out

Add half a kilo of Epsom salts to a plain hot bath, then sit and sweat out your toxins for 20 - 30 minutes. Drink plenty of water whilst you soak and exfoliate beforehand to really open up your pores. You should see a measurable difference after your bath.

Build up your exercise  

Get out there and power walk it off. Exercise oxygenates our body and gets the blood and lymph moving around the body. This is all great for a detox!

This is just the tip of the iceberg, but you will do great if you follow the advice, and you will see and feel a tangible difference.

And whilst there are so many things you can do to detox your body, one of the best things is to see a nutritionist. A nutritionist will work with you personally to understand how your body is working, and how it needs to be supported from a detox perspective. You will be able to detox in a deeper way whilst being supported by a professional.

Enjoy your detox.