I have just come across a new diet developed by British pharmacist Mike McInnes and his son Stuart, a nutrition expert. The Hibernation Diet jumpstarts the body’s recovery system by revving the fat-burning metabolism, easing stress hormones and getting a better night’s help. They recommend the consumption of honey just before going to bed as this will will improve the sleep process and allow the body to recover during the night fast by burning body fat.

Watch the below video where Mike McInnes explains the principles behind The Hibernation Diet

To address the problem, you resort to eating more, drinking cups of coffee and (for some) smoking, thinking that you will feel more lively after. Often you feel better for a short while afterwards, however by doing so you are accumulating toxins in your body which will contribute to your lethargy and general tiredness.

Nowadays, we want our bodies to be constantly active so we can move along with the fast paced lifestyles. Hence, we resort to body stimulants such as coffee, cigarettes, diet pills, drugs and more thinking that they will help the body to stay alert. In, the long term they in fact do the opposite. These stimulants can cause loss of energy and emotional symptoms such as headaches, sickness and depression. They are also accumulated as toxins in the body.

Toxins are agents that can cause harm to the body. There are two kinds of toxins, the Exogenous or external toxins and Endogenous or internal toxins. The Exogenous toxins come from external sources such as car fumes, tobacco smoke, drugs, factory pollution, etc. Enogenous toxins come from viral or bacterial infection. The bodies metabolism also creates its own toxins called Autogenous toxins.

These harmful substances are eliminated from the body by a process called detoxification. Detoxification is the removal of stored toxic products from the bowel, the blood, liver, and kidneys.

The body detoxifies itself naturally all day. The peak of detoxification occurs when the body is rested during sleep until noon. In this way the body can naturally eliminate the toxins acquired from pollution, stimulants and nutrients.One of the easiest ways to help detoxify the body is through a natural diet. Basically changing your diet from a poor to a healthy one to include fish, fruits and vegetables.

The most common stimulants taken by people are refined white sugar, coffee, diet pills, cigarettes and red meat. By replacing these in our diet we can assist the natural detoxification process.

Sugar has a stimulating effect. Hence, we feel invigorated when we drink colas, however, refined white sugar has detrimental effects on the body and it is advised to cut down on it by replacing it with brown sugars like cane sugar which is natural. Fruit juices also give the same kick as to refined white sugar without the harmful effects.

Many people drink coffee to keep them awake at various times during the day. A natural substitute to coffee with a detoxifying effect is Japanese or Chinese green tea. The Japanese or Chinese green tea gives the same kick because it also contains caffeine but it does not contain substances that are irritating to the stomach.

Try replacing some of these elements in your diet and hopefully you will be pleasantly surprised by the renewed energy you feel.

I will let you know what I get back!

Damian

“Detox, short for detoxification, in general is the removal of toxic substances from the body. It is one of the major functions of the liver, lower gastrointestinal tract and kidneys, but can also be achieved artificially by techniques such as dialysis and (in a very limited number of cases) chelation therapy.”

Detox also refers to a natural detoxification of the body in which a person stops eating processed foods, meats and dairy products in an effort to cleans the body.

What does a Detox do to your body?

Think of detoxing your body as a spring clean. A detox can dramatically reduce the presence of unwanted toxins, wiping the slate clean. In turn you will:

• Have more energy
• Boosts your immune system
• Improve your complexion
• Banish cellulite
• Lose weight and inches

Why Detox your body?

Even when we think we are eating right and being healthy, toxins still build up in our bodies and can become major factors to common health complaints such as fatigue, headaches, stress, weight gain, bloating and many more including just feeling run down.

What causes a build up of toxins?

Often food is over processed causing detoxifying nutrients to be lost and chemicals to be added to enhance colour, flavour or to extend the shelf life.

But it’s not just what we eat that builds up toxins in our bodies, it’s also the environment in which we live in. Cigarette smoke, pollution, pesticides, they all play their part.

This is that people say they are going to “detox”. At first I took this to mean that they were going to lay off the booze for a while and drink loads of water however I now realise that there is a whole detox industry growing and like a lot of “new industries” there are both good and bad sides.

Having spent some time to research the meaning of detox I now realise that the term covers a multitude of sins and have therefore decided to create this blog to discuss these areas and review some of the detox products that are now available.

If you have any comments or questions regarding this site or detox in general please post comments.

Damian