I know someone who’s been stuck in that space for the last twenty years. Mandy is a patient of mine and she’s struggled with her weight since she turned 30. She’s tried every diet, counted calories and exercised like there’s no tomorrow. When she first came to see me she said “I’m the fittest fat bitch I know”. Her doctor suggested she have the gastric sleeve, where the stomach is reduced to around 15% of its original size but opposed, realising there are more natural options other than tampering with the anatomy. When her weight crept up to just over 105kg, she’d had enough and she sought my advice.

Mandy is a self-confessed night owl, fought going to bed and when she finally hit the hay around midnight, she’d often take medication to help her sleep. Adrenal testing showed that her evening cortisol level was too high.  As a result she felt “wired” at night. She’d wake at various times through the night, tossing and turning for about an hour before going back to sleep and waking the next morning feeling wretched. The extra weight and high inflammation were causing her feet and body to ache constantly. Digestion was sluggish – she was often constipated – and felt bloated and “blah”.

We kicked off with a liver detox – a really sensible and safe one – with guidelines on a wholefood, nutritious diet and a couple of nutritional and herbal supplements to support the liver and help with elimination of toxins. She surfaced at the end of the three week detox feeling amazing and made it quite clear she wanted more. Read more about detox programs here.

Mandy’s now following a slightly modified program that supports weight loss, control of blood sugar and long term health. Her weight loss should start to slow a little – we’re aiming for an average 0.5-1kg per week which puts her in prime position for long term sustained weight loss and maintenance once she reaches her goal.  Already, Mandy has seen a vast improvement in her presenting symptoms.  She’s sleeping better, has more energy, no more bloating or constipation and her aches and pains have greatly improved. And the best part is that she’s lost 7kg, putting her under the 100kg mark and still going strong with motivation and excitement for what the future holds.

Teamwork is a vital component when it comes to health care and it requires effort from everyone on the team to achieve victory however that looks for the individual.  When it comes to achieving your short and long term health goals, who’s in your corner?

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Why most detox programs are rubbish
Qualified health practitioners are often sceptical of most detox programs available on the market. Here are a few reasons why:

They neglect the power of food as medicine
Detox programs are usually product-based – and expensive products at that. They will either neglect the diet entirely, or give you a bland, generic meal plan.

But some of the best ways to support your body’s detox processes can be found in the supermarket! Foods like berries, green leafy vegetables, herbs and spices are just some examples. There is no such thing as a supplement deficiency – only a nutrient deficiency.

They aren’t personalised to you
Everyone has different nutritional needs, different preferences for foods and a different lifestyle. It might not be feasible for you to live off shakes for a week if you live an active lifestyle, or juice every 3 hours if you’re at work.. Any change to your diet – short-term or long-term – should be tailored to suit you.

They are a quick fix
Very few programs will help you transition to a balanced diet that suits your body. Most are a few weeks long, then you go back to your usual eating pattern. If you do lose weight, it usually piles back on.

How your body’s detoxification system works
Your liver does the bulk of the detoxification work. Here, there are two main phases that take place. Phase 1 converts potentially problematic chemicals into intermediate compounds. Phase 2 then converts these compounds into water-soluble waste products for the body to excrete.

It’s important that phase 2 occurs, as the intermediate compounds can be quite toxic and reactive. It is this phase that many practitioners will focus on when supporting natural detoxification.
Your elimination channels include sweat, urine and faeces. The body will dump waste products into one or more of these channels to eliminate them.

Easy tips to support your detox pathways
Want to give your liver some love without spending loads on fancy laxatives? Here are some simple ways to support your detox pathways naturally.

Drink plenty of water
Water is essential for almost every process in the body, including detoxification. It makes up the fluid that runs through the elimination channels and lymphatic system. So if you’ve been a bit slack with your water intake, now is your chance to boost it back up. Check out this blog post for easy ways to increase your water intake.

Eat more greens
Vegetables are detoxification superstars, and greens are some of the best out there. So find some way to include more green in your daily diet. Make green leafy vegetables the base of your plate, and build your meal around them. Snack on celery and cucumber sticks with your dip of choice. You can even add greens to a smoothie or omelette with breakfast.

Don’t forget your protein
Many of the processes in phase 2 detox rely on amino acids, which are the building blocks of protein. Make sure you’re including quality sources of protein with each meal. Grassfed meat, free range chicken and eggs, fish, shellfish, legumes, beans and pseudograins like quinoa are a few options to include.

If you’re looking for an evidence-based approach to support your detox pathways and overall wellbeing, book in a session with Jenni at Evoke Naturopathy.

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