Is it time for a spring detox?

Image: @jagodakondratiuk

We are getting super excited about the weather finally heating up!! Warmer

temperatures also mean more daylight hours, more time spent outdoors, flowers in

bloom, and delicious fruits and vegetables in season.

It is also an opportunity to transform ourselves for our personal growth through detoxification of the toxins built up in our diet and environment. These toxins cause poor metabolism of energy, disruption to hormones, blood glucose levels and lack of bile production that may result in the following symptoms:

- Fatigue, unrelieved for sleeping 8+ hours

- Poor digestion such as fat malabsorption

- Food cravings

- Foggy memory

- Moodiness/anger

- Skin problems

There are complex systems of detoxifying enzymes in place to minimize the adverse

effects of toxic compounds. It is when these systems are overloaded or imbalanced,

that they manifest as the symptoms listed above.

When we include things like alcohol, caffeine, stimulants, sugar, saturated fats as part of our regular diet, the liver detoxification capacity is reduced, and reactive toxins are unable to be sufficiently excreted. If there are similarities in your diet, this might be a good idea to spring detox to feel vibrant going into summer. As we are all individual, there isn’t a one fits all so booking in with Karah can be a great way to have a detox diet tailored to your own needs. Even making a few small changes in the diet can be a great way to decrease your toxic load.

Organization is key. Boil some eggs at the start of the week, mix your favorite nuts to

have on hand, switch to decaf coffee, and remove tempting foods from the pantry. A

great way to stay on track is by having a big salad made up at the start of the week

to have for lunch every day.

1. Liska, D., Lyon, M. and Jones, D.S., 2006. Detoxification and biotransformational

imbalances. Explore: The Journal of Science and Healing, 2(2), pp.122-140.

2. Nestle, M., 1997. Broccoli sprouts as inducers of carcinogen-detoxifying enzyme

systems: clinical, dietary, and policy implications. Proceedings of the National

Academy of Sciences, 94(21), pp.11149-11151.

Jade is a final year Naturopathy student at the Southern School of Natural Therapies. She is currently practicing in the student clinic on their Fitzroy Campus.