It’s January and I think everyone I know is on some sort of detox! I get it – I too feel a bit puffy from the holidays and want to start the year off fresh. Plus, my hormones have been off the last few months and it’s just getting worse each cycle. If you are considering, or already on, some sort of detox and want to balance your hormones or get pregnant, you need to know that a fertility detox is very different than all of these juice fasts I see people doing right now.
Detox products are a huge industry selling over 100 MILLION dollars worth in 2017. and they often sell to those who are desperate for health. This is simply because many of us are desperate for health, vitality, and fertility.
We’re tired of feeling tired, and we just want some hope that change is possible. Yet, we have a hard time trusting those who are selling us these products meant to give us back our health. And, granted, that mistrust is warranted most of the time since there are plenty of companies and products that are of little to no help, some products even cause more damage.
It seems like it’s been a constant journey to keep my health and fertility on track. Many times, I just wanted that glimmer of hope and so I’ve tried many different dietary and detox protocols over the years. Yet, I failed to stick with the “detox” programs I read about in books, and I would purchase different herbal detox pills, only to fail to finish them. I’d get three weeks in and get sick. Or I’d get so freaking hungry that I’d binge on food I was supposed to eliminate and feel horrible for days.
This is what happens when you work against your body instead of with it.
The detox programs I began often started with good intentions quickly became negative as soon as I began to feel the effects of cutting out caffeine, sugar, and my favorite comfort foods, and I felt deprived and stressed out instead of rejuvenated. I also went into them with negative emotions, expecting to feel miserable – and that ended up being the case.
I had also failed to learn that my body didn’t need me forcing out toxins – it was already doing this for me.
A detox program is usually designed to stress your body to some extent and, many times, dramatically evict and push out toxins of every sort. Instead, we need a program that’s meant to be gentle and support our body through its natural detoxification process! It’s not a “gimmick” or fad, but a simple way to eat and live that allows our bodies to function properly.
Definition of the word cleanse:
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to make clean
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to become clean
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to remove dirt, filth, etc., from
Our bodies are magnificent creations, and they work each day to keep our bodies clean. The problem comes when we live in environments that keep us polluted, or we consume a diet that doesn’t quite give our body the nourishment it needs to complete this task. For this reason, sometimes taking specific herbs and eating in a specific way can help give us the “reset” that we desire.
But that does not have to include fasting (water or juice) and/or feeling miserable for three weeks.
Sure, fasting and juice can be great when done at the appropriate time (allowing the body to focus it’s energy on detoxification instead of digestion), but preconception is not one of those times! When preparing to have a baby, or cleansing to address some hormonal or infertility issues, you have to be extra careful to support instead of restrict.
So, who should do a fertility detox?
I personally think that anyone preparing to have a baby should take four to six months to prepare their body.
Gentle is the key word for those looking to conceive! Causing a mass exodus of toxins from your body may actually be harmful to not only you but a new baby as well. When we begin to push out toxins, excess/old hormones, and waste byproducts without first supporting the natural detoxification system (liver, kidneys, bowels, etc) all of these things cannot be broken down at once, causing them to then recirculate in the body!
We simply want to take time and support our body’s own natural detoxification system in the 4-6 months prior to conception and that’s why I’m a big supporter of using whole foods, herbs, and other natural therapies to assist the body in doing what it was created to do.
You can do a fertility detox and it doesn’t have to be hard!
4 easy ways to support detoxification in the body:
- Dry brush at least 3-4 times each week. This easy and quick process takes just five minutes or so before you hop in the shower and helps to stimulate the lymph system. (the lymph helps removes waste product from the body)
- Move your body every day. Simple movement, like a 15-minute walk, helps increase circulation to your organs, moves the lymph fluid, and even helps with digestion.
- Eat whole foods. Some foods even have nutrients specific to supporting the liver! But making sure you stick to a whole foods diet and cut out all processed foods will leave your body more energy for cleansing when it doesn’t have to work so hard to digest.
- Drink simple herbal teas. There are so many herbs that help support the detoxification process (though not all of them are safe for preconception and pregnancy) and making a cup of tea, or steeping the herbs longer to make an infusion is a great way to assist the body in cleansing.
Simply take steps each day to support your body and let it do all the hard work. Change your diet just a little bit, add some herbs into your daily routine, and figure out what your body needs to thrive.