Andy and I read a review of a detox program called "Clean" in Outside Magazine and we have decided to do it. We bought the book "Clean", by Alejandro Junger and read all about the toxins in our daily life. It is really quite incredible how much crap goes into our bodies! Junger is a doctor so he talks about medicine in the US and how so much is wrong with it and our health system. His Clean program was put together through his studies of Eastern Medicine along with the present and past histories of humans and how our bodies run.
Junger talks about toxins in our water, processed foods, on fresh vegetables, in home products, body-care products, and even the air. All of these toxins build up in our bodies and cause problems. A lot of these problems are very simple things that we have just taken to be normal, but in reality, they are toxins that can be taken care of. Some examples of what problems toxins cause are: constipation, allergies, depression, low energy, bloating, anxiety, acne, sleeplessness, weight gain...and the list goes on. According to Junger, these can all be taken care of with a yearly detox.
Junger explains that early humans used to hunt and gather their food. It was a diet of animal protein, berries, and some fruits and vegetables. (No yogurt, chips, or tofu) Often though, there were famines, and the early humans would go periods of time with little to no food. This allowed their bodies to turn on a natural detox. Over a month or two with little to no food, the body would rid itself of any toxins, allowing the body to heal any problems, and then prepare for the next nutrients that it would get. This is a natural detox that we no longer get because of our modern society.
The 'Clean Program' is a detox designed to be less food and only nutrient rich food, as to trigger the body's natural detox state. The state is first triggered by far less food being consumed. Once the body gets less food it immediately goes into detox mode and starts releasing toxins that have been built up. Then, the particular nutrients that go into the body recommended by 'Clean' are what cause the toxins to flush out. The rich antioxidant foods, omega-3's, and fiber are what help to push the toxins out of the body. Without these particular foods, the toxins would still be released, only to cycle back into the system causing yet more problems.
