How do you know if it's time for a detox? Your body gives off signals that show it needs detoxification. Such is the case with the constant feeling of tiredness, acne, headaches, sleeping issues, skin problems, among other symptoms that will need to be addressed before the damage can be more considerable.
That is why in this opportunity we have for you the 20 most common signs your body gives to you when it's time for a detox.
1. Stomach pain
Manifesting digestive problems is one of the main symptoms that it is necessary to start changing your regular diet.
When toxins accumulate in excess, the digestive system cannot function properly. Symptoms such as feeling heavy and having a dirty stomach, gas, slow digestions, and intestinal discomfort will show in your daily life.
You may even suffer from nausea, especially after a fatty meal, as well as suffering from constant constipation. These are clear signs that you need a detox and the recommended way to detox is to do a few days of intermittent fasting.
Related Article: The Ultimate Intermittent Fasting Schedule (Backed by Science)
2. Constant headache
This type of pain may be somewhat universal and naturally treatable, but it is a symptom that the body is not working correctly.
If it becomes constant, it is better to go to a specialist who can diagnose the reason for it, but even migraine is highly related to the food you eat.
Avoiding greasy foods for a month is one of the best detox methods to deal with headaches.
3. Constant and unexplained body pain
If you experience pain in your joints or muscle pain, it could be a sign that it is necessary to eliminate toxins from your body.
Having a diet high in sugar and low on healthy proteins and phytonutrients often cause pain throughout the body.
This has to do directly with foods that cause liver and intestinal inflammation and with sugar.
4. Constant fatigue
This is one of the symptoms of what specialists call adrenal fatigue. It is that the body stops producing adrenal hormones because of excess toxins, which causes excessive tiredness.
Also, fatigue is one of the most obvious symptoms of poor intestinal health. When the bowel does not work as it should, it expends more energy than usual, which is a problem when it comes to wanting to perform during the day.
5. Sugar addiction
Sugar can become an addiction when your diet is not adequate. Such a diet would raise your blood sugar level, which can lead to a need for more sweet foods. Excess of body sugar is troublesome in many ways:
- your body stops processing the food you eat properly to prioritize this "fast energy" source, which leads to gastrointestinal problems.
- Your pancreas, the organ responsible for insulin production, suffers as well because of the sugar excess.
- Excess sugar in the body can also cause sleeping alterations such as insomnia.
Change your foods high on artificial sugar for fruits while you reduce your overall sugar intake.
Related Article: Sugar Detox: Sweeter Than It Sounds, or a Bitter Pill?
6. High BMI
If you are not in the right range of body mass, according to your age and lifestyle, and you have tried to lose weight without success, it may be due to excess toxins. These cause your metabolism to slow down.
7. Stress
Stress causes the body to release cortisol, a hormone that, in excess, produces problems in the metabolism. To avoid this, you can detoxify your daily activities, by doing the following:
- Don't overextend your work time, especially if you work in front of a computer screen.
- Take periodic 5-minute breaks at work
- Try to accomplish at least a goal a day, even if it's a small one.
- Dedicate at least 8 hours a day to sleep. Disconnect from electronic devices 1 hour before bedtime.
8. Insomnia
The body adopts a regular schedule of rest. If you have started to experience problems sleeping at your usual time, it may be a change in the toxins or hormones in your body.
For instance, excess carbohydrates, caffeine, and sugar inhibit the brain function that regulates sleep.
Even excessive exposure to light during the night can lead your body to a lack of rest. Cut down on caffeine, sugar, and screen time during the night and you'll sleep for longer and better.
9. Allergies
When there are many toxins in the body, the immune system tends to weaken, so the environment can cause new allergies.
A way to prevent the appearance of new allergies is by keeping track of your diet, identifying the most common and the most harmful foods in it to reduce their consumption.
10. Frequent colds
If we consider that almost 70% of a person's immune system is in their digestive system, we can almost certainly say that an intestine saturated with harmful substances is synonymous with flu, colds, and some diseases that fly through the air every day.
Consuming citrus fruits (such as lemons and oranges) will keep your immune system boosted against these.
11. Bad mood.
When you have an unhealthy diet, such as a diet high on carbs, sugar, and artificial additives, the liver can make your mood change.
If your body does not receive the necessary nutrients, it has very little energy to carry out its daily activities, and as a result, the frustration that this causes usually turns into a terrible mood.
Eating healthy and in small portions during the day (4-5 small meals a day) can help improve your mood.
12. Lack of concentration
If you refuse to eat healthy foods, you deny yourself the ability to concentrate on your most basic tasks.
Foods high in sugars, carbohydrates, and stimulants like caffeine prevent your body from absorbing the nutrients in other products.
The brain relies on these nutrients to carry out all of its tasks; when the nutrient supply chain is disrupted, so is your brain's normal functioning.
13. Drier skin
If you don't drink enough liquids, your skin gets dehydrated, dry, and loses flexibility. And dry skin is more likely to get wrinkles and age faster.
Water is a vital element for your body since it is involved in many chemical processes and it's used by the body in many detox processes, such as discharge through sweat, mucus, and urine. When your body is dehydrated, toxins accumulate at a higher rate.
14. Flabby skin
If you abuse foods rich in sugars and refined flours, besides promoting the accumulation of toxins in your body, blood glucose goes up.
And when this happens, some of the excess glucose deteriorates proteins such as collagen, which ends up causing skin flaccidity.
15. Grey and dull skin
When your body has a high level of toxins, your skin looks tired and loses its radiance. There is no better indicator of the body's health than the skin.
Generally, its lack of shine is because you are consuming foods that simply do not contribute anything to your body and that, on the contrary, are affecting it.
16. Rashes
Did you know that skin is known as "the third kidney"? It is also actively involved in the body's cleansing processes.
Through secretions such as sweat, it expels some of the waste substances that circulate in the blood.
If the amount of toxins increases, you can notice it in the appearance of pimples, irritations, eczema, and blackheads.
17. The appearance of acne
Chemicals and toxins that accumulate in the skin are eliminated through sweating. But when there is an excess of these molecules, irritations or acne usually appear.
Related Article: Best Detox Water for Acne Scars & Why They Work?
18. Alterations in your urine
When your body is high on toxins, your urine becomes denser, has a darker color and a more intense smell.
A simple method to clear your urine is drinking one or two glasses of water as soon as you wake up every day.
19. Fluid retention
Your belly becomes swollen or bulging, your eyelids, lips, and hands are swollen, or your legs feel heavy.
Again, water is your best friend because liquid retention is usually provoked by an excess of heavy metals and salts in the body.
20. High blood pressure
Hypertension, by itself, is not something you notice right away, so you are not usually aware that your blood pressure is rising unless you go to your doctor, who will take a routine measurement.
That is why you must check it periodically since, apart from being a possible warning that your kidneys are not working well, it is a factor that increases the risk of cardiovascular disease.
High blood pressure comes usually from excess fat and salt, dehydration, and thick artery walls.
What're the Benefits of a Good Detox?
1. Helps your liver to get rid of toxins
Detoxification is a bodily process carried out by several organs, mainly the liver.
It stores toxins that can be accumulative (such as excess salt, sugar, and fat), foreign (substances that can't be broken naturally by your body such as plastic molecules and artificial additives in your food) or harmful (heavy metals such as lead and cadmium, pesticide traces from your food and even excess medication such as painkillers and antibiotics).
After being stored, they leave your body through urine, sweat, and mucus, but this process gets hindered if the liver is overloaded with toxins. By detoxing, you are helping your body eliminate all these substances.
In addition to being your purifier, the liver stands out as the main responsible for the body's energy production.
That's why when it's overloaded, you feel tired. Vegetables and whole grains are rich in fiber, B vitamins, and critical minerals for the liver, which will help you keep it in shape, so you feel more vital.
2. "Detoxing" the inside helps you lose weight
Did you know that weight loss depends mainly on the body's ability to eliminate toxins?
When the natural ways of eliminating toxins are activated (by increasing the frequency of urination and avoiding constipation), and the amount of toxins the body receives is reduced (by increasing fresh foods and reducing saturated fats, proteins and sugars), the body becomes purer, deflated and less expensive to lose weight.
You can also boost its effect on exercise. Furthermore, doing sports helps to detoxify the body, as sweat helps to eliminate toxins through the skin. With only 30 minutes a day, you will achieve your goal.
3. Activates your kidneys and regain your well-being
A detoxifying diet enhances your body's cleansing function, so your kidneys will work better, to begin with.
You will regulate your blood pressure. If you drink eight glasses of water a day and eat at least three pieces of fruit and two portions of vegetables, you will improve your kidneys' ability to cleanse themselves.
Fruit and vegetables have a diuretic effect. This is why they also help to regulate your blood pressure, prevent fluid retention, and control your levels of uric acid.
Excess protein makes the kidney work extra as well, which can be managed with a detox.
4. Purifying your body is also noticeable on your skin
Your skin actively participates in the body's purification processes, and through secretions such as sweat, it expels part of the waste substances that circulate in the blood.
Therefore, another reason why you should go on a cleansing diet is precisely to recover the appearance of your skin.
- More luminous and with less irritation. By eliminating toxins from your body, it improves the quality of your skin.
In addition, the abundance of fruits and vegetables in this type of diet not only helps to hydrate your skin but also provides you with many antioxidants.
These components neutralize the damage caused by free radicals, so they protect the cell structures and make the skin look brighter and suffer less irritation. - Rejuvenated skin. Excess energy is an excellent factory for free radicals. It has a simple explanation: the more calories you take in, the more your cells have to work on digestion, and consequently, the more free radicals are produced.
On the other hand, a light diet will reduce the formation of these aggressors and therefore contribute to slowing down the aging process. - Moisturized and without wrinkles, dry skin is more likely to age earlier and wrinkle. Therefore, when you drink more fluids to help the body eliminate excess toxins, you also stay well hydrated inside.
- Firmer face. A detox diet that restricts foods that trigger high blood glucose levels and helps preserve your skin's firmness longer.
Final Thoughts
Your body is a very wise system when it comes to maintaining itself and eliminating the substances it doesn't need.
It is so sophisticated that, like cars, your body has several "check engine lights"; the signs discussed in this article.
If you have at least two of these symptoms, there is nothing to think about anymore; your body is trying to tell you something significant, and it is your responsibility to listen to it so that none of these signs become a severe disease.
So, if you appreciate your body, just take care of it. It's going to thank you ;).