Why is it good to detox?

Put simply, an occasional detox works because it gives your body a break. By channelling the body's energies away from dealing with meals and snacks that are difficult to digest and metabolise, and which play havoc with blood sugar, you can free up energy for regeneration and cleansing

A detox regime increases your intake of foods and drinks that serve our bodies well as building blocks. A detox plan provides protective antioxidants and simultaneously cuts out those habits that rob you of nutrients and optimal health.

Love your liver

We all have an inbuilt detox system. Cleansing organs include the digestive tract (which definitely needs a break after Christmas), the urinary system, the skin (both of which appreciate water instead of alcohol), and the liver. You probably rarely think about your liver, and it rarely complains, unlike an aching muscle, fluttering heart or a groaning gut.

But it is busy producing heat, balancing cholesterol, processing proteins, making bile (which helps fat digestion), activating hormones and storing vitamins. It is also responsible for detoxifying most of the chemicals we come into contact with, such as natural food toxins, alcohol, cigarette smoke, and household chemicals.

The liver can more or less function even with quite a lot of damage, but when working overtime it just doesn't do all its various jobs quite as well. Symptoms of poor function include: tiredness, dark circles under eyes, poor digestion and dull skin.

Try the following to give your liver a break:

Lemon is rich in limonene, which encourages detoxification.

Vegetables with a slightly bitter taste, such as broccoli or fennel have a cleansing effect on the liver, stimulate detoxification enzymes and stimulate bile. Artichoke has a very positive effect on the livers health.

Milk thistle is known to specifically protect the liver from damage.