Whatever age you are, imagine the time of your birth. That adds up to quite a number of years of accumulation.

Food additives—synthetic flavoring, preservatives, coloring

Chemicals—from the toxic air we breathe to the places we visit, second- and third-hand cigarette smoke we inhale

Sugar

Alcohol

Drugs

Antibiotics and other medications

Overexposure to the sun

Junk food

Fatty food

Processed food (yes, even some baby food have preservatives and coloring)

Electromagnetic radiation from ovens and electronic gadgets like mobile phones, computers, etc.

Stress—the impact of emotional upheavals, challenging business relationships, toxic relationships, self-imposed pressure, disappointments and failures

Results

The expected results of an accumulation of excessive indulgence or negligence include any of the following:

Weight gain/obesity

Hypertension

High blood sugar/diabetes

High cholesterol

Fatty liver

Migraine headaches

Unexplained, persistent illness

Exhaustion, whether emotional or physical

Listlessness

Depression

Irritability

Digestive problems

Stroke

Constipation or diarrhea

Heart problems

Allergies

And the list can go on and on.

Try this

This is based on the book “Detox Yourself” by Jane Scrivner; take some inspiration from its wisdom.

Clear your mind of all concerns. Stop thinking about your business targets or work demands. Remove all the emotional baggage from your heart.

1) Take a cold shower for five minutes. This gets the blood circulating faster. No hot showers from now on.

2) Before breakfast, take two glasses of warm water with five drops of lemon or lime/calamansi juice. Substitute with apple cider vinegar or any native/ natural (noncommercial) vinegar.

3) Before breakfast, drink one capsule of good bacteria like acidophilus—great to balance the flora of good intestinal bacteria.

4) Breakfast—a bowl of mixed native fruits like chico, guava, bananas, papaya. Add apples (to increase fiber intake). Sprinkle fruits with flaxseed or any seeds like pumpkin or toasted sesame. Add yoghurt as your fruit salad dressing.

Optional: Add grated fresh ginger to the salad, or a tea concoction of freshly grated ginger with hot water.

Ginger raises body temperature, which leads to a faster metabolism.

Take freshly juiced vegetables.

Green Juice Tonic

½ fresh green pepper

1 whole green apple (peeled and seeded)

1 whole, small cucumber (peeled and seeded)

½ singkamas

Optional: fresh bitter gourd/ampalaya (4 slices)

5) Exercise for 15-20 minutes, climbing up and down the stairs, or walking around the house or park.

6) Midmorning snack—fresh fruits, two slices of multigrain bread or a small sandwich with tuna. No butter or mayonnaise. Mix instead with olive oil and a squeeze of lemon, a dash of sea salt.

7) Lunch—baked potato or one cup of brown/red/black rice, a slice of low-fat cheese or organic native chicken breast/ white fish, a serving of seasonal vegetables sautéed in olive oil or virgin coconut oil

8) Midafternoon snack—a serving of nuts: cashew, almonds, walnuts, with two tablespoons of raisins, a small sandwich of sardines and multigrain bread. No white bread from now on.

9) Dinner—at exactly 6:45 p.m., a bowl of broccoli or native vegetables with goat cheese melted on brown rice.

10) Throughout the day—every hour on the hour, one glass of clean, purified water for a total of 15 glasses.

11) Bedtime: Sleep by 10 p.m. If you get hungry by 9 p.m., take two slices of apple and a serving of nuts. No midnight snacking. No junk food.

Optional food

Green/black olives, sautéed vegetables like green and red cabbage with red rice

Oatmeal—without white sugar and milk (substitute with rice/almond/cashew milk and 1 teaspoon of wild honey or coconut sugar.

Multigrain pasta with pesto or tomato sauce

Two consecutive days of this regimen can guarantee a weight loss of up to 2 pounds or a total of 6-7 lbs in one week!

Uncluttering

It would be good while you are detoxifying for you to unclutter your surroundings.

Clean out your cabinets, drawers, storage spaces, writing desk, kitchen cupboards and, yes, your handbag!

Have a garage sale or donate your stuff to the church or Red Cross.