Every December and January, Rimwell Cosimo, wellness supervisor of Nurture Spa, gets busy giving clients a detox.

“It’s like changing the oil of the car engine with new oil. You remove the toxic substances to bring in more nutrients. When the body has toxins, the organs don’t function optimally,” says Cosimo.

Then there’s the desire to remove the guilt of party indulgences by eating clean food and to kick off healthy habits.

Many of Cosimo’s clients suffer from hypertension and diabetes.

“Their diets are high in cholesterol. Many start their day with fatty foods such as bulalo, foods with preservatives and processed foods like tocino, longganisa, hotdogs. Some drink a lot of alcohol.”

Their detox program options run from an overnight liver flush to five days of weight loss. The programs are nutritionally balanced and customized to the individual’s body chemistry. It includes soups, vegetable juices, herbal supplements to boost the immune system, enemas and relaxing massages. In longer detox programs, charcoal bath is also available to remove toxins in the skin.

Diabetics detox by eating fresh salads, drinking soups and vegetable juices. Fruit juices are eschewed as their fructose spike up the blood sugar. The nutrients are derived from organic vegetables from the farm and are supplemented by a natural blood sugar regulator.

Hypertensives are given foods high in natural potassium to prompt the heart to press blood through the body. People on a weight loss program, meanwhile, are given kelp supplements, which improve fat metabolism and lower cholesterol levels.

For people with overtaxed digestive systems, the liver flush is said to decongest the liver, the organ that assimilates nutrients. A week before the flush, one has to eat salads, avoid dairy, fats and sweeteners, then undergo a supervised program of drinking liquids with Epsom salts.

Psychological lift

Undergoing a supervised detox by a qualified health practitioner is advisable for a successful detox. Still, the body cleanses itself naturally through the liver, kidneys and gastrointestinal tract by flushing out the harmful materials that should not be hoarded in the body.

For people who want a psychological lift without having to go through a structured detox program, Cosio recommends the old-fashioned formula of a wholesome diet and regular exercise. Avoid eating canned foods as they contain sodium, which retains excess fluid in the body and may affect blood pressure.

While going on a cleansing program, foods that cause inflammation should be avoided, such as wheat and gluten products, dairy, sugars, sweeteners, trans fats, MSG, foods with additives and processed foods that overtax the system.

An all-juice cleanse is not ideal. Fruit juices inundate the body with sugar. The effects of a faddish juice fast can be temporary. After a few days, one burns the stored form of glucose for energy leading to some weight loss. But this is regained upon returning to a regular diet.

Vegetable soups, juices and fresh salads inherently decrease the sugar in the body. These foods are high in fiber to keep one satisfied. A Tufts University study says eating vegetable soup high in vitamin C such as tomatoes reduces the amount of stress-related molecules in the blood.

Raw vegetables in salads with minimal monosaturated fats in seeds and olive oil are good sources of insoluble fiber, which maintains digestive tract health.

Cosimo recommends a detox program thrice a year. “To succeed, you need self-discipline.”—CONTRIBUTED