It’s time to ‘walk the walk’, so I have decided to join a two week Metabolic Detox programme being organised by Nutri and being followed by a large group of fellow Nutrition Therapy practitioners.

A detox is a concept which is commonly misunderstood; particularly come the New Year when it is all the rage in the media, and attracts a variety of madcap fad diets and programmes advocating extreme dietary regimes restricting food and drink intake. Whilst the objective may be to achieve vitality, cleansing and health benefits, the process can be extreme and harmful, so it is really important to follow a sensible plan and to make sure it fits in with your health status and lifestyle.

 So, is detoxing really necessary?

Nowadays our environment exposes us to more toxins than ever before, with environmental pesticides, household chemicals (such as make up and cleaning products), and air pollution. We also ingest a large number of toxins though chemicals in our food and water, and through alcohol, nicotine, caffeine and food additives. The liver works to neutralise and make these safe, and this process is carried out with the support of the skin, lungs, gut and kidneys.

In reality, our body is extremely efficient at detoxifying itself using the liver as our internal chemical factory. When functioning properly, it processes all these toxins (as well as those which we produce internally through our own metabolic activity), it neutralises them and excretes the redundant end products.

 BUT to carry this process out, the liver relies on a specific variety of nutrients to do its job, so these need to form the basis of a healthy detox.

The programme I am following has been carefully structured to deliver a healthy selection of nutrients through a sensible eating plan, with regular meals, snacks and some supplements included.

We have been provided with questionnaires aimed at gauging our toxicity levels and to gather our vital statistics, and will track these again at the end of the two weeks. We also have a great selection of menus, food shopping lists and ideas to work with, and most importantly, the support network of a Facebook group to keep each other in touch and motivated.

This isn’t about weight loss (although that would be a welcome by-product!), but more about giving the liver some healing and regeneration time, and other detoxing organs such as the bowel, skin, kidney, and lungs, some much-needed support. I’m looking forward to the shiny hair, glowing complexion and endless energy which I’m hoping will result!

 It has needed some careful preparation to re-vamp my larder, but I’m really motivated and actually quite excited, and after Day 1 can report that I have successfully negotiated the possible perils of a night out in a restaurant, the temptation of pastries at the local cafe over a business breakfast, and had a very busy but productive working day. Last night I had a fantastic night’s sleep and am really looking forward to it.

Over the course of the programme we will be eliminating dairy, gluten, saturated fats, processed foods, caffeine and alcohol, and reducing sugar intake. Time to experiment with gluten free products, to increase the fruit and veg, and experiment with some new recipes. I have already raided Taj in Brighton for a few or the more unusual ingredients on our recipe sheets.

Follow my progress over the next 2 weeks and see how I get on. The aim is to roll this out to my clients in due course, so watch this space! I will also be posting pictures of my meals on my LGM Nutrition Pinterest page and will be Tweeeting regularly @hove_nutrition.

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