Detox Hell

Detox diets are always popular in January. There is something appealing about starting the year clean and fresh. Too bad they are such a waste of money and usually not much fun. My local, organic, grocery store has an aisle full of detox and cleanse diets. Detox hell is the purgatory you are descending into down that aisle. If you happen to read the label the fine print always states: Works best with a proper diet and regular exercise. Why not skip buying the box of laxatives and just start with the proper diet and regular exercise. Save your money and your sanity too. But, we don't work that way. We want the quick fix and the instant gratification that spending money and feeling completely cleansed brings.

The appeal is in the quick fix. The consumption of something that will make us better and healthier, when it is the consumption that got us into trouble in the first place. Too much fat, too much sugar, too much alcohol, just too much.

If you want to cleanse yourself, try this. Eat food that has real ingredients. Eat whole grains. Stop eating commercially prepared food. Stop drinking so much alcohol and drink water. Eat vegetables. Eat food that you can recognize as food. You might like it. You will feel better and most likely lose weight too.

Suffering is not necessary to be healthy. Good health is a daily process. It includes being aware of what we eat and what we do. It means putting yourself first, as a real priority. Detox diets are appealing because we want to renew and refresh, to look forward not back, but they don't last. They don't allow for your health to be long term priority.

Looking for something different this year? Want 2009 to be all that it promises? Start with taking care of yourself. Make a commitment to your health. Detox your diet by eating real food. Try eating more local food. Enjoy eating. Eat for life. Eat for nourishment. Get out of detox and get real.