Green Tea For Detox: A Simple Guide For People Who Still Love Wine
Green Tea For Detox
“Detoxing” is a HUGE trend right now, and you must have been living under a rock if you haven’t noticed the thousands of gorgeously skinny “detox models” (aged between 18-22 years) holding a pack of the “next best detox thing” next to their naturally beautiful smiley faces in their latest selfie. It’s fair to say there’s a lot of enthusiasm out there!
While detoxing is a great concept, it can also be very misleading. There are many detox products out there that promise the world and in reality deliver very little, and there’s a very good reason for that…
What Is Detox?
Detox (detoxification) is the process of removing toxins from the body.
The great (and very important) news is that your body already does this naturally, all day, without you even realising it (thank you body!). There is no magic detox product that’s going to detox your body for you, as your body actually does all of the work. All you really need to do is support it.
That’s why when we talk about “green tea for detox”, we’re actually referring to the process of using green tea (in particular the antioxidants) to assist and support your body in this natural process. it’s a safe, gentle strategy that has been used for thousands of years.
Why Is Detoxing Important?
Toxins can make us feel sluggish and irritable, can increase weight gain, reduce metabolism, AND lower our immune system functionality, which makes us more vulnerable to illness and disease.
In short: the less toxins in our body, the better for us!
Let’s Start With The Obvious
If you’re serious about detoxing, the first and most obvious step is to reduce or eliminate the amount of toxins you put into your body in the first place. (I heard that gasp…)
If you smoke, cut down or give up. If you drink too much alcohol, reduce your intake. If you eat highly processed foods, reduce or remove these and add more real food such as fruits and vegetables to your diet.
Yes, WE KNOW, self-deprivation can be great in theory, but the practice can be brutal (and often very dangerous for those around us).
Now that we’re over 40, we recognise that we need to make some changes to our lifestyle, so we’ve compromised and added a glass of mineral water and lemon to our repertoire right next to our glass of wine… this is grown up stuff!
We get it, you want to enjoy life as well as be as healthy as possible, and that’s why we’re suggesting a realistic and balanced approach to detoxing for people like us.
For The LOVE OF GOD, Don’t Make Me Give Up My Wine!
So, if you want to be as healthy as you can at the same time as enjoying the best things in life… a glass of wine here or there, maybe with a cheese platter, and perhaps a little side plate of chocolate liqueurs, that’s OK as you’re probably going to do it anyway. What we want to do is add in some extra steps to make sure you’re balancing it out with some toxin-ridding strategies.
It’s all about listening to and consciously supporting your body. That is where water and green tea come in.
Love Your Liver
The first line of defence against toxins for the body is your liver. Your liver acts like a filter to remove the toxins from certain foods and drinks, and from the environment, from your blood.
The antioxidants found in GREEN TEA (catechins such as EGCG & ECG) have been found to assist general liver function, and protect the liver from the damaging effects of toxic substances such as alcohol. (Reference)
So, drinking green tea regularly will help to protect your liver while your liver protects you!
Alas, the liver does not work alone. Your kidneys, intestines, lungs, lymphatic system, and skin are also involved in removing toxins from your body.
Drinking plenty of water and including your green tea antioxidants means that you’re also helping to protect the body from the free radicals that cause cellular damage and inflammation, thus assisting in the promotion of health, and the prevention of disease.
The water supports the kidneys to rid the body of waste effectively. If you’re dehydrated this is much harder than when you’re “weeing freely”, so keep your water bottle with you.
The Best Green Tea For Detox (Purity is Key)
If you’re using green tea for detoxing, you really need to make sure that the tea itself does not contain any chemicals or contaminants that are going to introduce more toxins into the body.
This is easier said than done these days as even organically-grown traditional green teas and matcha teas have been shown to carry pesticides, heavy metals, and pollutants from the environment.
There’s good news though! Introducing Green Tea in 3 Seconds…
Not only is Green Tea in 3 Seconds grown organically, it has been put through a second purification process where every single trace of heavy metal, pollutant or pesticide is removed at a molecular level before packaging. Yep, it’s completely free from nasties!
What’s more, every single serve has a MEASURED DOSE of antioxidants. This is super important as all of the green tea health benefits are dose-dependent. There’s no guess work with this range…LEARN MORE.
This green tea option is a little different to the traditional tea leaves as it comes in individual sachets of a crystalised powder, so you can pour it straight into your water bottle or tea cup – no brew time, no wait!
How Much Do I Need?
We would recommend sipping green tea throughout the day. This might mean you make yourself up to 6 cups or traditional green tea in a day. (Antioxidant content for traditional green tea varies dramatically as it depends on tea type, strength, growing conditions and brewing.)
If you’e drinking Green Tea in 3 Seconds , just 2-3 sachets daily to bring you into the best therapeutic range when it comes to antioxidants. (Pour a sachet straight into your water bottle and go…)
(*As with all health/medical advice, it is best to check with your doctor is you have any pre-existing conditions, or are taking any medications that may be affected by green tea.)
What Else Can I do To Assist My Body?
There are many ways that you can help your body get rid of toxins:
- drink plenty of water each day (add some lemon slices, cucumber, cinnamon etc)
- reduce alcohol, coffee, and junk foods
- eat plenty of fruits and vegetables
- eat a diet high in fibre and make sure your bowels are regular
- boost your antioxidants (berries, prunes, fruits, veges etc)
- exercise regularly (aim for 5 days / week)
- get regular, adequate amounts of sleep and rest
It is often the small, consistent changes that have the greatest long term impact on our health!