I turned to mindbodygreen’s What to Eat to Feel Your Best class which features Frank Lipman, M.D., a best-selling author and one of the country’s top integrative doctors. He not only has a client list that includes Michelle Williams, Maggie Gyllenhaal, and mbg’s own CEO, Jason Wachob, he also has a refreshing take on the concept of detoxing that appealed to my skeptical proclivities. Lipman believes that we should be constantly in a minor state of detox, to support our body’s own systems in dealing with the less-than-savory elements of modern life. According to him, this means, “decreasing the amount of toxins that we put into our bodies and removing the foods that could trigger inflammation while at the same time supporting our body’s natural detoxification systems with the nutrients it needs.” “It’s as if you have a party one night and there’s a mess in the morning, and then, you decide not to clean it up,” he says. “Then, you have a party again the next night, and you don’t clean up again in the morning. And then, you have another party, and so on.” By cleansing regularly, your body’s systems—and your living room—never get out of hand. While my body’s heavy feeling at the beginning of the summer was a good impetus to jump-start my detox level, Lipman’s advice was a good reminder that this shouldn’t be the only time I live this type of lifestyle. I already steer clear of caffeine (I find it stokes my anxiety), factory-farmed meats, and GMOs, but cutting out alcohol was a struggle, and removing sugar felt damned near impossible. Still, I made it a priority, eschewing everything but a limited amount of fruit (hey, it’s stone fruit season!). I felt a bit tired for the first few days, but near the week mark, I was overtaken by a surge of energy. After two weeks of no drinking and no sugar, I felt like a new person: My anxiety had subsided considerably, I was sleeping like a baby, and my skin looked like I’d gotten a $500 facial. Want to learn more from Frank about how to detox effectively? Check out mindbodygreen’s What to Eat to Feel Your Best class.
