Detox (verb): Abstaining from unhealthy substances. Living confined.
Retox (verb): Adding in healthy substances. Living free.
Detox, detox, detox. How many times do you hear this word, read it, maybe even use it; jumping on board out of some societal or self-imposed guilt? We all have — because for some reason, detoxing is considered the way to greatness.
The thing is, your body knows how to cleanse itself. It was built to do so. Yet, over and over again, we strap ourselves up, lock ourselves in, and strip ourselves down. By its very nature, detoxing implies a lack of freedom. Retox, on the other hand, is all about living.
Retox is about adding things in that will make you strong in body, mind and life. It is about harnessing all you and the world have to offer, and then adding a splash of simple, straight-up, doable tips and solutions to make it all even better. It isn’t about depriving or regulating yourself or your lifestyle like detoxing mandates, but instead about embracing it all and flourishing within it.
Photo courtesy of Brittany Wright
When you retox you become the best YOU you can be, from the inside out, and outside in. We have enough stress and demands on us as it is — why add more via some strict, dogmatic detox doctrine? Why not just live?
Retoxing doesn’t require you to spend hundreds of dollars on juice and weird spices, let alone hours in the kitchen, or take you away from your work or social life to be healthy. Instead, retoxing takes your life into account and just gives you the skills and secrets to keep it all together and kick ass within that context. As I say in my book, RETOX, “Retox does not change your world; it makes you better within it.”
Here are my retox foods and recipes to overcome some of the most common life issues. All these foods and recipes you can pick up pretty much anywhere, and take less than ten minutes and barely any mess to make. Even better, they both cleanse and strengthen your body’s most vital organs, so that you really never need to diet or detox again.
Alien Baby Bloat
We all hate that painful pooch in our abdomen, that bloat that makes us feel gross and just will not go away.
Rice
Photo by Sarah Silbiger
Stop stressing about the carbs. Your intestines are upset at you and you need some simple rice to calm it all down. Steam it or make it in a pan; try rice (not fried) to quell the alien.
Retox Veggie Soup
Sautee 1/ 2 diced yellow onion and a small can of tomato paste. In a separate pot boil 3 cups of water with 1 stalk diced celery, 2 diced large carrots, and 1 diced large zucchini. When the onions are translucent, transfer the tomato paste to the pot of boiling water and veggies. Stir, add two dashes of salt, and cover for 10 minutes or until all veggies cooked.
Hangovers
Hey, they happen. Drinking responsibly is the most important thing, but try these retox tips to help you prevent and overcome them.
Pears
Photo by Lily Allen
Try slicing up a pear before or after you go out. Or have a pear instead of a slice late-night when you get home. Pears help you metabolize alcohol, a natural hangover helper.
Artichoke Water
Photo by Christin Urso
Take 1-3 artichokes and boil them in water until they are soft. When the are done, remove them and eat as a snack, but save the water they were boiled in. Drink a glass of the water to help cleanse and strengthen your liver.
Mental STDs: Stress and Anxiety
Stress and anxiety start in the mind but soon they permeate the entire body, especially the adrenal glands. Try these foods to help mitigate the Mental STD or Stressfully Transmitted Diseases, as I call them in Retox.
Nuts
Photo by Katherine Carroll
Salt helps manage adrenal fatigue, so snack on salted cashews or almonds during extreme moments of stress.
Quinoa Punch
Mix 1 cup of cooked quinoa with ½ cup of canned or freshly cooked peas. Sprinkle with sea salt, drizzle with olive, stir, and enjoy as a snack, side or meal.
Detox is over, my friends. It’s time now for the RETOX revolution. As I write in Retox, “Rest to rage. Mediate to work. Breathe to energize. Eat to flourish. Sweat to focus. Sleep to party. Retox to live.”