Weight loss is a full-body detox. It’s helpful to consider how to detox your body while following an elimination diet or utilizing other weight loss tools. 

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As your body releases weight, it also releases toxins stored in body fat. If you’re not clearing toxins effectively via open detox pathways, toxins can recirculate, causing symptoms such as fatigue, headaches, mood changes, brain fog, cravings, skin issues, and more. 

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If you’re losing weight but not feeling well, it’s time to think about body detox and opening detox pathways. This topic is exactly what we’ll explore in today’s article. Keep reading as we discuss:

• Why and how to open detox pathways during weight loss
• Your natural detox checklist
• Your elimination diet plan as the best detoxifying cleanse
• How to remove toxins from the body naturally
• Daily habits for weight loss detox

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Why You Need Open Detox Pathways When Losing Weight 

Your body is constantly detoxifying; it has natural systems in place. However, in today’s world, people are often exposed to more chemicals than their bodies can handle. With this high body burden, the body doesn’t always eliminate everything; it can store the fat-soluble toxins in body fat. Then, as you lose body fat, you’ll release the stored toxins. 

Your body is constantly detoxifying; it has natural systems in place. However, in today’s world, people are often exposed to more chemicals than their bodies can handle.

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During weight loss, it’s essential to ensure that toxins can be eliminated from the body, and this means supporting the body’s natural detoxification pathways. 

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Detox Checklist: Water, Movement, Sleep, and More

Your body removes toxins through several pathways, including:

• The digestive system 
• The liver
• The lungs
• The skin
• The lymphatic system

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How to open up detox pathways comes down to the daily habits that support these systems and their pathways of elimination. We’ll dive into more specifics below, but staying hydrated, eating nutrient-dense foods, moving your body, and sleeping well are key.

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How Elimination Diets Affect Detox Pathways

An elimination diet removes potential inflammatory foods and toxins, while focusing on targeted nutrition from whole, unprocessed foods. (Learn more about how to do an elimination diet in this article.)

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A well-designed and personalized elimination diet food list can support and promote detoxification by providing the body with the necessary nutrients to transform and eliminate toxins. Additionally, an elimination diet and subsequent reintroduction can help not only weight loss, but also weight maintenance and long-term health. 

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At The Fork, we refer to this approach The YOU Diet© (a comprehensive health approach created by our founder Chyrl Mosley FNP-BC). It accounts for all the personal factors that shape the foods and eating habits that support your unique body, detoxification systems, and metabolic health. 

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Natural Detox Support During Weight Loss

Let’s explore the nutrition and lifestyle strategies for natural full-body detox support during weight loss. 

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First, nutrition is paramount. Many weight loss programs focus solely on creating a calorie deficit, but for effective detoxification, nutrient density is critical. The vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants from whole foods support liver detoxification. Fiber from plant foods helps remove toxins via the colon. Cruciferous and other colorful vegetables help protect cells from the damage that toxins can cause. Nutrition shapes gut health, which in turn influences detoxification and weight management. 

Nutrition shapes gut health, which in turn influences detoxification and weight management. 

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Further, we must consider nutrigenomics, the study of how nutrition impacts your genetics. Each of us has variations in genes that govern how detoxification systems work. You may require more of a specific nutrient than another person, and functional medicine can help identify these needs and support them with nutrition, lifestyle modifications, and supplements to open detox pathways. 

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While many aspects of nutrition support detoxification, other lifestyle habits also provide body cleansing detox support.

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Second, minimizing exposures is critical. While you’re working on getting toxins out of the body during weight loss, you don’t want to add more toxins into the mix. This strategy involves examining at your personal care products, food quality, home materials, cleaning products, and all the potential ways you encounter toxins on a daily basis. Small changes and swaps in multiple areas can significantly reduce exposure to toxins. 

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Third, allow toxins to release from the body through sweat, breathing, healthy digestion, regular urination, and sleep. 

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Essential Daily Detox Habits for Health 

Here are some daily habits to support detoxification on your weight loss journey (and beyond):

• Sweat regularly. Try regular saunas, hot baths with Epsom salts, and exercise. 
• Stay hydrated. Drink water throughout the day and replenish electrolytes when you sweat. 
• Eat nutrient and fiber-rich meals. Build your plate around protein, colorful produce, and healthy fats. 
• Breathe intentionally. Try breathing exercises, yoga, Pilates, and meditation. 
• Ensure daily bowel movements. Fiber, movement, and hydration help. Magnesium supplements can help. 
• Prioritize sleep. Make your bedroom dark, cool, and comfortable. Create a relaxing nighttime routine. 
• Support the lymphatic system. Try dry skin brushing, rebounding, and lymph massage. 
• Audit the products you use in your home to reduce toxins. EWG.org is an excellent resource. 
• Filter your drinking water and indoor air. 
• Move your body daily. Include both structured exercise and break up sedentary time. 
• Find joy and self-love in the process. Notice the moments where you feel good (or great) in your body. 

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Your body knows how to detox, but it may need some extra support during times of weight loss, when the toxin burden can be higher. Gentle lifestyle habits and routine provide the foundation of detoxification support and don’t require trendy or gimmicky cleanses, just quality food, movement, and other forms of nourishment and rejuvenation. 

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If you want to dive deeper and get support on your weight loss journey, we’d love to work with you at The Fork!

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References

1. Kieffer, D. A., Martin, R. J., & Adams, S. H. (2016). Impact of Dietary Fibers on Nutrient Management and Detoxification Organs: Gut, Liver, and Kidneys. Advances in nutrition (Bethesda, Md.), 7(6), 1111–1121. 
2. Bonetti, G., Medori, M. C., Dhuli, K., Macchia, A., Donato, K., Cristoni, S., Miertus, S., Miertus, J., Veselenyiova, D., Iaconelli, A., Aquilanti, B., Matera, G., Connelly, S. T., & Bertelli, M. (2023). Nutrigenomics: SNPs correlated to detoxification, antioxidant capacity and longevity. La Clinica terapeutica, 174(Suppl 2(6)), 209–213. 

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