TAMPA, Fla. — If you’re looking to do a reboot and detox your gut, perhaps put down the juice and grab the right grocery list.
Functional medicine specialist, Erin Bolton says to ditch the fad diets or cleanses and instead detox with the help of food.
“Our gut is our immune system. Part of eating healthy is 50 percent of it but the other 50 percent is taking the supplements,” she explains.
Bolton says all of us could use a refresh. “Our gut is responsible for absorbing all of our vitamin B and iron, which we need to make a red blood cell, which carries oxygen all over.”
Instead of living on liquids for days, Bolton says you’re better off with solid healthy options, like healthy fats and organic meats.
She says, at the grocery store, avoid foods with hormones, steroids or chemicals. A simple rule of thumb Bolton suggests is, “if you can’t read it, don’t eat it.”
Another key is staying hydrated and eating plenty of fruits and veggies.
“We’re supposed to eat five to seven cups of veggies a day and most people don’t do that.” She suggests getting a bulk of them into your diet with a smoothie. “When you’re blending stuff in a protein drink, you’re going to absorb a lot more of those nutrients and it’s so much easier to take in.”
As you begin the process, Bolton says avoid grains for 30 days, and say away from processed food. She says it’s the chemicals in food that we want to avoid to aid our metabolism.
“It’s all about lower inflammation and just giving the body the good supplements and the good foods that it needs. When you do that, the liver and the kidney, it’s just going to naturally detox themselves,” says Bolton.