Detox is cleansing. Nowadays we hear the word "detox" everywhere. Anyone who is anyone, detoxes on a regular basis. Often without the desired result ... Because the pretox is missing. Pretox is what you do before starting a detox.

Pretox should be the new detox

This day and age, the word detox is used pretty much whenever we talk about health. A few decades ago, however, people simply called it a cleanse. And it happened about once a year, usually after the sluggish winter months, when we decided to also "spring clean" our insides. After months of overeating and lack of exercise, it was time.

Today it doesn't matter what season it is. We decide to have a (juice) cleanse whenever the mood strikes us. And when we need advice, Dr. Google is available 24/7. We often start off well. Unfortunately, the result is usually far removed from the desired outcome. Why is that?

Because it is even more important for our body to be ready for a detox - to be able to handle it - than to actually have one.

A pretox, now that is what will work wonders for you.

A pretox is what you do before starting a detox or cleanse. It is making sure that all the organs responsible for detoxifying your body can perform their duties well and when needed.

Because as soon as you start a detox and cut down on your caloric intake, your body addresses your fat reserves to get the energy it needs. And when that happens, toxic molecules are set free. Your detox organs needs to be able to get rid of those. However, when we neglect to take into account that our detox organs may be in need of some repairs themselves, the toxic molecules will continue to roam around freely in our blood stream, damaging whatever comes in their way.

The liver is probably the most important detox organ

Our liver is responsible for tranforming all the food that we eat into active, usable substances. Heavy metals and unwanted substances are released when this happens, and the liver makes them water-soluble or fat-soluble. The water-soluble substances leave our bodies when we sweat or pee, the fat-soluble substances disappear into our feces.

"Drinking lots of water" during a detox therefore only makes sense when your liver is capable of transforming the unwanted substances into water- & fat-soluble ones.

Unfortunately, our liver is often strung out. Acne, allergies, sluggishness, can all be symptoms of a liver that is in desperate need of a vacation at a pretox resort. It needs to rest and heal. A pretox unburdens the liver so it can self-repair. So it can do what it is meant to do: tranform what we eat into substances our body can use and properly clean up afterwards.

A pretox might look like a detox, but they're not the same. Your caloric intake remains the same when you pretox.

Start by not doing a few thing: avoid caffeine and medicine. If you can't, drink Earl Grey instead of coffee or cut down on the number of cups you drink each day. And bite through the pain and headache. Just this once. Also, forget about that piece of chocolate you treat yourself to at the end of each day - even if it is dark chocolate. Just for a couple of weeks. And if possible, avoid fried foods as much as you can.

At the same time, start by integrating a few other things, such as more chlorophyl, more EFAs and more antioxidants.

Leafy greens are some of the best sources of chlorophyl. But also green tea, such as matcha, is great for when you want to take your chlorophyl intake to the next level. Chlorophyl attaches itself to detrimental and carcinogenic molecules, to transport them out of your body.

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Essential fatty acids are an integral part of your cell membranes. It keeps them supple. When your cell membranes are subtle, energy can go in and what's not necessary can come out. When they are not flexible, this process either doesn't take place, or becomes very taxing on your body.

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Free radicals are damaging to your body because they alter the chemical formula of particles by attaching themselves to them. In the worst case scenario, the free radicals attach themselves to your fat molecules, turning them into dangerous substances themselves. To be avoided at all costs. Luckily, nature has provided us with antioxidants. Antioxidants attach themselves to free radicals, preventing them from attaching to something else (such as fat molecules). Herbs, vegetables, fruits are all great things to eat when you want to increase the amount of antioxidants in your body.

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Incorporating more chlorophyl, EFAs and antioxidants into your diet becomes easy when all you have to do is adding a teaspoon a day to your smoothie. Why not have such a smoothie as a daily snack? It is a great way to pretox.

Pretox-recipe:

Ingredients
For 1 person

1 banana
blueberries (250 grams)
1 appel
half a melon (Galia)
1 cucumber
juice of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon Kotobuki Matcha
1 teaspoon Curcumax

Put all the ingredients in your blender. Keeps for 1 day when refrigerated.

Optional: add a teaspoon Eicosan Perilla after blending the ingredients.

Recipe by Amanvida Chef, Maxime.


In our experience, a proper pretox takes 21 days to 8 weeks.
Do you want to skip the pretox and go straight for the detox? Ask a naturopath or orthomoleculair therapist for guidance.


Have you ever tried to detox? Let us know how it went.