TV personality Carol Voderman does it. Author Dr Gillian McKeith has a best seller with her ‘you are what you eat’ and the Internet has a steady diet of sites on the topic. Whether you are detoxing your body, your home or an area you live in, research it first. As with any health issue, you need to consult a professional before starting off on any detox project. Detox covers a wide range of issues, so be open-minded.


To start with a global view of detoxification, visit http://www.panda.org/campaign/detox/ - a site focused on getting rid of toxins in our environment. For campaigns and projects aimed at eliminating, reducing and making safer chemicals, this is a great site. They provide links to several European countries supporting this World Wildlife Fund supported initiative. In the UK they are supported by the Women’s Institute at http://www.womens-institute.co.uk/ and The Co-operative Bank at www.co-operativebank.co.uk It’s a good place to start.

The site www.detox.org looks at it as health care not ‘disease management’. It provides information on your personal, work and community environments designed to provide insights and web site links to help you make them as toxin free as possible. Armed with information you can make educated choices about how to make your home, car, office and community healthier.

Research is always a good place to start. With the marketplace bulging with dietary goods – books, foods, companies, groups – do your homework first. At http://www.handbag.com/healthfit/diet/detoxplans/ you can get an overview of all the popular weight loss activities – diets reviewed, exercise plans outlined, detox options analysed. With a nutritionist looking at all angles, you can’t help but pick up some interesting tidbits. Keep searching, the answers will become clear.

Pensioners’ site www.saga.co.uk offers a balanced view of diets and detoxing in their Healthy Living section. They also have a healthy eating and fitness section. There is no denying that the two go hand in hand for weight loss. The detox craze has no social boundaries – the proof is in the pudding on Men’s Health site at http://www.menshealth.co.uk/news/story.phtml?id=2054 .

Under the Social Issues Research Centre’s site at http://www.sirc.org/articles/sin.shtml you will find an interesting piece on the detox fad entitled ‘Sin, Salvation and Celery Juice’. This Oxford-based think tank has also tackled poverty and obesity, hamburger hysteria, food junkies and more. The volume might be a bit weighty, but it is refreshing to read something without a commercial backdrop.

Considering the amount of time we spend with food – buying it, preparing it, eating it – we can all benefit from learning more about it. Consult a professional, do your homework and enjoy clean living!

Tip: Have you cleaned your computer – or your workstation –lately? Recent research shows some very unhealthy ‘dirt’ is hanging around our keyboards, computers, phones. Treat yourself to a healthy work environment – get some bacterial wipes to keep handy.

 

Thisis Site of the Week

For some clean living via great views in the Lake District and refreshing walks, visit Sean McMahon’s walking web site at http://www.stridingedge.net. The site is a photo dairy of walks in the Lake District, with excellent images, which Sean hopes ‘would inspire your readers to get out and about and enjoy the fresh air’. Check it out…the experience and the fresh air will both be intoxicating!