10 things I learned from doing a detox in 2023

When people used to tell me they were doing a detox I would be like “WHAAATTTTT? Are you crazy?!”. I have to admit that I just didn’t get it…why would you cut out eating all the things you loved and took so much pleasure in from your daily life and eat like a rabbit instead?

That was until my kidneys started hurting from probably years of build up. For weeks on end. And then I knew my time to detox had finally come to bite me firmly on the bum. And so much like a military operation, I prepared myself for a 10 day detox by following the Garden of Life Perfect Cleanse 10 Day Sense which gently purifies, captures and removes toxins. I was to cut out all sugar, dairy, wheat, caffeine, alcohol, processed/refined food and all the other stuff you’re supposed to cut out in a detox and eat loads of kidney cleansing foods and herbs such as milk thistle, chia seeds and green veg, topped off by drinking some delicious (healthy) smoothies.

Here is what I learned from doing a detox:

The first few days are the worst

As my body went cold turkey on all of the above, it was basically like I was stuck in a three day hangover, with the worst of it coming on in the form of a dull headaches from 1pm onwards.

I definitely had some die hard food and drink habits

The drenching of porridge with honey at 8am, that 10am coffee, that 2pm sugary cup of tea, that 3pm chocolate hit and then of course there is wine o’clock. Once I could no longer pander to them, I could clearly see where my bad food and drink habits lay and it wasn’t pretty.

It’s mind over matter

Although you most definitely have a physical response to detoxing what I came to realise that with a lot of the above, it tends to be mind over matter. I realised that a lot of the time I was eating out of habit or boredom and that yes my mind could take back control of it all after all!

Detoxing forces you to be creative

Faced with a seemingly dull as ditch-water list of things you can actually eat, detoxing forces you to be creative. Think things like swapping your rushed breakfast cereal for eggs and asparagus, or quickly making a chia seed pudding topped with summer fruits for that 3pm and post dinner sugar craving. Yup, not the same but it’s a great way of training your mind to find interesting solutions rather than go for the obvious (and not as good for you)!

Smoothies are your best friend

Seriously, don’t underestimate the power of smoothies during a detox. These literally became the highlight of my day, my little treat. As well as a fab way of getting a load of your detox foods in there (especially useful for filling yourself up by adding some Pea Protein Powder which you can pick up at Holland and Barrett) they are fab to freeze as an ice pop as a little treat for mama!

You can detox alongside serving the normal family food

This was a biggie for me. I really had no idea how the detox was going to work alongside getting the family fed too, but I actually realised it wasn’t as challenging as I thought it was going to be, and led only to some minor daily adjustments along the way for family meals and a little bit of additional planning.

I felt like a leaf

For some weird reason, I thought I was going to feel totally rejeuveanted during the detox. Unfortunately no, I felt pretty rubbish. I had next to no energy, and as for exercise PAHAHAHAHA! Literally couldn’t even muster a push up! I would literally drag myself to my yoga mat for a few yoga poses if I was lucky. For me….I felt better afterwards. Does that mean I shouldn’t have bothered detoxing at all? I’ll let you decide that one.

I slept like a trooper

Those of you who follow my blog know that sleep is often a massive battle for me. Not on detox. I can’t remember the last time I slept so well….I couldn’t keep my eyes open beyond 9.30pm and slept right through to 7am ever day. Amazeballs.

Going for a poo is like a dream

Honesty, I have squeezed one out so easily. Like clockwork, every morning, in seconds (not even time for someone to scream at me whilst on the loo!) and like everything that should have left my body from the day before did so in that instant. Sorry TMI but it’s true!

I WOULD do it all over again

Call me crazy, but now I’m on the other side of my detox, I do feel exceptionally good. It’s also helped me to see where things had gotten a bit out of control and highlighted where I can scale things back a bit going forward. But don’t expect to see me detoxing in January ever….that’s like someone pouring oil on you when you’re on fire! For me, detoxing should strictly be a summer affair when you’ve got the sunny days to get you through the pain.

Have you ever tried to do a full on detox? Did you experience any of the above? Perhaps you have some tips and learnings to share? Or maybe you’re thinking of doing a detox? Do leave a comment below.
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7 comments

  1. I have never done a detox, I go all fuzzy if I don’t have my breakfast before heading out in the morning so I’m not sure I could cope with a detox! Well done you though

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