The detox diet everyone should try

Removing this one toxin could help us all live a healthier life.

Detox diets are all the rage right now. The concept is quite compelling: clean up your food and beverage consumption and all those pesky little toxins will be eliminated, leaving you and your body refreshed and rejuvenated. These diets take many forms: juice cleanses, clean eating, detox supplements; the list goes on. But do they work?

Well, there's good news and bad news here. Bad news first: the body takes in toxins in a variety of forms all day every day, and unless you plan to stop breathing, eating and going outside, this is completely unavoidable. But the good news is that the body also has a multitude of systems in place—namely, the liver and kidneys—to efficiently rid itself of these toxins. Any diet or supplement that leads you to believe that it will do a better job of this than your body can do on its own is only trying to rid your wallet of money, not your body of toxins!

But fear not—I did not title this article the way I did as some cruel form of click bait! There's a different sort of "toxin" that may be plaguing you—negativity.

Giving in to negative thought patterns, surrounding yourself with negative people and lacking in proper self-care practices are all inhibitory to your health and happiness, but in a different way than the toxins you take in from your physical environment. Unfortunately your liver and kidneys won't do much to remove this type of "toxin" from your body, but there are some things you can do for yourself:

• Practice self-affirmation. You can either be your own worst enemy or your own best friend. Be patient with yourself and use self-affirming language—rather than critical language—with yourself. You can even write your thoughts down on a piece of paper and keep it where you can see it throughout the day.
• Stop spending time with negative people. If the people in your life are a source of negativity, it is okay to choose not to spend time with them or to let them know they are negatively affecting you.
• Practice proper self-care. It's important to be aware of your own needs and to fulfill them in a healthy way. Choosing non-food coping mechanisms, getting regular physical activity, getting enough sleep and asking for help when you need it are all good examples.

Although there are plenty of toxins that you come into contact with every day that are completely unavoidable, there are many other factors contributing to health and happiness that you do have control over. Focus on improving those things and you will be on the fast track to being truly refreshed and rejuvenated!