Unless you live in the middle of the jungle, you breathe only pure air, eat only organic foods when you're hungry; and that those foods provide the exact nutritional needs of your body; that you never experience any stress, worry or anxiety and you exercise every single day... chances are that you need to detox.

Just like the dust and crud that accumulates in your house calls for a yearly house-cleaning - "toxins", extra weight and God knows what accumulate in your body.

We all need to do a regular house-cleaning - and that means allowing your body a chance to heal itself, release the extra weight, release its toxins, and get a fresh new start.

Your body has an amazing self-healing mechanism built right in it, but in order to let it work, you have to give it the rest it needs.

That's why fasting has been a tradition part of many world's religions, and almost every alternative health practice recommends some kind of fasting or "detox diet".

What Is a Detox Diet?

A "detox diet" has nothing to do with going to a rehab clinic for drug abuse. The word "detox" has been used in naturopathic circles in the sense of "removing toxins." A detox diet allows your body to clean itself of accumulated toxins, stress, and helps it release extra fat and weight.

A detox diet is a restricted diet that you follow, often combined with an exercise program, for a few days or a few weeks (or even longer). It's sort of like fasting, but it's easier to do and you can do it at home when you need it.

Signs You Need to Detox

You should be able to know yourself when you need to go on a detox diet. If you're looking at yourself in the mirror and don't like what you see, you don't like the extra weight you've been carrying around... then a detox diet can help you get back on track with a healthy diet and release the extra fat..

If you feel you don't have the energy you once had, or you're starting to feel a little depressed... a detox diet can help you regain that energy and bring a new level of joy to your life.

If you experience aches and pains, or headaches, and can't keep up with the stress of modern life, then it's very likely that a detox diet can help you feel young again, and give you the feeling that "nothing can stop you".

From having helped thousands of people go through all sorts of detox diets, I know that the rejuvenation it brings and the sense of accomplishment, on top of all the health results, is well worth the discipline it requires to do it.

Example of a Detox Diet

There's all sorts of detox diets you can choose from. One of my all-time favorites is the Apple Diet. This involves eating only apples for breakfast, lunch and dinner, for one or several days.

The good thing about apples is that they are easy to eat, they are low in sugar, and they contain a fiber that literally acts as a "broom" in your intestines.

When you go on an Apple Diet, all you have to do is purchase the best organic apples you can find, and eat as many as you'd like 3 or 4 times a day.

Here's a few tips to make this work:

- If you've never done this before, only plan to go for the Apple Diet for a maximum of 3-4 days.

- Peel your apples beforehand. Even though the peel contains essential nutrients, it's also impossible to digest in most cases. Since you're going to be eating lots of apple, you don't want to stress your digestion with too much fiber.

- Don't drink apple juice - even if it's freshly-pressed. That would be too much sugar, even if it's natural. You want the natural sugar along with all of the vitamins, minerals and fiber in the *whole* apple.

- Also drink water, about one liter a day, to help eliminate the toxins.

- Instead of eating apples all day long, have 3-4 meals a day with 1-2 pounds of apples.

I recommend the Apple Diet over any other type of "mono-cleanse", because the apple is the King of Fruits!

Other popular cleanses that I don't recommend include the Orange Juice Fast, the Lemon Cleanse, or the Grapefruit Diet. The problem with those detox diets is that the level of acidity from these citrus fruits is too high. It can cause many problems with your gums and overall health, and many unnecessary discomforts.

That's why low-acidity apples are a good choice to do a raw food detox diet.

Get Support and Motivation

Although the concept of a detox diet is simple, most people have a hard time implementing it because of lack of motivation.

It's not complicated to eat only apples for 3 days, but it's not easy either. On the first day, you'll be craving your normal fare. By the second day, you'll be dreaming about food. But if you stick around, after a few days, you'll be experiencing the incredible "high", energy and lightness of beings that fasters experience - and the results will show.

You'll start to release weight, your hunger for natural foods will come back, you'll have energy to start an exercise program, you'll feel better than ever... and when you're ready to introduce other foods into your diet, you'll be more likely to make the right choices.

But to get to that point, make sure you get enough support and motivation. Find someone who can help you do a detox diet with you, and get as much information and support as you can to succeed on your cleanse.

Learn to use the power of DETOX in your life... and you'll start to regain the health and energy that is your birthright.