Anita Kapoor's Detox Diary - Day 1

A build up of toxins? You'd better believe it. After years of travel and on location eating, late nights, early mornings, parties and launches, and real life in between, my body has told me loud and clear: we've had enough, lady. Get fixed, or else.

I've written about it, talked about it and scoffed at it. A detox to me has always assumed the position of a self help guru. Over the top to start with, accompanied by the requisite island trip, fruit juice fasts, dastardly enemas, and then the post-detox horror stories accompanied by the sharing of colours of the rainbow being emitted from the body and so on, delivered while said detoxed person is all aglow from the "cleanse". Then, there's the return to normal life. And the rest - is history.

I've never been a fan of anything gimmicky or anything complicated in the world of wellness. Throughout my years as a beauty editor, I had to fight my instinct to roar out loud at many a press conference "what a load of tosh!" - and it often was. Now, I'm an independent agent - so here we go "what a load of tosh!".

I'd applied the same to the idea of a detox, or any sort of body cleansing. Despite my rudimentary knowledge of Ayurveda and the use of detoxification in this ancient system, detoxing the body had already become a fad five years ago. And in my experience, a fad scratches the surface - often badly - and reeks of marketing gain.

But I've also be dealing with some unexplained health issues over the last six months, that cannot be addressed by conventional medicine - none of which I really want to imbibe anyway.

I've been on the go for oh, five years now in my life as a television presenter, a writer, a lover, a daughter, a sister, and a caregiver. And now, a rookie radio host. All of it has been my choice of course, but right this very minute, I'm feeling the effects of a life lived less ordinary, in a most chronic way.

On my radio show, FACE OFF with Anita Kapoor last week, I hosted Pooja Vig, who runs the Nutrition Clinic and this programme I am about to embark on, Detox in the City, who spoke all about modern day nutrition and why we really need to get our act together, and the equally wonderful Marcio Ribeiro who spoke about Energy Medicine. Together we discussed the possibilities of the body healing itself and how we've forgotten as human beings, that our health is indeed, in our hands.

Pooja threw down a challenge on live radio and I could not refuse. A 10 day detox programme, tailor made by The Nutrition Clinic with a simple goal (hopefully!) - to restore my body's natural ability to heal itself. Pooja's approach is direct and goal oriented: supply the information and tools required to reactivate my body's innate detoxification systems; support my detox with targeted nutrition; and help me to change my wicked ways for the long term.

Our lives these days, and especially in urbanised locales such as Singapore, are rigorous. My life, is rigorous! And so here I stand, on the threshold of a 10 day detox, having a go at cleansing my body of years of built up toxins for the first time ever in a seriously devoted manner.

I had to think about it a little. After all, I know myself well enough. I am an ill disciplined city gal who's constantly on the go, and perpetually distracted. It wasn't so much about what I could or could not eat, more that I was likely to forget plain and simple, and end up messing up the entire process!

But as I write this, I recognise that, it's about making a decision and sticking with it. And, if I don't, Ms Vig, who includes daily contact in her programme (otherwise known as checking up on errant detoxers), is sure to figure it out in her delicate, polite way, and whip me right back into shape ;-)

So what should I expect? The first three days, starting today are all about eliminating foods known to cause allergies and strain the liver. I had my last beer two days ago, I practised last night at a dinner to try and avoid the dairy and wheat, and, yesterday afternoon, I imbibed my last cup of tea. Such sorrow! My centering agent of all time - tea. However, I am quite determined.

And most importantly.. no starving! No excessive fruit juices! No tubes up my bum!

Pooja promised a surge in energy and clarity of mind as toxins are released, neutralised and eliminated - but perhaps you don't want to read about my eliminations ;-)

Here we go. I'm in the kitchen, hand poised over my enormous jar of UltraClear Daily Detox Smoothie shake powder. Wish me luck!

Anita