Trying to slim down naturally? Sometimes bathing suit season approaching is motivation, many people search for painless ways to shed a few pounds quickly. Adding any or a combination of the ideas listed below may help to get your body feeling healthier and slimmer in a few weeks.

1. Drink Bojenmi Tea

Bojenmi tea is used mainly for assisting weight loss and maintaining a healthy weight. This traditional Chinese medicinal tea is known as Baojianmei Jianfei Cha in Chinese and means “slim and beautiful”. It is one of the most popular products of China for slimming and promotion of beauty and health.

The formulation is provided as loose tea or tea bags. Several ingredients are used for this herb formulation, but the main ingredient is the tea leaf from Fujian Province. Reports have revealed that 50 percent of this product contains tea leaf which has been shown to help lower blood lipids. An extract of other herbs, however, are sprayed onto the tea leaf to make the finished beverage product, which is then prepared by steeping in boiled water for 3 to 4 minutes. Up to 6 cups of the tea per day can be consumed to help increase metabolism.

The herbs in the formula enhance digestion, resolve accumulations of phlegm and moisture, eliminate food stagnation, and provide a slight laxative action. Also, the combination includes actions relied upon by Chinese doctors to promote weight loss and reduce blood lipids.

2. Detoxify and Get a Massage

Fats and toxins can tightly bind to one another, making it difficult for the body to let go of the contents of fat cells. Toxins hold onto fats and fats hold onto toxins. The body uses several mechanisms to detoxify the body: lymphatic system, bowel movements, urination, and sweating. Water is involved in every biochemical process so the name of the game is to DRINK WATER! Below are ideas from each detoxification category:

Lymphatics: lymphatic massage will help keep the lymphatic fluid moving freely and allow the glycerol and water components of the fat cells to be recycled

Liver and Bowels: milk thistle, burdock, and dandelion all promote toxin excretion in fecal matter.

Urination/Kidneys: dandelion and/or uva-ursi can help strengthen the kidneys and are mild diuretics

Sweating: FAR infrared sauna can penetrate deep to pull out more toxins (2x per week for 20 minutes)

3. Cut Out Grains

Most grains contain either phytates, gluten, and/or lectins. Aside from the fact that most modern grains are refined, processed, and/or sprayed with toxic chemicals, they cause spikes in blood sugar and in large amounts often lead to insulin resistance over time.

Lectins are so small and hard to digest that they tend to bio-accumulate in your body. They damage the gut lining which leads to leaky gut and other disorders. Lectins also cause leptin resistance, which means that your hunger signal is suppressed and that you’ll be hungry even when your body has had more than enough calories. They’re resistant to heat and digestive enzymes and can bind to almost all cell types, causing damage to tissues and organs.

The inflammation caused by this damage can not only make it difficult to detoxify properly and absorb nutrients important for metabolic function, it can also impair the lymphatic system which is a major route of transport for fat cell components. The bloated and inflamed look that many people try to avoid could be drastically reduced by limiting grain intake. If you are trying to quickly lose weight, complete avoidance would be very beneficial for that month before vacation.

4. Add Essential Oils to Your Water

Below are some of the essential oils that help speed up metabolism, detoxify the body, and promote insulin and satiety hormone sensitivity. Some companies make combination formulas that feature some or all of the listed oils.

• Grapefruit: powerful detoxifier, increases metabolism, great for the skin
• Lemon: increases metabolism, calms the mind, detoxifying
• Peppermint: antioxidant, stimulates digestion, decongestant
• Ginger: aids in digestion, calms inflammation, improves mood, anti-anxiolytic
• Cinnamon: improves insulin sensitivity, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant
• Ocotea: lowers blood sugar, anti-inflammatory
• Tangerine: mild laxative, aids in digestion, antioxidant, calming, topical use for cellulite
• Spearmint: aids in digestion

Detoxification and achieving or maintaining a healthy weight is not just a summer project. As a naturopath, I will looks for the least invasive and most effective method to help bring your body back into balance naturally.