Ditch the “New Year Detox” and Think Long Term…
It is tempting to think that we could use a quick-fix to ‘wash’ all of our toxins away after the holiday season.
Most of us tend to assume that “healthy” or “natural” food is always good for us. Of course it is, but almost all food contains toxins, not just nutrients. As does water and air. Your body is detoxifying at every second of your life, helping you adapt to the foods and toxins which you are exposed to. Sometimes this exposure can overwhelm your body. This is why supporting your whole body's detoxification with simple, everyday actions is key.
The liver is the main detoxification organ, but detox is actually a whole-body process which also involves the kidneys, lungs, gut, and skin.
Here are some tips and changes that you can introduce to your lifestyle to decrease the toxic load:
You are what you eat…
Cut down on your intake of toxins. Look around you and identify the sources of toxins you are exposed to daily and which can easily be avoided. Eat an optimal diet and buy more organic foods to reduce exposure to pesticides. Minimize your intake of alcohol, caffeine, cigarettes, sugar, fried foods, saturated fats, and medication.
Try to drink filtered water and avoid plastic bottles. Swap plastic containers and cling film for stainless steel and glass containers.
Make sure to consume lots of vegetables, fruits, and spices. These provide useful molecules that can directly support detoxification pathways. They are the true ‘superfoods’ we should really care about.
Carrots, tomatoes, green peppers, watercress, etc. are rich in antioxidants. Berries, beetroot, and grapes are rich in anthocyanins. Cabbage, broccoli, brussels sprouts, and kale are rich in glucosinolates, which aid detoxification.
You can also use artichoke and turmeric to aid in liver function and the effective elimination of neutralized toxins. Coriander has been shown to aid the detoxification of lead and mercury, and can increase the levels of our main antioxidant glutathione.
Also excellent are sprouted beans and seeds, alfalfa, chickpeas, lentils, and sprouted sunflower seeds.
However, go easy on the bananas and dried fruits. They contain a lot of sugar.
Optimize digestion and regular bowel movements
Herbal fibers help absorb toxic material and so you can eliminate it. Linseed is used to heal intestinal problems. Psyllium husks are lubricating and absorb poisons. Pectin is a gel from fruits that absorb toxins. These are all great ways to help your digestive system naturally eliminate toxins.
Another way to speed up digestive cleansing is colonic therapy. A course of colonics can speed up the detoxification process. Exercise, drinking enough water, and breathing from the belly are also important.
Finally, drinking warm water with lemon helps your digestive system get moving in the morning without overloading it and helps your liver do a better job of filtering toxins out of the body.
Support detoxification via the skin
The skin is one of the largest elimination organs. Up to 25% of the body’s waste products are eliminated via the skin!
Applying chemicals on your skin is even worse than eating them because they move directly into the bloodstream. When toxins enter the digestive system they can be broken down and filtered first, reducing their impact. Essential oils are non-toxic, natural, are packed with antioxidants, and are a good alternative to commercial beauty products.
If some of the organs are not functioning properly, the skin takes over some of their work. This can increase congestion in the skin, boils, rashes, and other skin problems. Essential oils such as grapefruit, sweet orange, peppermint, rosemary, or carrot seed are lymphatic stimulants that assist the skin. Diuretics such as juniper berry and fennel essential oil can stimulate the kidneys to eliminate toxins.
Dry skin brushing can improve your lymphatic system, moving toxins out of the connective tissue. Here’s how to do dry skin brushing. After dry skin brushing, drink a glass of warm water with lemon to hydrate the lymphatic system and eliminate toxins.
Saunas and physical exercise can further promote detoxification of heavy metals in sweat. You get more cleansing sweat through an infrared sauna because the infrared wavelength mobilizes toxins stored deep within the cells and helps your body release them through your sweat.
Clay is also an excellent cleanser that draws out toxins from the body into the clay. Bentonite clay, Fuller’s earth clay, and Kaolin clay can be taken internally or applied as a face mask.
You can also support your detoxification by supplementing
Try adding a high-strength multivitamin and mineral supplement with additional antioxidants and 2000mg of vitamin C to your regimen. Dandelion and milk thistle can naturally support liver function and detoxification. Artichoke, celery, and alfalfa also support the function of the kidneys and the urinary tract. Chlorella is a green algae which binds to heavy metals in the gut, inhibiting intestinal reabsorption. Spirulina belongs to the phyto-plankton group and can help with liver detoxification and protect your cells against oxidative stress and damage.
Anyone can benefit from supportive detoxification as part of daily life. Detoxification is critical for beauty! By supporting natural detoxification in this chemically challenged world, you can experience better health, weight management, and energy levels while elevating your mood and feeling and looking your best.
