We live in a toxic world. Toxins get to our body every day from the food we eat, the water we drink, the air we breathe, and skin contact. The older we get the more toxins accumulate in our bodies. Toxins trigger inflammation, which leads to all kinds of diseases, such as cancers, cardiovascular diseases, autoimmune diseases, and weight gain. That’s why avoiding toxins getting into our body and helping our body’s own detox system work can make a difference in your health.
Sources of toxins:
- Food:
- Pesticides in fruits and vegetables
- Hormones in animal meat and products such as eggs, milk, and cheese
- Mercury-containing fish such as tuna, yellowtail, mackerel, and swordfish
- Plastics in plastic food wraps, bottles, and containers
- Processed foods containing preservatives, sweeteners, MSG, and artificial colors and flavorings
- Water: Our water has a number of unhealthy chemicals, including chloride, fluoride, plasticizers, and chemical contaminants.
- Air: Chemical contaminants such as car exhaust, gasoline and diesel fumes, sprayed pesticides or sunscreen, perfumes, cleaning solutions, and paint.
- Skin contact: Our skin can absorb chemicals from cosmetics, shampoo and hair dyes, laundry detergents, or cleaning solutions
How to avoid toxins
- Always buy organic fruits and vegetables.
- Buy grass-fed beef, free-range chicken and eggs, organic milk, and cheese.
- Reduce or stop eating seafood high in mercury.
- Drink water filtered by a multistage carbon filter and use glass or stainless steel containers.
- Avoid heating food in plastic containers or using plastic cups and containers for hot food or drinks.
- Do not use pesticides in your garden or lawn.
- Avoid products that contain aluminum, such as antiperspirants, antacids, aluminum foil, or pots and pans made of aluminum.
- Use natural products for shampoos, cleaning solutions, hair dyes, and cosmetics.
How the body detoxifies
- The liver pathway: The liver pathway: The liver is our body’s first and major detox organ. It has a 2 phase process that involves multiple chemical reactions. Phase I neutralizes potentially harmful toxins while phase 2 binds them to molecules that can be excreted from the body. We need a lot of vitamins, minerals, and amino acids to complete those chemical reactions. Additionally, many herbs such as turmeric, cilantro, parsley, and ginger may support the detox pathways.
- The kidney pathway: Once the liver completes its detoxification pathways, toxins are converted to water-soluble molecules that can be excreted from the body. The kidneys then act as a filtering system to reabsorb necessary water and nutrients while eliminating toxins and waste through urine. It’s essential to maintain healthy kidney function by drinking plenty of water.
- The colon pathway: The colon serves as a holding place for undigested food and toxins entering from the small intestine after the liver has processed them. If we are constipated, the toxins may stay in our body longer, reabsorbing back into our system. To help prevent this it is vital to maintain regular bowel movements through plenty of fluids and to eat a diet rich in fiber.
- The sweat pathway: Another way the body eliminates toxins is through perspiration, which can be achieved with exercise and sauna therapy.
In Summary
To help our body detox, we need to
- Drink plenty of good filtered water throughout the day. It’s recommended to drink half of our body weight in oz a day to support our body’s natural detox process.
- Sweat regularly by exercising or using a sauna.
- Increase fiber intake by eating more whole grains, nuts, seeds, and vegetables of all colors.
- Eat more cruciferous vegetables. Vegetables like broccoli, kale, cauliflower, cabbage, and brussels sprouts can help our body’s natural detoxification process by breaking down xenohormones and excessive estrogen levels.
- Use herbs such as cilantro, parsley, garlic, ginger, rosemary, turmeric, and curry are excellent for detoxification.
- Take detox supplements such as INFLAMMDETOX MULTI, which contains the vitamins, minerals, and herbs to support the body’s natural detox pathway. INFLAMMDETOX POWDER helps to heal the gut and can be used as a meal replacement. XENOCLEAR focuses on helping eliminate xenohormones or endocrine-disrupting chemicals. HOMOCYSTEINE FACTOR can support healthy methylation pathways to reduce homocysteine levels. High homocysteine levels can increase the risk of various health issues such as cardiovascular diseases, stroke, and dementia.
- It is important to have at least one bowel movement a day in order to keep your digestive system healthy. If you are constipated, taking fiber supplements such as BOWEL EASE can make the stool softer and feed the probiotics. CHELATED MAGNESIUM can help to relax the muscles in the digestive tract to encourage faster movement.
