Detoxing With Spring just around the corner, the words detox and cleanse are popping up quicker than the cherry blossoms in Vancouver. And just as quickly, are all the questions that start to pop up around this oh-so-trendy topic. Let’s demystify the detox dilemma as we “undress” the mighty detox beast! 

  • What is Detox?
  • Who Should Detox?
  • How Do I Detox?

What is Detox?

Every day we are exposed to a whirlwind of toxins. Toxins are chemicals that are poisonous to the body and come from our food, water, air and chemicals in our environment. Our modern world is full of things that our body doesn’t need and by simply going about our daily lives we expose ourselves to these dangerous substances.

The long list of toxin exposure can be overwhelming and tough to avoid. Everything from the gasoline in the cars we drive to the use of conventional cleaning supplies to the clothes we wear and the food we eat. They all contain harmful toxins that penetrate our body’s natural barriers and find their way inside our bodies.

Now this all sounds pretty bleak, but not to fear! The body is an amazingly powerful machine with five major detox pathways to rid itself of unwanted substances:

  • Gastrointestinal – Liver, Gallbladder, Colon and GI Tract
  • Urinary – Kidneys and Bladder
  • Respiratory – Lungs, Throat, Sinuses and Nose
  • Lymphatic – Lymph channels and nodes
  • Skin – Sweat glands and tears

Here’s an analogy: think of the body as a rain barrel. We are constantly being showered with toxins, but fortunately, we have a spout at the bottom of the barrel that slowly releases these unwanted substances from the body. Our bodies, being these incredible machines, have several mechanisms to empty our rain barrel of toxins and usually all this happens without our even knowing. The problem occurs when the input of toxins exceeds what the body is capable of outputting and the barrel overflows. This is what we call reaching our toxic load.

Everyone’s toxic load is unique. Some people can handle more toxins than others before symptoms start to appear. A good indicator is that when we begin to actually exhibit symptoms and notice these signs, we’re nearing our max.

The filter for many of these toxins is the liver, an often overlooked superhero of the body! In fact, it has more than 500 different functions, one of which is filtering our blood. When it comes to liver, detox takes place in two phases:

Phase I:

An enzyme in the liver, Cytochrome P450, neutralizes chemicals and converts them to water-soluble intermediates that the body is able to process and excrete. These intermediates can be more reactive in the body so it is important to support your body during this stage.

Phase II:

Intermediates from Phase I are processed and excreted through a series of activities in the liver. Often times, although the toxins have been neutralized they can be more harmful to the body in this form, so it is important to support your body and liver through a high antioxidant content in your diet as well as plenty of water soluble vitamins to flush the system.

Who Should Detox?

Our bodies have multiple ways to show us that we’ve reached our toxic load. When we begin to see these signs in the body it’s usually a great indicator that our “rain barrel” is overflowing.

Symptoms can seem general, however, a great rule of thumb to remember is that our bodies want to achieve optimal health and work at full capacity, so anything inhibiting it from doing so could be an indication that something isn’t fully right.

 Common symptoms of toxicity include:

How Do I Detox?

So now maybe you’re saying “Alright, I get it. But what do I do about it?!” When we start to look at all the ways toxins enter our lives,  removing them can seem daunting so let’s focus on what we have control over – our diets! Heavy metals, pesticides and air pollution may seem like big issues to tackle, but when it comes to what we ingest, we have the power to choose!

By trying to avoid the buildup of toxins in the first place, your body will have a much easier time excreting the unwanted substances. As with many cases, prevention is the best medicine and doing what we can to keep our rain barrel from filling up in the first place.

I’m a big believer in getting what we need from nature and fortunately, nature is full of natural detoxifiers. By incorporating these foods into your diet, you are using nature’s own pharmacy to support your own natural detox mechanisms:

Sulphur containing foods:

Eggs, garlic, onion – The sulfur compounds help bind to the toxins to neutralize and excrete them safely.

Antioxidant-rich foods:

Berries, Peppers, Lemons – Support during Phase II Detox to protect your body from the toxins that have been metabolized.

Blood purifiers:

Cilantro and Parsley – These herbs help by neutralizing the toxins in the liver and cleansing heavy metals from the blood.

Leafy Greens:

These nutrient powerhouses help to cleanse and sustain the body, high in vitamins and chlorophyll to help flush out the system.

Making daily conscious choices to live in a non-toxic way is a much more sustainable long-term approach to health than any short quick fix. And remember detoxing doesn’t have to be difficult!

 Non Toxic Diet Guidelines

  • Eat organic when possible
  • Drink filtered water
  • Be mindful of high inflammatory foods (dairy, wheat, soy, corn)
  • Incorporate a wide variety of vegetables and fruits, legumes and whole grains, nuts and seeds
  • Avoid stimulants (sugar, caffeine, alcohol)

Interested in cleansing/detoxing your body with food? Check out The Naked Label 7-Day cleanse – a food based way of cleaning the gunk out of our sexy bods. Plus, if you have ever done a detox/cleanse and noticed health benefits from doing so we would love to hear about it in the comment section below!

Sources:
http://articles.mercola.com/
http://www.wellnessresources.com/
http://www.epa.gov/
Book – Staying Healthy with Nutrition – Elson M. Haas, MD