I had an interesting conversation the other day with a customer at Whole Foods Market. We were talking about detoxification. Most people do not have a very good idea of the process or the problem.
Growing up in the world that we currently live in has put us into contact with all sorts of dangerous things that our fearfully and wonderfully made bodies take in and deal with as best they can… many times to our long term detriment. Substances like PCB’s (polychlorinated biphenyls), nitrates and nitrites, fake sugars (aspartame, splenda), and heavy metals like mercury, lead, and cadmium have been in products we have eaten, slathered on our bodies, shampooed with, or put on our fingernails (yeah girls… there is some pretty toxic fingernail polish out there).
Our body many times responds by storing these toxins in fat cells in order to minimize their impact on the body. Many people don’t realize that the cellulite that they can’t get rid of or the reason they have certain accentuated body parts with fat is due to the stored toxins. If you ever watch people you were friends with from an early age and watch them get worse and worse in their diets… just watch what happens to their body. Yeah, not pretty…. I know… I have seen it.
So how can we get rid of all of these toxins from all these years? Well, some things are easy and others are not. Due to the nature of our dynamic bodies, everyone is different. However, there are some major things that can be done. Fundamental things that are cornerstone’s of detoxifying. The first being water.
Most people do not realize the power that water has to eliminate toxins and even cellulite. Toxins come out in all sorts of ways, through the pores, through sweat, through urination, through defecation (ok, poop), through the nose, through the eyes, and, well… basically through all sorts of openings on your body. Water, if you haven’t noticed, aids in all of these processes. Ahem.
The type of water is important as well. Water treated through reverse osmosis is good for this cause because it is completely free of, well, everything, and therefore it dissolves toxins, as well as good minerals from your body and helps eliminate them. I do not like reverse osmosis for continued use due to the fact that it is dead water… if you will. I prefer water that has naturally occurring minerals, has naturally reduced ionization (not electrically induced), and increased solubility. Basically a mountain spring. There is a filter that does the same thing which I have mentioned before called the wellness filter. Of course these are optimal solutions in water. A good carbon filter will go a long way for most people. Making it a point to drink more water and to sweat regularly is a good step in detoxifying with water.
The next fundamental may seem obvious, but so many people don’t do it: Stop eating or ingesting or absorbing toxic chemicals… the ones that you can control. Seek out foods and products that do not have toxic, fake, artificial substances in them. It doesn’t matter if you put it on your skin or in your mouth. Pay attention to what is in it. That means READ the label and know what it is. If you don’t know what it is then don’t buy it… go find out what it is first and then make a more informed purchase.
The next fundamental is to consume healthy foods. Of course this is very broad. In fact this whole blog is about eating healthy foods. So everything from healthy fats and oils to healthy dairy to healthy meats to healthy grains to healthy fruits and vegetables. In addition, seek foods that have specific detoxifying abilities such as chlorella, spirulina, and cilantro.
The next fundamental is to realize the importance of digestion and your gut. It would be an excellent practice to make sure you are taking some sort of probiotics every day. Yes, every day. Everyday. Every day. Ok, I am done messing. Whether it be a supplement probiotic or you get them through naturally fermented foods like kefir, kombucha, pickles, sauerkraut, kimchi, ginger ale, new wine, and on and on… you can even get probiotics from gardening. I just thought of yogurt… and yes you can get good bacteria from yogurt, but most yogurt in the store is not very good because the milk is not high enough quality and it is pasteurized… not to mention the sugar.
So those are some food based things outside of exercise that you can do, which will not only aid your body in detoxing, but will also help you lose weight, inches, cup sizes, rolls, your big butt, your triple chin, and years of potentially life threatening, cancer causing substances… now who wouldn’t want to detox? Me me… sign me up!
Out. For now.
Tim is a health researcher and educator based out of Nashville, TN. Connect with him on Instagram @eattodaytolivetomorrow.
