The word detoxification can be scary. When I first heard this phase in the context of a tool for wellness and good heath, I immediately thought of someone going through a drug rehab program, not rejuvenating and cleansing the body. Actually, I came to find out that our bodies attempt to detoxify constantly. When I came to realize what the body does in an attempt to detoxify and the vital part nutrition plays in cleaning the body of toxins, I came to think of detoxification as more of “gentle cleansing”, a term I first heard from the Food Matters documentary Hungry for Change. However we coin the phrase, detoxification of the body is an important step towards good health.
Although there are hundreds of thousands of different types of toxins both environmentally and in our food , they can be categorized into basically two types:
• Exogenous toxins
• Endogenous toxins
Exogenous toxins– these are external toxins that are normally attributed to environmental factors such as pollutants in the air (carbon monoxide), chemicals in the workplace or home and in processed food products like MSG or Aspartame. These toxins can also be found in many cosmetics.
Endogenous toxins– These are the toxins that are produced inside your body. Many of these toxins are waste products that the body can expel on its own as long as one’s immune system is functioning correctly. However, when an unhealthy diet is consumed over time ingesting chemical laden, processed foods, these toxins may accumulate to the point where your body cannot expel them as fast as it is ingesting them.
Our bodies are constantly being assaulted by toxins both from environmental factors and from the abundance of processed foods we consume. Environmental toxins (chemicals where we work, and pollutants we breathe in every day) are pretty much out of our control. We cannot completely avoid toxins from our surroundings, but that is only part of the problem. Because we are a processed food consuming society, we are taking in more toxins than we are expelling. The dangers of taking in more toxins than we are letting go have contributed to a host of diseases including:
• Cancer (Colon, lung)
• Diabetes
• Heart disease
• Obesity
WHY TOXINS INCREASE WEIGHT GAIN
Scientists are now discovering something very alarming: toxins can make us fat. This is because whenever our bodies are ingesting more toxins that we can expel, we go into hormonal chaos. It’s really very simple: our bodies cannot assimilate and digest these toxins- from both the environment and many of which come from chemical laden, processed, sugary foods we consume. The reaction of the body to these toxins is to coat them in fat as a protection mechanism. The more toxins we take in , the more fat our bodies will produce to protect us from these toxins. Take note that this is an important thing to remember when it comes to dieting. Dieting can temporally burn off the fat but that will not rid itself of the toxins that are stored inside your bodyfat ( just one of many reasons reason why diets fail). Since the body uses body fat to try and protect itself from these toxins, the result is excess weight gain caused by these toxins which inhibits our bodies’ inability to self-regulate its weight.
THE GOOD NEWS
Although it’s unrealistic to attempt to completely protect ourselves from toxins caused by environmental factors, we can have control over what we eat so we can expel more toxins than we take in- given the right nutritional factors. Anyone seeking optimum health and weight loss needs to understand that that the body’s internal mechanism to cleanse the body of toxins is not enough. We need to input the right amount of nutrients every day from key foods that will supply specific nutrients to the body in order to expel these toxins out of our systems.
FOODS THAT DETOXIFY
Foods that detoxify the body are all our chlorophyll rich, dark green, and cruciferous organic vegetables. Three powerhouses excellent for gentle cleansing are:
• Cucumbers
• Kale
• Broccoli
GELATINOUS PLANT FOODS: NUTRITIONAL WARRIORS AGAINST TOXINS.
Gelatinous plant foods are foods that become “gel-like” when wet. These foods bind to and absorb the toxins in our bodies moving them out of our systems. Types of gelatinous fibers are:
• Chia seeds
• Aloe vera
• Seaweeds
Chia Seeds– This tiny seed is a nutritional powerhouse for cleansing the body and removing toxins. Chia seeds, like all gelatinous plant foods, become gel-like when wet. This enables them to absorb toxins, releasing them out of the system. These remarkable seeds bind to and absorb the bile salts released by the liver, binding them and moving them out of our systems. Without a gelatinous plant food like chia seeds in our daily diets, the body would tend to reabsorb most of these fat soluble toxins. Try sprinkling chia seeds on salads or yogurt.
Aloe Vera– Aloe Vera is something that many think is applied externally. This is true; however, aloe vera when used internally is an excellent tool for gentle cleansing of the body. Specifically what aloe vera does is remove dangerous toxins and matter from the stomach, spleen and kidneys. Using aloe vera juice is excellent for ridding the body of waste products.
Seaweeds-These ocean vegetables are excellent for gentle cleansing. When the nutrients from seaweeds enter our bodies they go after dangerous poisons such as lead and mercury moving them right out of our systems through elimination. Seaweeds take these dangerous chemicals and pollutants and convert them into salts, flushing them away out of our systems. There are many varieties of seaweeds which you can use in soups and salads.
TWO OTHER NUTRITIONAL WARRIORS
I mentioned parsley and cilantro in my article on juicing but they are worth mentioning again because they play such a vital role in detoxifying the body. Parsley is an excellent blood purifier and gently moves toxins out of our systems simply by the massive amounts of chlorophyll it contains. Cilantro works to detoxify the body by removing dangerous metals and poisons such as mercury out of our system.
DON’T BE FOOLED
If you research the internet, you will no doubt find many people selling their detox programs- even doctors with distiniquished medical credentials. While they may offer valid plans for detoxification, keep in mind their end goal is to sell you their service or product. I am here to tell you do not need an exotic detox program or plan. Why? Because It’s not necessary! We tend to complicate matters when we attempt to increase our health and well-being by always wanting to try something exotic, unusual or new. What I have outlined is simple, it works, its inexpensive and most of all, it’s easy!
A GENTLE CLEANSING REGIMEN-EVERYDAY
Many think that detoxification involves a specific time period and then it can be discontinued. This is false. Our bodies continually take in toxins every day and it only stands to reason that we must incorporate a daily regimen into our nutritional plan to continually rid the body of toxins. Make the following a daily regimen as part of your nutritional plan every day for gentle cleansing.
Two glasses of juice from fresh produce each day:
• Two cucumbers
• 1 bunch of parsley
• 1 bunch of Cilantro
• 5 leaves of Kale
Foods to incorporate for gentle cleansing: have at least two servings a day:
• Chia seeds- ¼ cup. Sprinkle on salads, in soups or on yogurt.
• Aloe Vera juice- one glass daily. (You can substitute seaweeds for aloe vera if you choose-use seaweeds in soups and salads).
GIVE IT FIVE DAYS
One of things I have found so exciting when I first started gentle cleansing is that it really does not take very long at all for the body to detoxify. The body is remarkably responsive when you give it the right tools to cleanse itself and is perfectly capable of healing itself. Within 3-5 days, the body will start eliminating toxins and in the process, will let go of the extra weight you were finding so difficult to lose previously . And the exciting part is we don’t have to do very much! Just input toxin removing foods and gelatinous fibers on a daily basis, and your body will take it from there!
