Interested in Detoxing your Body?
The body naturally detoxifies every day. Supporting these organ systems as they work hard to keep our body healthy is important to prevent disease. There are four areas of focus before implementing any detox regime.
1. Remove Toxins
Removing toxins is the most critical step in supporting the detoxification process of the body. The body will only be able to clear out toxins that are stored in the body when it does not have to continually process new toxins. The body’s resources (energy and nutrients) that are used to process new toxins can now be put towards processing and removing stored toxins.
Here are some tips to help avoid toxins:
- Eat organically grown food
- Eliminate all farmed fish – consume wild caught instead
- Eliminate package, processed, and fast foods
- Avoid food sensitivities – common ones are gluten and dairy
- Avoid excess alcohol and caffeine
- Drink filtered water
- Use natural health and beauty products
- Avoid using plastic containers
- Avoid cooking with non-stick and aluminum pans
2. Support the Gut
The balance of bacteria in your digestive tract is important for optimal health. Here are some tips to support the digestive tract.
- Ensure daily bowel movements
- Add fiber rich foods – a variety of fruits and vegetables
- Incorporate prebiotic foods – garlic, onions, asparagus, beans, and legumes
- Incorporate probiotic foods – kimchi, sauerkraut, pickles, and miso
- If there is an imbalance of bacteria these foods may exacerbate symptoms. If this happens to you, work with a naturopathic doctor or functional health care practitioner to get to find the root cause of this imbalance.
3. Support the Liver
The liver processes wastes and toxins. It then excretes them into the digestive tract for removal in the stool. Foods that support the liver include:
- Good quality protein
- Beans and lentils
- Wild caught fish
- Brassica family vegetables – broccoli, cauliflower, Brussel sprouts, kale etc.
- Beets
- Turmeric
- Artichoke
- Avocado
- Citrus fruits
4. Support the Kidneys
Along with the digestive tract, the kidneys process and excrete toxins. Include these foods to support kidney health.
- Beet and ginger juice
- Blueberries
- Filtered water
- Whole grains like millet and quinoa
- Leafy green vegetables
After all the above systems are addressed and functioning optimally, now it’s time to detox.
Detox
After avoiding toxins and supporting the digestive tract, liver, and kidneys, the body is ready to detox. When releasing toxins, you want to ensure your diet is rich in fruits and vegetables to help bind the toxins as well as protect the body from their damaging effects when they are released into the body from being stored. Tips to support detoxification include:
- Diet high in fruits and vegetables
- Lots of filtered water and electrolytes
- Sweat daily – exercise, sauna, hot bath
- Ensure quality sleep and take naps
- Incorporate dry brushing and castor oil packs
You have just done all this work to detoxify your body so maintaining a healthy functioning system is important.
Maintenance
- Grow your own food and/or buy organic
- Avoid buying and storing food in plastic when possible – 5, 4, and 2 are the better plastic packaging if it is unavoidable
- Avoid Teflon and aluminum cookware
- 80/20 rule
- Limit alcohol consumption
- Avoid processed, refined, and fast food
- Avoid artificial colorings and flavorings
- Avoid conventionally raised animal meat
- Filtered water – use reverse osmosis or carbon block filters
- Air filter – Ultra or Micro HEPA air filter, plants, open windows
- Natural household cleaners
- Natural personal care products
Always consult your naturopathic doctor or functional medical practitioner before starting any programs as they will be able to provide you with more guidance and develop a treatment plan targeted toward your goals. Incorporating supplements may be beneficial to support certain systems that are not functioning optimally in the body. I have left these out as they will be different for everybody.
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