I’m not an advocate of diets, but I do believe that some people can benefit from a period of detoxification. This is always a popular subject in January because most of us have indulged over the holiday season. Remember the refined sugar and fat from holidays sweets? The deep-fried, fatty and processed appetizers? The alcohol? As a result, our bodies are overloaded with toxins. That being said, anybody can be toxic at any time of the year due to poor eating habits, stress or their environment.
In October I completed an Advanced Detoxification workshop through the Canadian School of Natural Nutrition. I want to share a few things I learned, the first being the definition of a toxin:
Any substance that creates irritating and/or harmful effects in the body, undermining our health or stressing our biochemical or organ function. Toxicity is defined as “the state or degree of being poisonous.”
Sources of Toxins
Exogenous toxins include things from our external environment: food, water, air, drugs, plastics, herbicides/pesticides and chemicals.
As the definition says, a toxin can be anything that causes irritating and/or harmful effects in the body. Because we are all biochemically different this could be gluten for one person or dairy for another. But a build-up of dietary toxins is usually a result of a poor diet.
A poor diet includes too many highly refined foods or “white” products, such as refined sugar, rice and flour products, including bread, pasta and pastries. Refining foods removes important vitamins and minerals such as magnesium, a co-factor that is involved in more than 300 body functions.
A build-up of dietary toxins can result from regular consumption of conventional meat and dairy products, which are fed pesticide-sprayed foods, hormones and antibiotics. Upon consumption, our bodies absorb the chemicals and hormones from the food. Toxins can also build up due to diets that are too high in salt, processed foods, fat-filled fast foods and alcohol. Overeating can cause toxic buildup too.
A build-up of heavy metals, such as lead, mercury, cadmium, arsenic, nickel and aluminum, in humans can lead to symptoms including memory loss, depression, anxiety, mania, panic, Alzheimer’s and Multiple Sclerosis. The heavy metals listed above are common and can be found in canned foods, cookware, antacids, deodorants, dental fillings, contaminated fish, cosmetics, paints, batteries and cigarette smoke.
Endogenous or internal toxins are those that are stored or produced in the body, usually as a result of exposure to other sources of toxins: poor diet and/or environment. Internal toxins can include bacteria and yeast that clog the cells and prevents the liver (a major detoxifying organ) from functioning properly.
Again, we are all biochemically different and exposed to different types of toxins, and have varying tolerances, but symptoms arise when a person has reached their personal toxic load. Symptoms of toxicity include:
- Digestion issues such as gas, bloating, diarrhea, and constipation
- Skin issues such as acne, eczema, and psoriasis
- Bad breath
- Decreased immunity or frequent illness
- Low libido
- Arthritis and/or sore joints/muscle aches
- Type 2 diabetes
- Hormonal imbalance
- IBS or irritable bowl syndrome
- Excess mucus
- Insomnia or sleep problems
If you experience even one of those symptoms on a regular basis, you could benefit from a detoxification protocol. The workshop covered many different types of detox diets depending on the individual’s symptoms:
- Liver and Kidney Detoxification Diet
- The Brown Rice Diet
- The Anti-Inflammatory Diet
- The Alkalizing Diet
- The Elimination Diet
- The Master Cleanse
- Raw Fruit, Vegetable or Liquid Fast
- Steamed Vegetable Fast
- Whole Grain Fast
If you experience any of the symptoms above to the point that it’s interfering with your life, contact me to get started with your personal detox protocol. A detox is the perfect way to make you feel better every day, and motivate you to live a healthier lifestyle.