Spring tends to get us motivated to give our environment a bit of a ‘spring clean’, its also the perfect time to also spring clean your body. Some of the symptoms that show we need to give our body a cleanse may be: –
- Feeling tired and having low energy
- Bloating, heartburn, excess gas, or irregular bowel movements
- Poor immunity
- Forgetfulness and having trouble concentrating
- Struggling to maintain a healthy weight range
Detoxing simply mean the process that our body does to remove the toxins that it is exposed to daily. If we have a healthy digestive system (liver, kidneys and bowels) then we should be able to deal with these toxins. The problem is, people are overloading these organs, so they are unable to keep up with clearing these toxins, that then end up getting stored in our fat cells, bones and some organs (including the brain).
One simple way of supporting our body is by eating a whole food diet. This food is unprocessed and has LHI (Low Human Intervention) – meaning when it comes to nutrition we should be eating food as nature intended (or as close as possible). This food contains the nutrients and enzymes needed to be easily processed by the body, as well as providing support to those digestive organs.
To help with supporting these digestive organs – start with the following guidelines.
Reduce the liver loaders – these substances cause the liver to become congested and unable to clear those toxins.
- Sugar
- Trans/hydronated fats and highly process oils
- Additive and preservatives
These are found in foods that are mostly processed and commercially made. They are very inflammatory, and can have a huge impact on digestion, as well as metabolic health.
- Alcohol
Very easy to consume, and very hard for the body to process and clear the toxins that alcohol contains. Give your liver a break and go 2-4 weeks alcohol free. If you find this too challenging then stick to the recommended allowance (that many of my clients find very surprising!)
4 units per week of any of the following
- Wine – 1 unit = 100mls
- Spirts – 1 unit = 30mls
- Beer = 1.3 unit = 300mls
Also, important to liver health is reducing or removing the use of cigarette smoking, recreational drug use and over the counter medication. All highly toxic and damaging to our body.
Once we have removed or reduced the liver loaders, then we can look at improving our nutritional intake.
Eat mostly whole unprocessed foods (preferably organic).
Aim for 80% of your diet to be wholefood, and eating organic will help reduce the load of toxins from pesticides. Focusing on whole, unprocessed foods is a proven way to improve satiety and lose weight. It also provides many of the beneficial nutrients that help support the body’s own detoxification pathways and is likely lower in chemical residues that may be harmful.
Eat sufficient protein
Amino acids that come from eating protein foods are required for liver detox pathways. Eating a portion (1-2 palm sizes) of a quality protein food (meat, chicken, fish, eggs, sprouted lentils, tofu or tempeh) at each meal, will help you to meet your daily requirements. Most of the people I see in Clinic, don’t meet their requirements, especially if they are exercising. An easy option to increase your protein intake, is using a quality protein powder to provide a protein-based meal in the form of a smoothie.
Increase your intake of omega 3 fats
Omega 3 fats help to regulate inflammation. Good sources include oily fish, walnuts, pumpkin seeds and flaxseeds. A good option to help your omega 3 intake is to take a good quality fish oil supplement.
Exercise!!
Exercise helps to encourage efficient lymphatic clearance of metabolic waste products. The lymphatic system requires one of two things to make it work – physical movement, or diaphragmic breathing. Believe it or not – many people don’t know how to breathe correctly, with lots of people being chest breathers and not activating the deep diaphragmic breathing. Sweating that comes from exercising also helps to remove toxins.
Reduce use of plastics
Research shows that BPA found in plastic storage products is a hormone disruptor, affecting oestrogen receptors, thyroid hormone receptors and others. BPS and BPF are increasingly used in place of BPA, but they are chemically very similar and their effects may be likewise very similar. Use glass containers or bottles where possible to store your food and drink, and never reuse the water bottles you buy already filled with water.
Support the process
There are many wonderful nutrients that can help our digestive organs with binding and removing and reducing the damage caused by the toxins stored in our body. Some of them include; Spirulina and chlorella, milk thistle, dandelion, garlic, curcumin, resveratrol, selenium, and zinc.
These supplements can be taken while making the changes to your nutrition to ensure you get the full benefit of cleansing your internal organs.
For more information or help, contact me through the website or via email jane @mintfit.co.nz