Our bodies are amazing at doing their natural course of detoxification. We are blessed with these remarkably sophisticated bodies that process and remove both internal waste and environmental toxins, all day, every day.
In a healthy state, our “detox systems” compused of our liver, kidneys, lungs, skin, digestive tract, and lymph system work seamlessly to clear out what our body doesn’t need. However, we all reach a point where our bodies get saturated with SO many toxins and our “detox systems” get sluggish.
The volume and complexity of toxins we face in today’s world can overwhelm our bodies, contributing to chronic illness and accelerate aging.
To give you an idea, we’re now exposed to over 80,000 chemicals of which less than 1% have been properly tested for safetly! All these chemicals - found in our food, air, water, and personal care products can cause inflammation, oxidative stress, hormone disruption, gut damage, mitochondrial dysfunction, and more.
Even our modern day habits can interfere with our bodies’ detox systems. Ultra-processed foods, excess sugar and starch, alcohol, many medications (including over-the-counter meds like Tylenol), and even excess stress - all deplete our bodies, and deplete important nutrients in our body needed to help our body detox, like glutathione, our body’s main detoxifying molecule.
To support your body's natural detoxification process, it’s important to have a healthy balanced diet rich in antioxidants, to hydrate constantly, get sufficient sleep, do regular exercise, and of course, to minimize your exposure to toxins. Focusing on creating these lifestyle changes, little by little, can enhance your body's ability to eliminate waste and maintain overall health.
Beyond these daily lifestyle basics, there are 5 additional key steps that I work with my clients to have them implement whenever they are needing a bit more “detox support”.
This is especially important if you feel a bit sluggish, your digestion is off, maybe you feel you’ve accumulated some inflammation and extra weight, and you know your body could use a little “detox boost” on top of the basics. Fcusing on implementing these 5 steps will help immensely!
FIVE EVIDENCE-BASED WAYS TO SUPPORT YOUR BODY’S DETOX PATHWAYS
1. Choose ORGANIC (especially produce, dairy and meats) to reduce pesticide expsoure, as well as antibiotics, hormones and other food additives. This is especially important when actively focusing on detoxing your body, however, I personally recommend ALWAYS making the effort to buy organic. I share HERE why buying organic foods is important. *You can use EWG’s Dirty Dozen and Clean Fifteen to prioritize where it matters most.
2. EAT DETOX-SUPPORTIVE FOODS daily, primarily cruciferous vegetables (like cauliflower, broccoli, kale and cabbage), as well as beets, green tea, ginger, turmeric, and garlic - which all contain phytochemicals that support your liver’s detox pathways. Some tips to include more of these detox supporting foods include:
Swap your coffee for an organic matcha latte (to get the green tea)
Add frozen cauliflower rice to your smoothies and smoothie bowls.
Likewise, add some frozen kale to your smoothies. As a bonus, also add a tiny piece of ginger and turmeric to your smoothies (I do this daily)
Add some chopped kale to any curry, stew, soup, lentils, etc.
Try shredded cabbage sauteed with a little bit of olive oil or coconut oil, then mix in some tahini; it tastes amazing! another option is roasting cabbage and then drizzling tahini sauce on top.
3. Boost GLUTATHIONE. Glutathione is an antioxidant (and your body’s most important detoxifying molecule) that helps protect your cells from oxidative stress. It attaches to toxins and free radicals, neutralizing them, AND helps to expel them from the body. We produce it natrually, but we need the right inputs to make enough of it.
We can boost Glutathion by:
Eating a diet rich in sulfur-rich foods, primarily: cruciferous vegetables (as mentioned above), garlic and onions, green tea, ginger and turmeric. There are also certain foods that naturally contain glutathione like spinach, okra, asparagus and avocados, so include these, too!
Getting enough Vitamin C (bell peppers, broccoli, citrus fruits, strawberries) and Selenium (brazil nuts, seafood & meat) from foods is also important.
Supplementing with NAC, Milk Thistle, ALA (alpha lipoic acid) and Turmeric extract.
Taking a warm bath with Epsom salts can also help your body’s production of glutathione (plus it helps you sleep better, and getting enough sleep is key for glutathione production)!
4. SWEAT it out as often as possible - through exercise, saunas, steam, or hot baths—to help clear fat-soluble toxins through your skin. For an added Detox boost, do a sweaty yoga class! There are many yoga poses that help your body detoxify.
Together with sweating, it’s CRUCIAL to prioritize HYDRATION. Aim to drink 8–10 glasses of filtered water daily to support kidney function and bowel regularity. Note: I highly reccommend investing in a good water filter. And if/when you are sweating a lot, consider adding some good quality sugar-free electrolytes to your water.
5. Cut out - or significantly reduce - ALCOHOL & ADDED SUGARS, as these weigh down our detox systems and make them sluggish.
A great place to start is with one of my 7-day or 10-day Detox programs, where I offer a comprehensive, food-first approach to help reboot your detox systems. I focus on science-backed nutrition (and some suggested targeted supplements, optional) to reduce toxic burden, boost your nutrition (filling nutrient gaps), and eliminate frustrating symptoms such as bloating/gas, constipation, low energy, and more!
REPLY or contact me here to learn more and sign up for one of my detoxes.
Love and detox, Mariana