Now, I want to be clear. I don’t live my life in fear of toxins, and I encourage you not to either. However, I do have an educated awareness of them and proactive approach to addressing them.
With that in mind, here are some natural ways to optimize our ability to deal with exposure to everyday toxins.
As always, I want to mention that none of these statements have been evaluated by the FDA, this article is not medical advice, and it is not meant to diagnose or treat any condition. Please talk with your healthcare provider about what approach to detox support is best for you. Now that we’ve got that out of the way, let’s dive in.
1. Reduce Toxic Load
Our bodies have several mechanisms that help us eliminate metabolic waste along with the toxins we are exposed to everyday, and the best way to support them is to ease their workload as much as possible.
The best strategy to do that, of course, is to reduce toxin exposure whenever possible. Here are some ways to do that:
Eat whole, unprocessed foods (organically grown if possible). Here are some tips for making healthy food more affordable.
Store your food in non-toxic containers – I like these glass containers and these reusable storage bags.
Use safe cookware and bakeware – Avoid teflon and aluminum. Opt for materials like stainless steel or glass instead.
Moderate your intake of alcohol and sugar – Research has found positive effects associated with consuming small amounts of alcohol, but too much can stress one of our primary detox organs: the liver. (1) Excessive amounts of sugar (particularly fructose) can also have a negative effect on liver health.(2)
Use non-toxic personal care products – I’ve created a bunch of recipes for you and many of the articles include product recommendations for those who prefer healthy pre-made options.
Use non-toxic cleaning products – You’ll find my tried-and-true recipes here. When possible I’ve also included a ready-made product recommendations in each article.
Invest in a good water filter – There are some very effective and affordable countertop options, plus under sink and whole house systems, too. Here’s how to choose which system is right for you.
Get a shower filter – When we shower – especially in warm or hot water – chemicals like chlorine, chloramine and chloroform tend to vaporize faster than the water itself, creating an environment of concentrated VOC gases that we absorb via our lungs. (3) Here are some good options to consider.
Pay attention to air quality – Buy a good air purifier and change the filters on your home heating and cooling systems regularly. Install carbon monoxide detectors and check your home for radon if needed. Here are more ways to improve indoor air quality.
2. Support Open Detox Pathways
Imagine a river with a log jam at the bottom. If you have a bunch of logs at the head of the river that need to be transported down, you need to fix the log jam before you start moving them, right?
Once toxins enter our bodies, they can either get stuck (what scientists call bioaccumulation) or are escorted out of the body via:
Sweat
Breath
Urine
Poop (yep I said it!)
3. Stock Your Body’s Detox Toolkit
Our bodies use a lot – and I mean A LOT – of nutrients to process and eliminate harmful toxins including heavy metals, pesticides, VOCs and “forever chemicals” like PFAS.
That’s why we need to resupply often with foods and herbs that support our body’s efforts.
Other nutrients that are especially helpful for activating Phase 1 and 2 detox enzymes include:
Protein-rich foods (meat, fish, eggs, and dairy products)
B vitamins (meat, especially liver and other organ meats, eggs, leafy greens, bee pollen, salmon, oysters/clams/mussels, sunflower seeds, eggs, etc.)
Brassica and allium-family vegetables (cabbage, broccoli, broccoli sprouts, cauliflower, onion, garlic, etc.)
Vitamin C-rich fruits and veggies (peppers, cabbage, citrus fruits, baobab powder, but not necessarily grapefruit, which slows down phase 1 of liver detox)
Limonene-rich foods (especially citrus peels)
Antioxidant-rich foods and herbs (milk thistle, turmeric, green tea, beets, artichoke leaf)
Foods and herbs that are rich in a wide range of beneficial minerals (oatstraw or nettle tea, for example).
Glycine (found in collagen powder, turkey, seaweed, etc.)
Protein-rich foods (meat, fish, eggs, and dairy products)
Choline-rich foods (eggs, caviar, liver and other organ meats)
Folate (green leafy vegetables, liver, beans, sunflower seeds, etc.)
Foods high in cysteine (meat, lentils, yogurt, cheese, eggs, sunflower seeds, other nuts and seeds, etc.)
4. Move And/Or Sweat
When we sweat, our bodies are able to excrete compounds like xenobiotics (BPA, PCB’s, phthalates, DDT metabolites, dioxin, etc.) and heavy metals such as arsenic, cadmium, lead, mercury.
Both exercise and sitting in a sauna are good ways to get a sweat going.
In fact, sauna therapy has been used support detoxification in police officers after on-the-job exposure to meth-making chemicals. (13)
Gentle movement like walking, rebounding, yoga and dry skin brushing also helps with detox by supporting lymph flow.
More Ways To Support Detox
Get enough sleep – Your brain flushes out toxins during sleep via the glymphatic system.
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