When you begin spring cleaning this year, don’t forget yourself. A great way to help your body feel refreshed and renewed this spring is to add a cleansing and detoxifying foods to your diet. Increasing the amounts of these kinds of foods can also help to balance blood sugar levels throughout the day and help shed winter weight as well.
What is Detoxification?
You may have heard the word detox or detoxification used by the wellness community often. Detoxification has been around for hundreds of years and used around the world, including in Ayurvedic and Chinese medicines. Detoxification simply means to rid the body of toxins – by eliminating or neutralizing them from the body. Detox practices can include cleansing, resting, and nourishment of the body to remove these toxins.
Removing impurities from the blood in the liver and eliminating the body of toxins – is how detoxification works. Other organs are also able to detoxify the body – including the kidneys, intestines, lungs, skin and lymphatic system.
Symptoms of an overload of toxins in the body
- Fatigue
- Irritated skin – acne and eczema
- Allergies
- Puffy eyes
- Slow elimination
- Bloating
- Mental confusion
- Brain fog
- Headaches
- Menstrual issues
- Hormonal imbalances
- Heart palpitations
- Learning difficulties
- Chronic Pain
- Insomnia
- Bad breath
- Thyroid issues
- Digestive issues
- Weakness
How to help your body’s natural detoxification
- Practice fasting to rest your organs
- Stimulate the liver
- Encourage elimination of toxins through the skin, intestines, and kidneys
- Improve your blood circulation
- Nourish your body with healthy nutrients
The Benefits of Detoxification
Rid the body of toxins
You are constantly exposed to toxins, including preservatives, pesticides, heavy metals, environmental pollutants, chemicals that can cause cancer. These toxins can adversely affect our health, including our behavior, immune functions, and metabolism. Toxins can reside in your tissues and cells for years – including your brain.
Supports immune function
Detoxification can strengthen your immune system functions and help you to fight off the cold and flu.
Disease prevention
Your body has natural detoxification functions, your liver does most of the work. The liver removes impurities from your blood and rids toxins from your body. The kidneys, lungs, lymphatic system, skin and intestines also play important roles in toxin elimination. However, these systems can become overburdened with the amount of toxins you are exposed to and detoxing can help your body along.
Weight loss
This is the detox you are most familiar with – the body’s natural ability to burn fat can be affected by toxins. Detoxification can increase metabolism and remove toxins stored in fat cells. (1)
Anti-aging
Free radicals (toxic byproducts of oxygen metabolism) and heavy metals (metals with high densities or atomic weights) is part of the reason your body ages. Detoxification can help to improve the nutrient absorption of antioxidants and vitamins that combat oxidative stress. (2)
More energy
People who detox find that they have more energy – this includes physically, mentally, and emotionally. They also sleep better.
Healthier skin
Toxins in both our diet and the environment can affect our skin. Detoxification can give our skin a healthy boost and glow, strengthen our nails and hair, as well as help with acne.
Clear your mind
Detoxification can help to clear the brain fog and help you make better decisions.
Balance
Finally, if our bodies are overwhelmed with toxins – our body system functions including our digestive system, nervous system, and hormone systems cannot work well together. Detoxification can bring balance to the imbalance, encouraging overall well-being.
Detoxification Foods that Cleanse the Body
When choosing detox foods, you should try to make sure they have the following qualities:
- Cleanses systems and organs
- Packed with antioxidants
- Digests easily
- High water content
- High fiber content
Radishes
The red pigment in radishes is from the antioxidant, anthocyanin, which protects cells from damage. Radishes also contain anti-inflammatory, indol-3-carbinol or I3C. Rich in potassium, radishes may help to balance the fluid in the body by acting as a diuretic. They also contain the compound RsPHGPx, an antioxidant in the phase 2 liver detoxification pathways, which disarms harmful toxins such as pain relievers, nicotine, and pesticides.
Cucumber
Cucumbers have been used in Ayurveda for its detoxification properties for hundreds of years. It is known to pacify the pitta dosha, which is associated with heat and metabolism. Since cucumbers contain approximately 95% water, it hydrates the body and helps the detoxification process in the liver.
Avocados
Avocados contain an amino acid called glutathione, which is used for phase 2 liver detoxification in the body. Avocados also contain phytochemicals that can help to repair liver damage. They are packed with fiber and help to move toxins through the bowel. In addition, many people on detox diets tend to eat foods that are less filling and limit meat consumption, and avocados contain good fats to help you to feel satiated.
Spinach
Spinach, or really any leafy greens including kale or bok choy, can help detox the body. They increase oxygen in the blood, support normal cellular function, and help to cleanse the body because they contain chlorophyll. They are also an excellent base for salads and stir-fries to add other detox foods too.
Beets
Beets are important to phase 2 liver detoxification because they contain a group of phytonutrients known as betalains. Betalains are pigments that contain anti-inflammatory properties that boost the detoxification of the liver. They also contain betaine which eliminates toxins in liver cells. Packed with fiber, beets also rid the body of toxins by maintaining bowel regularity.
Cilantro
Cilantro (coriander leaves) have traditionally been used for centuries. Cilantro helps rid the body of toxins, particularly toxic heavy metals such as aluminum, cadmium, arsenic, lead, mercury, and nickel. Heavy metals in the body can harm the body, especially organs and glands. Not a fan of the strong taste of cilantro? Parsley will also work well. These herbs will bind to the heavy metals by attracting them in the gut. They then work to push these toxins from the body and dispose of them.
Chia Seeds
Easily digested, chia seeds swell and absorb the toxins in the body and help to cleanse the entire digestive tract. They are also packed with antioxidants that help rid the body of free radicals that can damage cells.
Lemon
Often when one goes on a detox plan, they are told to drink lemon with hot water every morning. There is a good reason for this, as lemons have been used for thousands of years traditionally for cleansing the body. Lemon juice rids the body of toxins by stimulating the liver, flushing them out and cleansing the colon. Lemon is like digestive juices and encourages the liver to produce bile.
Try drinking warm lemon water each morning to help detox your body. Lemons contain vitamin C, helps with digestion, cleanses the liver and rids the body of toxins. Best of all, it is super easy to make.
How to make lemon water for detoxification 1 Squeeze lemon juice from half a lemon using a lemon juicer or reamer to catch the seeds. 2 Add warm water – heat 1/3 cup water and remove from heat just before it boils 3 Add 1/4 cup cold water 4 Stir and drink
Easy ways to prepare these foods are in a salad or add them to a smoothie. You can add them to any dish you make, such as soup, stew, roasted vegetables as a side, or as a dip or dressing. You can try to go on a detox diet for a few days to cleanse your system, or you can add them to your meals all year long for ongoing detoxification.
Detoxification Supplements
Glutathione
Glutathione (GSH) is an antioxidant that is produced in the body, in fact, every cell produces glutathione. Studies indicate that glutathione levels in our cells are an indicator of longevity. Glutathione helps protect our cells against free radical stress. Supplementation of glutathione can be taken as N-Acetyl cysteine (NAC) (a precursor to glutathione), liposomal glutathione (glutathione combined with liposomes) or acetylated glutathione. Foods that boost glutathione production include asparagus, avocado, spinach, broccoli, okra, and cantaloupe.
Chlorella and Spirulina
Spirulina and chlorella contain chlorophyll and are natural heavy metal detoxifiers. These micro-algae organisms have been important to many societies across the world and maybe as old as the earth itself. Spirulina is an effective chelating agent for removing toxins and heavy metals such as mercury and even radioactive substances. Chlorella contains peptides and proteins that can bind to toxic metals and rid the body of them.
Milk Thistle
Milk thistle is a medicinal plant that contains an active compound called silymarin, which has strong detoxification properties and a study shows that “silymarin increased glutathione levels in the intestinal and liver cells by 50%. (3) Milk thistle also supports the normal flow of bile and normal liver function.
Selenium
Selenium is a trace mineral that has antioxidant properties and helps with detoxification and immune regulation. Selenium can help rid the body of heavy metals because it can strongly bind to some heavy metals, including mercury.
Alpha Lipoic Acid
Alpha-lipoic acid is an antioxidant with both water- and fat-soluble properties. Lipoic acid protects the mitochondria from toxins and oxidative stress. In addition, alpha-lipoic acid helps the liver with detoxification. (4)
Activated Charcoal
One of the world’s oldest detoxifying method is activated charcoal. To eliminate toxins, soak up poisons and relieve gas and bloating, rid bad breath, and benefit from anti-aging properties, try taking an activated charcoal supplement. However, make sure to take between meals and a few hours after using other vitamins or mineral supplements, as well as prescriptions, as the charcoal may interfere with absorption into the body.
Supplements and detox programs can help bridge nutritional gaps as well as detox the body. Detoxification will help your systems, organs, and glands to cleanse your blood, and eliminate toxins from the body. When your body is cleansed and running at its best, this can help support optimal health and immune functions. Balance in the body is important to mental and emotional health, as well as physical health - detoxification and cleansing the body of toxins and heavy metals support overall wellness. Spring cleaning your body is the best thing you can do for yourself!
References 1 MacIntosh A1, Ball K. The effects of a short program of detoxification in disease-free individuals. Altern Ther Health Med. 2000 Jul;6(4):70-6. 2 Gabriele Pizzino,1 Natasha Irrera,1 Mariapaola Cucinotta,2 Giovanni Pallio,1 Federica Mannino,1 Vincenzo Arcoraci,1 Francesco Squadrito,1 Domenica Altavilla,2 and Alessandra Bitto1. Oxidative Stress: Harms and Benefits for Human Health. Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity. Volume 2017, Article ID 8416763, 13 pages 3 Valenzuela A, Aspillaga M, Vial S, Guerra R. Selectivity of silymarin on the increase of the glutathione content in different tissues of the rat. Planta Med. 1989 Oct;55(5):420-2. PubMed PMID: 2813578 4 Liu J. The effects and mechanisms of mitochondrial nutrient alpha-lipoic acid on improving age-associated mitochondrial and cognitive dysfunction: an overview. Neurochem Res. 2008 Jan;33(1):194-203.
