Spring is a time of renewal, of fresh starts, of losing weight for our beach bodies. So it stands to reason that we should be doing a cleanse of some kind. Or should we?
(Spoiler Alert – if you just want to see some ideas for how to kickstart your detoxification system, skip to the end of the article.)
The first important thing to know is that detoxification is a metabolic process that is going on in our bodies all the time. This has to happen no matter how clean we are living; we simply produce waste products that we have to get rid of. When we add increased stress, alcohol, exposure to endocrine disruptors, heavy metals, and other environmental chemicals, the amount of work our bodies have to do to detoxify grows. When you are feeling congested, fatigued, burdened, you may want to look at cleaning up the toxic load on your system with the hints below. Season change is a great time to look at a more intensive detoxification regimen.
Here’s the lowdown on how detoxification works in the body:
Metabolic detoxification involves a series of enzymatic reactions that transform and transport toxins so that they can be excreted from the body; these reactions are driven by our genes, which determine how easily and effectively our bodies can perform them. Metabolic detoxification is the primary mechanism for ridding the body of foreign chemicals (exogenous toxins) and also to remove unneeded chemicals we create in our body such as hormones and stress chemicals (endogenous toxins). These transformed toxins are excreted by the kidneys, bowels, skin and lungs.
The lungs are the first organ to come in contact with airborne toxins, chemicals, viruses, bacteria, and allergens. They also remove carbon dioxide from the arteries to be expelled from the body. Contaminants are removed in phlegm that we cough or sneeze out.
The skin gets rid of waste products through sweat. Sometimes, the excretion of some toxins can appear in the form of a rash.
Our plumbing system called the glymphatic system may flush out toxins from the brain that accumulate during the day while we sleep.
The lymphatic system picks up waste and infectious agents and filters them through the lymph nodes to get them to the blood stream for transport to the intestines, kidneys and skin for removal.
Here are the basics for supporting detoxification year round:
A good place to start is with the following checklists (these are not meant to be comprehensive or diagnostic, but, rather, ways of getting a sense of your toxic balance):
How much stress is in my life and how do I cope with it?
Rate on a scale of 1-5
- I feel overwhelmed more often than not.
- I find myself getting angry/upset easily.
- I find it difficult to relax.
- My mind keeps going over things that need to be done or I think should have been done better.
- I don’t find time to do things that give me pleasure.
- I have difficulty sleeping because I have too many things to think about.
If you rate 3 or more in more than one category, you probably are overloading your system with your stress response.
To decrease the impact of stress:
Try meditation, mindful walking, tai chi, chi quong if your stress comes from things you cannot change
Make sure you sleep 7-9 hours/night
Spend some time with people you enjoy
What chemicals am I exposed to and can I decrease that exposure?
- Do I have exposure to mold in my home or work environment?
- Do I dry clean clothing often?
- Do I use cleaning chemicals often?
- Do I have mercury fillings?
- Have I been on antibiotics or other medications?
- What is my water source?
- Do I use antibacterial soaps?
To decrease your exposure:
Check out www.ewg.org for information about non-toxic household cleaning products as well as body care products.
Get a filter for your drinking water.
Eat fish with lower mercury levels – see www.nrdc.org.
Air your dry cleaning before putting it in the closet.
Get an air purifier.
How much of the food that I eat actually supports detoxification?
- How many times/day do I eat colorful fruits and vegetables?
- Do I use many herbs and spices?
- Do I eat enough protein?
- Do I drink enough liquids?
To better support detoxification:
Eat the rainbow every day – colorful peppers, leafy greens, carrots, berries…
Drink ½ your body weight in ounces of water, seltzer, herbal tea, broth.
Eat some protein (clean animal or vegetables) with each meal and snack.
Use turmeric, rosemary, ginger, cilantro, parsley in your cooking.
Eat healthy fats such as fatty fish, olive oil, coconut oil, avocado.
Eat fiber – add flax, chia, hemp seed to your foods.
How many of the foods that I eat make detoxification more difficult?
- Do I eat many fruits and vegetables that have high levels of pesticide residue? (see the Dirty Dozen at ewg.org)?
- Do I eat packaged foods that have ingredients I am not familiar with?
- Do I drink soda or other beverages that have high fructose corn syrup, artificial sweeteners, or other chemicals?
- How much sugar do I eat?
- How much alcohol do I drink?
To make detoxification easier:
Substitute fresh fruits and vegetables for packaged snacks.
Buy packaged goods with few and identifiable ingredients.
Keep your added sugar intake to a minimum – save for treats.
If you drink alcohol, drink in moderation.
Here are some ideas for a more intensive detox:
Whenever you do this, make sure you drinking enough liquids!
My favorite spring detox includes:
- Epsom salt baths 3-4X/week – add 2 cups of Epsom salts to a warm bath with a splash of olive, coconut or jojoba oil and a few drops or lavender essential oil. Soak for 20 minutes and rinse.
- Exercise hard enough to sweat – I prefer to do this with strength training – daily to purge toxins. This does not need to take more than 15-20 minutes, though you can do it longer if you like; you can also sauna.
- Add in detoxifying teas: matcha green tea, rooibos, red clover, milk thistle, ginger, chicory, dandelion. There are many mixes on the market. Dandy Blend and Yogi Detox Tea are 2 favorites.
- Make vegetables the centerpiece of all your meals
- Add in vegetable juices or green smoothies
Mint Ginger Smoothie
1 bunch of green leafy veggies, such as chard or kale (stalks removed)
filtered water, enough to make a consistency you like*
1 pear, or ½ cup pineapple
¼” piece ginger root, peeled
¼ cup mint leaves
Apple Celery Juice
2 stalks celery, sliced lengthwise
½ organic apple, cut into chunks
Several sprigs of parsley
Slice the celery and apple to fit the juicer. Use the apple and celery to push the parsley through the juicer. Drink immediately for maximum benefit.
Elimination diets give your system a chance to recharge and can help you identify the foods that make you sluggish:
- Alcohol – 2-4 week elimination gives your hard-working liver a break, can improve your sleep and cut some unneeded calories
- Caffeine – 2-4 week elimination can get you through withdrawal and let your body remember that energy comes from food
- Refined or added sugar – 2 week elimination can get rid of your craving for sugar and/or carbohydrates and give you energy that is more even
- Gluten – 3-4 week elimination can help to curb your carbohydrate cravings and decrease inflammation
- Dairy – 2 week elimination may decrease congestion and inflammation
- Other potential irritants may be eggs, soy, corn, peanuts or nightshade vegetables (tomato, potato, eggplant, sweet and hot peppers); 2-4 week elimination will give your system a needed break.
- Grains – 2 weeks will decrease your glycemic load when combined with a decrease in refined/added sugars and leave more room in your diet for colorful fruits and vegetables
You may feel lighter if you increase the proportion of your vegetables that are raw as we enter the spring season.
You can also give your detoxification system a 12-16 hour break from food daily, limiting your hours of eating to 8-12 hours
Make sure that whatever you do, you are having regular bowel movements.
You can do juice or smoothie fasts but these are not right for everyone and can make you feel worse as easily as better. A safer strategy if you are doing it on your own is to use juices or smoothies for 1-2 meals or snacks/day making sure you have protein (from nuts, seeds, protein powders) in or with your meal replacement beverages. You can then have 1-2 meals/day of protein and vegetables, using nuts or hummus and veggies for snacks if you get hungry.
Welcome spring with a commitment to your well-being by taking care of your body and soul.
