One of the coolest things about our modern world is that it gives us many conveniences that make life easier. For example, we no longer must walk to get groceries or toil away on a farm to gather fresh fruits and vegetables. But, when you stop and think about it, these two conveniences alone come with an enormous cost to our health.
Sure, cars have given us independence and freedom, not to mention glorious memories of road trips with friends and family. Yet, researchers have associated cars, and its effect on the air we breathe with premature death[1]. Of course, these days, feeding ourselves and our families is even easier than not having to grow our own food. When we’re busy, or too stressed out from a busy day, we can skip preparing food and order takeout. Problem is, many times we aren’t even sure what’s in these foods because they use a perverted form of food science, to make them taste amazing, which at the very least causes us to overeat, and worse, fills our body with toxic chemicals[2].
We now know that many of life’s necessities, like air, water and food, can expose us to toxic chemicals that, over time, can become deadly.
The good news is that in the article, you’ll learn 6 simple health practices that reduce the amount of toxins you ingest, while also enhancing the powerful natural detoxifying systems in your kidneys, liver, digestive tract and skin, to remove toxins and support the body’s natural processes that neutralize and remove them from building up in your body.
1. Drink more water
The human body is mostly water, clocking in at an average of roughly 60%. Water is also the primary element that helps the liver and other organs move toxins through its own cellular systems and speed them on their way out of your body. Most adults should consume at least eight 8 oz. glasses of water per day. However, if you exercise regularly, increase that to ten 8 oz. glasses per day. But..
Not just any water will do to have the full detoxifying benefit.
For best results, drink filtered tap water at room temperature at specific intervals of the day, for example, when you wake up, in between meals, early evening; and 2 hours before bed. Avoid drinking too much water or liquids while eating, as this can dilute the digestive process.
2. Sweat it out
The Ying to the Yang of drinking 8-10, 8 oz., glasses of water each day is to use some of this water to sweat out excess toxins. Most of us realize our bodies sweat to cool our bodies during exercise, and when we are in a hot climate, but it also provides a natural way to remove toxins from our body.
Sweat can clear your body of heavy metals and environmental toxicants such as bisphenol-A (BPA) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), which are prevalent in our water supply, soil, and many food products. These toxins can directly affect the endocrine and central nervous system, which can cause short- and long-term damage to brain and body functions.
To bring about a productive sweating session, you can use exercise like Hot Yoga, running/jogging, high-intensity (HIT) workouts, or a sauna. Effective sauna types include steam (most common), near infrared or far infrared.
3. Eat more anti-inflammatory foods
There are specific foods that naturally support neutralizing and eliminating toxins in the body.
We classify these foods as anti-inflammatory. That’s because your immune system activates an inflammatory response when your body recognizes anything that is foreign—such as allergens, microbes, or chemicals. Periodic inflammation is actually healthy, but when inflammation persists day after day, even when nothing foreign is entering your body, it can lead to major health problems—including cancer, heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, depression, and Alzheimer’s.
Foods that fight inflammation are also more likely to have natural antioxidants which neutralize foreign chemicals, and oxidative stress in the body. Natural inflammation-repelling foods include tomatoes, olive oil, green leafy vegetables, such as spinach, kale, and collards, nuts like almonds and walnuts, fatty fish like salmon, mackerel, tuna, and sardines, fruits such as strawberries, blueberries, cherries, and oranges.
When choosing anti-inflammatory foods, be sure that, when possible, they are organic, which ensures they were grown without toxic pesticides.
4. Systematically reduce the number of toxins you take in
No matter how much you neutralize and flush toxins out of your body, the more toxins you put in the body, which means more toxins you need to move back out again.
Increasing the burden on the body’s natural detoxifying system is never a good plan for a successful whole-body restart. Reducing toxins from your routine is actually quite simple because you don’t have to eliminate these items every day, but give your body a break from them every couple of weeks.
To make this practice work for you, simply reducing the amount of animal protein, alcohol, sugar, wheat, corn, soy, and processed foods you eat each month will give your body a much-needed break to do some long-overdue house cleaning.
5. Give your digestive system something to work with
Many popular detox programs call for eliminating solid foods and replacing them with special “detoxifying” drinks that contain water with lemon, maple syrup and cayenne pepper; green tea; or freshly squeezed fruit and vegetable juices. These cleanses can last from a day to a month. While giving your digestive system a break from heavy foods, there simply isn’t much evidence to support this as a practice that will speed removal of toxins. In fact, foods that are high in fiber are best for fueling the natural detoxification process that happens through digestion.
Fiber, found in plant-based foods such as fruits and vegetables, slows digestion, helps with nutrient absorption and removes toxins via stool. Your digestive tract uses probiotics from fiber to nourish your intestines with beneficial bacteria, which helps maintain immune health.
In short, the more fiber you eat, the more effective your digestive system is at eliminating toxins.
6. Enhance your natural detoxification processes with key support nutrients
As we’ve learned, the human body has an amazing ability to detoxify naturally. From complex systems such as the lymphatic system to organs like kidneys, liver, and even the skin, the body is always working in its natural way to cleanse and rid the body of toxins.
MaxLiving Max Cleanse helps aid the body’s natural detoxification processes with a key combination of vitamins, minerals, and natural herbs to promote detox health, general wellness, and liver health. Featuring Green tea extract and ellagic acid to help protect cells from damage, silymarin and watercress help promote a healthy liver, essential vitamins support overall health, and activated charcoal and other nutrients help absorb and eliminate toxins it’s the sure-fire way to enhance your detoxification plan.
About the Author
Zach Zovath graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Exceptional Education from the University of Central Florida. He continued on to receive his Master’s degree from the College of Education and Human Performance at the University of Central Florida. He is a master level personal trainer, coach, and health consultant. In addition, his specializations include corrective exercise, performance enhancement, prenatal/postpartum core stability, and exercise therapy. As a result of his education and experience in the health and fitness industry, he has developed fast and effective exercise programs for health care facilities.
References
[1] Im, U., Brandt, J., Geels, C., Hansen, K. M., Christensen, J. H., Andersen, M. S., … Galmarini, S. (2018). Assessment and economic valuation of air pollution impacts on human health over Europe and the United States as calculated by a multi-model ensemble in the framework of AQMEII3. Atmos. Chem. Phys., 18(8), 5967–5989. https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-5967-201
[2] Kessler, David A MD, Your Food Is Fooling You: How Your Brain Is Hijacked by Sugar, Fat, and Salt
