Why Detox? Part 2: Foods That Detoxify

The word "detoxification" conjures up all sorts of reactions these days.

It has been interpreted to mean different things to different people. Medically, detoxification is most often viewed as a withdrawal method for drug or alcohol dependency.

To others it might mean a spiritual ritual.

For most of us, however detoxification is a healing strategy-- particularly if we suffer with chronic pain, fatigue, allergies, immune disorders, musculoskeletal problems, depression, brain fog, digestive complaints, headaches, cancers, arthritis and many other ailments.

Did you know that your body goes through its own natural cycles of detoxification, mostly during the night?

While you are resting, the body's job is to repair, replenish, and replace parts so that you are ready to go in the morning.

So, if you are waking up stiff and sore, or are not feeling rested, alert and ready to go in the morning then your body has not been able to do its proper job during the night.

Your body, if given the correct raw materials and not over-burdened, is an amazingly efficient waste treatment plant. The problem is that in our modern world we are living, breathing and eating in a toxic soup. (refer to last week’s blog 1/25/2010)

The best way to detox the body is to provide quality raw materials it needs to clean out the elimination pathways and filter and convert the toxins to water soluble compounds that can be eliminated

There are certain foods that help the body's natural detoxification mechanisms.

They are, of course, naturally grown foods in the form of vegetables and fruits.

Here are just some of the more helpful foods:

Lemons, oranges, caraway and pumpkin seeds, beets, endive, and escarole, the cruiciferous vegetables (cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, watercress etc.), spinach, tomatoes, peas, yams, dandelion, kale, radish, garlic, cilantro, grapes, and berries.

Some of the more helpful herbs are: yarrow, chamomile, peppermint, milk thistle burdock, yucca root, siberian ginseng, chicory, and radicchio.

Isn't that great? Nature has provided us with all these plants and more so that we can live healthy, happy and long lives in spite of ourselves.

What is definitely NOT on this list?

Big Macs, corn dogs, pasteurized dairy products, diet sodas, bagels, pastas, breads and cereals, low fat and fat free snacks. "healthy heart" products, etc. You get the idea.

These processed products erroneously described by some as "foods" are made with human ingenuity which alas, cannot hope to meet the standards that nature has set for us.

Where ever did we get the notion of 'better living through chemistry?'

Next Week "Do's and Don'ts of an Effective Detox."

Why Detox? Part 1

Never before, in the history of the world, have humans been exposed to such a magnitude of chemicals, toxins and pollutants with devastating effects on our health.

In Way back in 1989 the EPA reported that 6 trillion pounds of chemical toxins were dumped in the U.S. in one year, alone. Can you imagine what havoc we are continuing to wreak on the planet?

Studies show that 100% of adults have synthetic and industrial chemicals like dioxins and PCB's stored in our bodies.

There are also heavy metals such as lead, cadmium, mercury and arsenic, as well as pesticides, pollutants, pharmaceuticals, plastics and food additives and too many others to list. These are being dumped into our rivers and streams and carried by air currents around the globe.

Polar bears are dying from eating seals who store these toxins in their fat. A recent televised news report stated that "the tissues of the Inuit peoples of Greenland can be classified as toxic waste."

Your body is divinely designed. It is designed to keep surviving as long as your spirit needs to be here. As such, it will do whatever it can within its design to handle stress and keep you surviving.

With a toxic overload what it must do is store what it cannot get rid of or what substances will cause you harm and death if allowed to be assimilated.

So, where does the body store toxins?

In your fat cells, just like little storage sheds.

Your body is protecting you by building those fat cells around your middle that you can't seem to get rid of. You know -- the flat tire that hangs over your belt even though you have tried every diet aide and get-slim-quick trick in the book.

Your body, in its infinite wisdom will not dump fat cells unless you first get rid of the toxins. In other words, if there isn't a safe and clear exit route for those toxins, they will stay stored in your fat.

And, if the body does not have the proper tools to transform the toxic substances to a less harmful substance so it can safely leave the body, then it will continue to store it in the fat.

Did you know that the trans fat in a single french fry stays in your body for 102 days? Where do you think it hangs out?

So, to counteract this problem of toxification and fat storage we need to get good nutrients into our bodies, and the toxic substances out.

Many people think that fasting is a way to detoxify.

Well, this will stop the burden train from piling up more stuff temporarily in our bodies, but it often weakens an already starved body and does not help to actually get rid of toxic burden.

You then get extremely hungry and wolf down the nearest high calorie junk food in an attempt to satisfy the craving for energy your body desperately needs.

The best way to detox the body is to provide quality raw materials it needs to clean out the elimination pathways and filter and convert the toxins to water soluble compounds that can be eliminated.


NEXT WEEK: FOODS THAT ARE NATURAL DETOXERS