Spring is in the air, and many people use this season to detox and cleanse. This is a great idea, since we have dozens of toxins hanging around in our bodies.
These toxic chemicals most often arrive through food, so it is important to reduce consumption of the toxins in the first place.
Here are five ways to reduce toxins in your diet.
1. Go organic! The most important organically grown foods to consume are meat and dairy. Toxins are stored in fat, and when you drink milk from cows that are doused in chemicals (through food, antibiotics, growth hormone, etc) you are getting a concentrated dose of all of these. When you eat organically grown foods of all types, you dramatically reduce your exposure to cancer causing pesticides. Your health is worth the extra money these items cost.
2. Avoid artificial colors, flavors and sweeteners. Did you know that Red 40, Blue 2 and yellow 5 are all banned in Europe? Why are those colors in so many packaged foods (especially for children!) on American supermarket shelves? Aspartame is another fake ingredient in lots of our food that is banned overseas. It is linked to cancer and diabetes.
3. Use glass. BPA- a hormone disrupting chemical- is found in plastic and lines cans. When you use glass to store your food, you avoid that toxin! Some ways to do this:
- Buy beans and tomato sauce in glass jars
- Use fresh, seasonal fruits and vegetables from a local farmer’s market or join a CSA.
- When buying these items at the grocery store, skip the plastic produce bag! You don’t need it!
- Drink filtered water from your tap. Do not drink water bottled in plastic. You can find it bottled in glass, and use a stainless steel reusable bottle for yourself and kids. If you do use plastic for children, do not microwave food in them, and never run them through the dishwasher. This can increase toxic leakage by 55%.
4. Drink more water! Here’s a fact that should make you reach for a glass: if you are dehydrated, your body pulls water from the large intestine to use, which in turn makes you constipated. Do you really want that toxic water that has been sitting in your bowels to be recirculated into your bloodstream and around your body? I don’t. Drinking more water flushes out toxins, keeps your skin radiant, curbs hunger, combats stress and fatigue, and the list goes on. Our bodies are 65% water. Our brains are 85% water. Drink more water!
What is your favorite way to detox?