Detoxification

In our modern environment we are exposed to many ‘toxins’.  These can be in the air that we breathe, the food and drink that we consume (including our water) as well as other sources including dental fillings, cosmetics, household cleaning products, plastics, and even soft furnishings and carpets.  Toxins can be in the form of chemicals, hormones (or hormone-like ...Read more substances), heavy metals and food additives.  

The body naturally processes and eliminates toxins all the time.  However due to the high toxin levels in our environment, and because our body’s detoxification processes are not always as good as they could be, these toxins can accumulate in the body over time.  


Signs of poor detoxification – or a high level of toxins in the body – can include the following:

•    Frequent headaches/migraines
•    Dark circles under the eyes
•    Poor concentration or ‘brain fog’
•    Skin problems – acne, psoriasis, eczema or other skin rashes
•    Disturbed sex hormone levels – which, for women, may result in PMS-type symptoms, water retention, lumpy or painful breasts or menstrual problems; and for both men and women, low libido or infertility.
•    Digestive problems – bloating, nausea or poor bowel movements
•    Body odour or bad breath
•    Food intolerances
•    Low mood, depression, mood swings and/or irritability
•    Fatigue/exhaustion
•    Joint or muscle pain (including arthritis)
•    Immune problems – inability to shake off colds and coughs, or constant swollen glands
•    Excessive cellulite


Factors that may inhibit our body’s detoxification processes include:

•    Constipation (or infrequent/difficult bowel movements).  We should have two good bowel movements a day to adequately excrete toxins and waste products from the body.  Eating a diet high in low-fibre ‘white’ carbohydrates and meat, and low in fibre-rich foods such as vegetables, beans and whole grains can cause or exacerbate constipation.
•    Not drinking enough water
•    Overeating, and eating late at night
•    Long-term consumption of alcohol, high-sugar foods, coffee or tea (not including herbal/green tea)
•    Medication use (however please do not discontinue any medication unless on the advice of your doctor)
•    Lack of exercise
•    Long-term stress
•    Shallow breathing (often due to stress)

To encourage your own detoxification, the first step is to address as many of these factors as possible.  The following tips can help you adapt your diet and lifestyle to favour detoxification.  This can be for a specific ‘cleanse’ or ‘detox’ programme, however ideally these suggestions should be followed on a long-term basis, as we should see cleansing as something the body needs to do all the time.

Foods to favour include:
•    Plenty of green vegetables and cruciferous vegetables (e.g. broccoli, cabbage, kale, cauliflower)
•    Fruit with the exception of bananas (maximum 2-3 servings per day, as fruit can be high in sugar)
•    Fish – both white fish and oily fish
•    Beans and pulses
•    Some organic meats - chicken, turkey and lamb
•    Raw nuts and seeds (especially almonds, but not peanuts or cashews)
•    Oats and other whole grains with the exception of wheat
•    Cold-pressed oils such as flaxseed oil or hempseed oil
•    Flavour food with natural herbs and spices and use sugar-free and salt-free condiments such as pesto, ‘Liquid Aminos’, olive or chilli oils or mustard; and use Himalayan crystal salt instead of table salt.  
•    Oat milk or sugar-free nut or hemp milks in preference to cow’s milk.

Food and drinks to avoid include:
•    Sugar, and sugary foods and drinks
•    Salty snacks such as crisps
•    Dairy products from cow’s milk (often contain antibiotics and high levels of hormones)
•    Wheat and wheat-based breads and pasta
•    Other ‘white’ carbohydrates such as white rice and potatoes
•    Takeaways and pre-prepared meals (which often contain high levels of salt, sugar, unhealthy fats and additives)
•    Caffeine-containing drinks – this includes ‘decaf’ coffee and tea
•    Any artificial sweeteners

•    Drink plenty of pure water – 1½ to 2 litres a day is a good amount for most people. This should ideally be filtered or purified water.  Suitable water filters include the EVA filter. Herbal teas can also be included as part of this, but not ‘black’ (normal) tea or coffee.

•    Don’t overeat, and don’t eat late at night.  This puts strain on our digestive system and liver.  

•    Take regular exercise.  This can include any type of exercise but should be at least half an hour, five days a week.

•    Skin brushing encourages elimination of toxins by moving the lymph – the fluid that surrounds our cells and collects waste materials.


If you wish to follow a specific cleansing or detox programme, various supplements are available that can help with this.  These may focus on general body cleansing or on specific areas – bowel, liver, candida or parasite cleanses or heavy metal detox, for example.  We advise starting with a bowel cleanse or general body cleanse, as addressing bowel function is most important when starting a detox programme, to make sure that toxins are being excreted properly (you should ideally have two to three easy bowel movements a day during any cleanse or detox programme).  This can then be followed up with a cleanse that addresses these other specific areas, adding support for bowel function if necessary – a fibre supplement is a good choice for this as it also helps to bind toxins and remove them from the body.