DETOX the right way

As a Nutritional Therapist, some of the most common questions I am asked are about cleanses and detox diets. When/why to cleanse?,Laxatives/Fiber?, Colonics?, Exercise? and Fasting? While I agree that the body can become very toxic and sluggish with stress, enviromental pollutants, chemicals, medications and poor diet.
Extreme cleanses can deplete your body of precious nutrients. In my opinion, prolonged fasting can cause more harm than good by slowing down your metabolism and in some cases re-circulating the toxins. Here is the first of several therapeutic detox programs that I will address over the next few weeks--that are safe and will aid in weight-loss, digestion, increased energy and blood/body purification.

Detox #1: Basic Fat Loss and Metabolic Enhancement
Toxins and fat go hand in hand.According to research published in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, synthetic chemicals, heavy metals,solvents, and the plastic additive bisphenol-A (BPA) disrupt the body's natural weight controlling hormones, interfere with metabolism, and change your appetite. Because most toxins are stored in the bodies fat cells, dropping unwanted pounds will help you start decreasing the endocrine disruptive chemical reserves too.

Start by eliminating the worst calorie and chemical offenders--sugar, processed foods,factory farmed protein sources (anti-biotic and hormone laden)Aim for 1200 to 1500 calories a day through properly balanced meals that focus on organic produce and grains and moderate amounts of clean protein.

Eliminate SUGAR: When you take in sugar loaded desserts, drinks and snacks your body has to scramble to produce insulin, which will drive the blood sugar levels back down--thus creating a vicious cycle of cravings that stresses out the pancreas and the adrenal function.Studies indicate that the insulin may also promote fat storage from a cellular level.Cut out the obvious like soda, candy, juice and baked goods/desserts---and start reading labels. You will be shocked to learn of the amount of hidden sugars, artificial sweeteners and the even more dangerous, high fructose corn syrup(More on that topic in the future)that predominates most salad dressings, yogurts, condiments and snack items.

Supplement with L-GLUTAMINE:To avoid cravings due to low blood sugar that will make you quite irritable and cause withdrawal headaches take this amino acid divided into 3 doses of 1 gram. This will aid in stabilizing blood sugar.

Buy ORGANIC: Realistically you should be consuming 9 to 13 servings of produce per day--of which only 2 to 3 of these should come from fruits. Choose organic ALWAYS on the following list of "The Dirty Dozen" most pesticide laden fruits and vegetables. Includes; peaches, apples, sweet bell peppers, celery, nectarines, strawberries, cherries, kale, lettuce, imported grapes, carrots and pears. If you eat meat ALWAYS select CLEAN and ORGANIC (FREE of anti-biotics and Growth Hormones-raised in a humane and natural environment. Beef/Bison should be Grass fed- Poultry should be free range and cage free)Avoiding all chemicals, preservatives, sodium injections and most importantly Nitrates/Nitrites. For locating organic, local and sustainable farms, please visit www.eatwild.org

EAT OFTEN: Keeping your tank full by taking in fuel every 3-4 hours will prevent wild swings in mood, energy, metabolic slowing and blood sugar lows (ALL of these reactions cause hormone disruption and stress the Adrenal glands. If you allow your body to regulate with a continual source of moderate energy (calories and nutrients)it will stoke the metabolism to provide proper energy for the body to carry out the task(s) of repair and healing and NOT recruit energy to keep up with the many inadequacies that an irregular dietary intake can cause. Remember your body releases cortisol everytime you blood sugar gets low----this is just as damaging to our weight and health as taking in too many calories.

HYDRATE: In addition to supporting proper digestion, drinking water aids in kidney function, sppeds waste removal, curbs hunger, and facilitates the body;s natural detox process by helping you sweat during exercise/physical activity. Dehydration is the number one cause of daytime fatigue and headaches. Even mild dehydration can drastically slow metabolism. A general rule of thumb is to consume 1/2 of your bodyweight in ounces of water daily. To make sure you are not taking in heavy metals and pesticides with your H2O, use a water filtration system. I suggest a reverse osmosis filter- moderatly priced and easy to install. I also reccomend not using pastic to store your water---you will avoid your exposure to BPA and not fill up the landfills with so many plastic bottles. See my favorite stainless bottles below.



Eliminate Naturally: Bile created in your liver flushes toxins through your gatrointestinal tract (GI). But without enough soluable fiber to bind the bile and excrete it, toxins can reabsorb into the bloodstream. Beans, legumes,and fruits are excellent sources of soluable fiber.

Health ENSURance: Take a high quality (pharma-grade) multi-vitamin to make sure the basics are being met daily. Our decreasing soil quality in this country-resulting in less nutrient dense food combined with processed foods,stress, mucosal damage of the gut lining, food sensitivites and etc... can create mal-absorption problems. Better to have a back up plan just in case your daily intake proves incomplete.