By Marie Be Guest Writer for Wake Up World The alarm rings, time to wake up. Your body feels heavy, tired. You wish you could sleep in a few more hours. Your body is not fully rested; it was unable to process all the toxins accumulated. It is your day that will take the toll. Lack of energy, drowsiness, bad mood – let’s talk about waking up on the wrong foot. Overwhelmed with pollution, pesticides, antibiotics, saturated fats, sugar, stressful lifestyles and lack of exercise only to name a few, your body simply can’t cope. Day after day, your body accumulates toxins it is unable to process naturally. The more toxins it accumulates, the more its natural healing systems become clogged. That feeling tiredness slowly becomes the norm; your body forgets how alive and vibrant it used to be. According to the Natural Resources Defense Council: “the medical literature continues to support the growing association between exposure to popularized toxins such as heavy metals (e.g., mercury, arsenic, lead), exogenous hormones (e.g., recombinant bovine growth hormone and synthetic estrogens), and industrial plasticizers (e.g., bisphenol A) and the rising incidence of neurobehavioral, reproductive, and musculoskeletal diseases — everything from attention deficit disorder to autism to infertility to fibromyalgia. It has been estimated that there are over 80,000 chemicals presently used in the United States, with some of them not extensively tested for their effects on human health.” [1]
Detoxing for Health and Vitality
The human body was naturally designed to revitalize itself in a balanced environment. Since modern world’s addiction to producing or by-producing toxins, the body simply can’t cope. Our environment has become unbalanced, and so have our body systems. As toxic stress increases, the toxins end up lodged within the internal organs, skin, body cells, and unwanted fat. This results in many of us feeling stress, fatigue, anxiety and depression. Unless you do something to fix this, accumulation of toxins in your body tissues can lower your vitality possibly resulting in premature ageing, degenerative diseases[2], and potentially aggravate any medical condition. Detoxing is essential to restore optimum health and vitality. It can seriously enhance virtually every facet of your life. In the long run, those who take care of the equilibrium of their body should expect to live longer and healthier, encounter fewer degenerative health conditions and persistent medical problems. As the body gets rid of toxins, the digestive system improves, nasal congestion clears, blood pressure levels stabilize, mental clarity and memory improve, and emotional and hormonal fluctuations to return to normal. Cleansing can also boost the effectiveness of any other subsequent restorative healing treatments. [3] The body has many natural ways to eliminate toxins. Many of us don’t like to hear about their bowel movements, but it is a great way to keep health in check. Healthy intestines naturally excrete toxins; clogged intestines recirculate them into the body. Constipation is strongly related to toxin buildup; the longer toxins stay in the bowel, the more they can be reabsorbed into the systemic circulation. Normal bowel movements should be at least once a day in the form of soft, well-formed stools. There are many small dietary changes you can make to ensure your intestines are healthy and happy.
Fiber
Fiber not only “traps” toxins within its matrix, but also assists with generating movement in the intestines so that toxins are promptly eliminated.[4] We often think of fibers as gluten or bread. Actually, the best sources of fiber come from legumes, non-starchy vegetables, beans, fruit, seeds, nuts, and flaxseed meal. Black bean soup is an excellent meal to get your bowels going. You can also opt for dietary supplements such as psyllium, cellulose, oat fiber, and rice bran, to name a few. The general recommendation for fiber is about 25 to 30 grams daily for women and 30 to 35 grams daily for men.[5]
Fermented Foods
The bacteria in fermented foods are extremely healthy for your colon and intestines. These bacteria give your colon the energy to function more efficneitly. Without them, certain nutrients go unsynthesized, toxins don’t degrade, and disease-causing micro-organisms can set up house in your digestive system.Organic yogurt, miso, kimchi, and sauerkraut are four examples of fermented foods.Drinks such as Kefir and kombucha tea provide plenty of healthy bacteria too.
