12 Ways To Detox Your Body Naturally

Is Toxic Burden the Root Cause of Your Health Issues?

Before pressing on with discovering how to detox your body naturally, it’s important to understand how detoxification works. Our bodies are bombarded daily with countless toxic compounds, and whether it comes from our food, water we drink, the air we breathe, or the products we put on our skin – our daily exposure is enormous. Our bodies are designed to deal with small amounts of toxins and process these toxins through our natural detoxification systems. The problem arises when our bodies can no longer keep up and the toxic load begins to accumulate.

Detoxification is a normal function of the body that is supposed to occur on its own 24 hours a day. Enhancing the detoxification system is a crucial component of optimizing our mental, physical and spiritual health.

Our Detox System

Our detoxification system consists of several organs: the entire digestive system (liver, gallbladder, intestines), kidneys, lungs, skin and lymph. Your liver is the largest internal organ – it weighs close to three pounds! Your liver inspects, separates, and processes compounds passing in your bloodstream, and has key roles in over 500 vital functions throughout your body. One of the liver’s most critical functions is its role in detox!.

The process of how the liver begins to detoxify harmful substances is through a process called Phase 1 + Phase 2 detoxification. Phase 1 enzymes known collectively as cytochrome p-450 burn or oxidize the toxins, making them more reactive so they can be conjugated and more easily excreted. During Phase 2 the oxidized toxin is then conjugated and excreted which means it is combined with another molecule that carries it away. It converts a fat soluble toxin into a water soluble toxin, so it can be eliminated through the feces or urine. Lastly, Phase 3 excretes them out of the body. During Phase 1 and Phase 2 specific nutrients are needed for these processes to take place. Certain nutrients: B vitamins, zinc, Vit C, antioxidants, glutathione, folate, amino acids, glutamine, taurine and methionine-just to name a few. Foods high in thiols (sulfur) like garlic, onions and cruciferous veggies support sulfation which is one of the important processes in Phase 2 to eliminate toxins from the body.

One very important aspect to consider about detoxification is you must have healthy digestion in order to eliminate all the toxins. If you are constipated or do not have regular bowel movements you will feel worse. Phase 3 detoxification needs sufficient bile from our gallbladder, and proper hydration from the kidneys to excrete toxins out in the urine. This is daily detox. We can do periodic “cleanses” or “liver detoxes” throughout the year but your detoxification system needs to be functioning daily for overall health!

Symptoms Of High Toxic Burden

Fatigue
Memory loss + difficulty concentrating
Sleep issues + insomnia
Muscle aches + joint pain
Digestive upset: gas, bloating, diarrhea, foul-smelling stools, heartburn
Skin problems: rashes, eczema, psoriasis, acne
Headaches
Sinus issues

How Toxic Burden Impacts The Immune System

The job of the immune system is to identify, neutralize, and eliminate foreign invaders from the body. When your body recognizes a toxin, (food, pesticide, heavy metal, virus, etc.) it targets the toxin and works to remove it. It’s constantly working to protect you from various types of harmful compounds and organisms.

When your total toxic burden becomes elevated your immune system is forced into overdrive. This sequence will cause chronic low-level inflammation over time and this causes the immune system to keep working overtime just to function. But like anything that keeps a pace of “just trying to maintain”, it eventually gets weaker and less effective. The suppression of the immune system makes it harder for your body to detox harmful substances. And if your body can not detoxify properly, more toxins accumulate. This cycle continues and weakens your immune system.

Have you been thinking about doing a detox? One of the biggest reasons that people look to do a detox is to rid toxins. We’re all exposed to a lot of toxins on a regular basis. This can affect many aspects of your health and well-being. Toxins can also build up in your body and be stored in tissues and cells. Doesn’t sound great, right? Detoxing your body is a great way to reduce your toxic burden and help your body to function at its best.

Benefits of Detoxing

Boosts energy
Reduces brain fog
Immune system support
Supports hormonal balance
Weight loss
Clears acne + other skin issues

What You Can Do to Reduce Your Total Toxic Burden

Drink Plenty of Water

There is a lot you can do to detox your body naturally. Let’s begin simple with clean H20. Water helps to flush waste products out of your body so it’s super important from a detox perspective. Starting the day with a glass of filtered water and lemon is an easy way to help your body to detox. Sipping water through the rest of the day will support your body’s detox efforts. Typically you want to drink your weight and divide by 2 for the amount of daily ounces. If you weigh 135 lbs, you want a water intake of around 68 ounces for the day, but keep in mind if you consume caffeine-it is recommended to drink more water. Just don’t go over 100 ounces for the day! You don’t want to dilute too many of your necessary nutrients in the body and that can be unsafe.

Apple cider vinegar is another option if you want to mix things up or don’t enjoy the taste of lemon. It has antiseptic properties and can help to fight germs and other nasties. Just add about 1-2 tsp. to your water.

Mix things up a bit with herbal teas. These also help you to stay hydrated and flush toxins. Some herbal teas are particularly good for detoxing, especially nettle and dandelion. I really enjoy Pique teas; so many varieties!

Unfortunately, water can also be highly polluted with countless toxins and chemicals. A high-quality water filter can help remove harmful impurities – leaving you with the purest and highest quality water possible. I use and recommend the Boroux water filtration system.

What’s one thing you definitely don’t want to be drinking a lot of? Alcohol. It’s a toxin, which makes your body work hard to break it down.

Load Up On Veggies

Vegetables are a great choice for detoxing, especially beets, kale, spinach and cilantro. If you struggle to get plenty in your diet, try making a veggie smoothie or juice. Adding apple, carrot and ginger helps to make it taste delicious – perfect even if you’re not a big fan of greens!

It will also aid your digestion and support regular bowel movements to remove waste products from your body. This is super important as toxins can build up in your digestive tract if you’re not eliminating regularly. This can make you feel sluggish, tired and generally not your best. Getting plenty of fiber means that everything moves through your system more quickly. Veggies and fruits aside, good fiber sources include beans, legumes, nuts and whole grains.

A word of caution here when picking veggies (and fruits!): go organic as much as you can. This is particularly true for the Dirty Dozen, which are more likely to have pesticides and preservatives build up on them. If you’re not eating organic varieties of these, the toxins are passed onto you. The Dirty Dozen for 2023 included strawberries, spinach, kale-collard-mustard greens, nectarines, apples, grapes, peaches, cherries, blueberries, pears, green beans, hot peppers-sweet bell peppers. If your budget doesn’t stretch to buying organic across the board, make these the priority.

There is also a Clean Fifteen group, which have fewer pesticides on average. Avocado and sweet corn top this group, and other fruits and veggies with low pesticide residue include pineapple, honeydew, papaya, asparagus, onions, cabbages, mushrooms, carrots, sweet potatoes, mangoes, sweet peas (frozen), kiwi, and watermelon.

Cut Back On Sugar

Sugar is essentially a toxin and as most of us eat far too much of it; it’s having a negative effect on our health and well-being. Making the decision to detox from sugar is a definite must-do when you’re looking to detox. It’s not easy but you’ll likely feel a whole lot better!

Eating plenty of protein at breakfast is a key part of a sugar detox. Non-starchy veggies are another great move, along with healthy fats. Skip the cereal boxes!

Reduce Stress

When you’re stressed, your body isn’t working as efficiently as it could do and that’s not great news for detox. Being able to manage stress more effectively helps your body to get rid of toxins more easily. Our HPA axis is a complex set of feedback interactions which include the hypothalamus, pituitary gland, and the adrenals. This system controls reactions to stress and regulates many of our body processes; it is a vital component in detoxification and keeping us healthy.

Meditation, mindfulness and journaling are just a few of the tactics that will help to keep emotional toxins to a minimum.

Exercise Regularly

Exercise helps to boost your circulation and support your lymph system. Working up a sweat helps to release toxins and is also a good move for better digestion.

Yoga can serve a dual purpose in your exercise routine as it aids meditation and relaxation, which is also important for detoxing.

Making time to stretch throughout the day is also a great move. This gets blood moving and gives a quick and easy energy boost. Try to stretch for around 5 minutes out of every hour, where possible.

Get Plenty of Restorative Sleep

A good night’s sleep is super important for helping your body to reset itself and that extends to detoxing too. You’re also more likely to make poor food choices when you’re sleep deprived and that can mean more toxins.

Try Deep Tissue Massage

Because toxins can build up in tissues, deep tissue massages can help to get rid of them. Swedish massage and sports massages both target pressure points, which can release toxins. Lymphatic massage is great to get the lymph moving too!

Brush Your Skin

Gently brushing the skin helps to bring toxins out and into the lymph so they can be eliminated. It boosts circulation and aids detoxification. Dry brushing your skin a couple of times per week will enhance your skin detox.

Sweat In An Infrared Sauna

Sweat more. It’s one of the body’s safest and most natural ways to heal and maintain good health. Exercise is fantastic for sweating but you can also use a high-quality infrared sauna like Sunlighten that will promote a effortless, deep and productive sweat. Make sure to stay well hydrated with electrolytes when using a sauna!

Read All Labels

Reading the labels on food products to look for ingredients we don’t want is vitally important, but we also need to do the same for the products we put on our skin. Most beauty products contain toxic ingredients that are extremely harmful to our bodies because our skin absorbs whatever we put on it. Look for skin care products like Annmarie organic skin care products that are derived from natural ingredients. They feel and smell great!

Reduce Toxic Exposures

We live in a very toxic world, and pollutants accumulate in our soil and water. It seems like there is just no where for it to go anymore! Exotoxins are toxins that you’re exposed to externally, meaning it comes for outside of you. Functional Lab Testing is available to test your toxic burden and see exactly what needs to be addressed. Some of the most commonly occurring exotoxins include:

Pesticides: chemicals that are used to kill insects, rodents, weeds, and other microorganisms in the agricultural industry
Heavy Metals: lead, mercury, cadmium, arsenic and others can be found in tap water, cookware, personal care products, and beauty products
Mold: from contaminated food or moldy buildings
EMF Radiation: EMFs or electromagnetic fields are emitted from electronics like cell phones, computers and cell towers
VOC’s: Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are toxic gasses that are emitted from household materials like carpet, paint, furniture, or cleaning products
Phthalates + Parabens: Harmful chemicals used in cosmetic products, personal care products, and cleaning supplies
PCB’s: polychlorinated biphenyls are a class of highly toxic chemicals that were banned in the 1970s, but are still showing up everywhere due to rampant environmental contamination

We also make endotoxins. These are toxins that you’re exposed to internally such as: intestinal bacteria, yeast overgrowth, infections, medications and stress. Being exposed to toxins from the environment and from within your own body is why your gut health is so vitally important. Our digestive system plays a crucial role in processing and excreting toxins. We need to make sure we have regular bowel movements, balanced gut flora, and a strong gut lining to keep the harmful compounds out of the bloodstream.

Consider Taking Glutathione

There are so many nutrients that support our Phase 1, 2 and 3 detoxification pathways, but if I had to pick #1 it would have to be glutathione. Why? Well, it is our top antioxidant and as Dr. Pizzano writes in his article “Glutathione!” it is involved in the detoxification of both xenobiotic and endogenous compounds. It also facilitates excretion from cells, facilitates excretion from the body and directly neutralizes many oxidative chemicals. A low level of glutathione is associated with chronic exposure to chemical toxins and alcohol, cadmium exposure, immune dysregulation, macular degeneration, Parkinson’s, and other neurodegenerative disorders caused by the toxic burdens mentioned above.

Individualized Detox Wellness Plan

As you see there is so much you can do to detox your body naturally, and in turn, you improve your overall wellbeing. We could easily go beyond 12 things to recommend for detox support; but this is a great start! Work together with a licensed practitioner for professional recommendations regarding a detox wellness plan, and once you begin to make small lifestyle changes the benefits will leave you feeling physically and mentally strong and healthy!

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