Detoxifying Foods

What are toxins? Toxins are chemicals or poisons that are known to have harmful effects on the body. The presence of these toxins in the system are the root of most disease. Cancer, skin rashes, depression, inflammation, weight gain, joint pain, neurological dysfunction, and so many more, can all be caused by toxic build-up.

Toxins are all around us – in the food, air and water. They cannot be avoided. Our bodies, however, are built to handle them. Like a well-run factory, the kidneys, lymphatic system, and liver all work together to bind and sweep these toxins out of our systems.

So, if our bodies deal with the toxins why do we need to worry about them? The problem is that, in the modern world, we are exposed to more toxins than our bodies can process. It reminds me of one of an “I Love Lucy” episode, where Lucy and Ethel are working at a chocolate factory. The conveyer belt starts moving too quickly. Lucy and Ethel get overwhelmed and panic. They end up shoving chocolates in their mouths, shirts, and hats.

This is much like what happens in our bodies when it gets bombarded with more toxins than it can handle. It becomes overwhelmed and can’t do its job properly. The liver becomes congested and we feel sick.

Detoxifying foods assist the body to sweep the toxins out of our systems. For example, orange vegetables contain beta carotene which the liver converts into Vitamin A. The liver uses it to help move toxins out of the body. Cruciferous vegetables are rich in DIM which helps the body to transition in between phase 1 and phase 2 liver detox. Food rich in antioxidants like berries are dark green vegetables will help to round up the oxidants and render them harmless. Think of it like adding more workers to the assembly line.

Just as some foods help speed up toxin removal, others – such as processed foods, fried foods, and dairy – are obstacles to this process. They clog up the detox pathways and make the body’s job harder because they give it more and more work to do. Instead of adding more workers to our assembly line, they distract the ones we’ve got with other jobs.

Proper detoxification is essential to healthy living. We choose detoxifying foods because we need to. Just like anything that is overworked, the body can get burned out. We lose focus and energy, and we gain weight. That is when disease starts to creep in.

We all love to eat the foods that are bad for us.  I mean, who doesn’t love ice cream? We detox to give the body some extra assistance so that it can do its job, which is to keep us healthy. Take care of your body so that it can take care of you.

Want to learn more about detoxifying foods? Give us a call at 631-500-9021.

By Tapp Francke Ingolia