Signs You Have Healthy Detoxification

Most people don’t think about this. However, the truth is that our bodies are busy processing and eliminating toxins all day every day. We feel healthy when our detox pathways are keeping pace with those toxins and are not overburdened.

Here’s how to know you have healthy detoxification:

• Fresh breath (without needing gum or mints!)
• Clear skin (without rashes or outbreaks)
• Easy bowel movements (every day)
• Sound sleep (without waking at 3 a.m.)
• Mental clarity (without brain fog!)

If you can’t check all those boxes, it’s okay! There are simple things we can do with food, lifestyle, & functional medicine to support detoxification and get to the root cause.

Cleanse vs. Everyday Detox

Let’s get this straight. Cleanses and detox protocols are in no short supply. And the same can be said for confusion and misinformation. One thing most people don’t realize is that a “cleanse” or a “detox” is not the same as everyday detoxification.

A cleanse is a few days to a few weeks of following a strict protocol. It’s like a reset.

Everyday detoxification is supported by daily movement, drinking plenty of water, eating healthy foods, and optimizing nutrition over time.

While a cleanse is safest and most effective when it’s individualized and guided by a skilled practitioner, everyday detoxification can benefit anyone for sustained health.

Easy Ways to Support Detoxification

You’ll want to save this post! Because healthy detoxification is foundational to feeling good. Did you know we have 6 pathways of detoxification? Here they are and how you can easily support them:

• Skin: Dry Brush
• Lungs: Deep Breathing
• Liver: Vegetables
• Kidneys: Water
• Bowels: Fiber
• Lymph: Movement

Did you ever think about how hard your body is working on your behalf?

Is Alcohol Clogging My Liver?

This is a common question. Maybe you’re eating vegetables, staying hydrated, moving your body, and even using a dry skin brush or epsom salt baths but what about alcohol?

Here are the facts:

• When you drink, 90% of the alcohol is processed by your liver.
• Alcohol is first converted into an even more toxic compound, acetaldehyde. Even though this is short-lived, it can damage liver cells.
• Alcohol can decrease the breakdown of fats, leading to fat accumulation in the liver.
• When the liver is busy processing alcohol, it is less available to carry out its other necessary functions.

This is your body and your choice, but decreasing alcohol is always helpful when it comes to supporting healthy detoxification. We always want to “remove the obstacles to cure.” Sometimes alcohol is one of those.

Skin

Did you know that your skin is the largest detoxification organ in your body!

Even though sweat is almost entirely water, studies have found that some toxins – including heavy metals and bisphenol A (BPA) – are excreted in sweat.

Here are three simple ways to support detoxification through the skin:

1. Sauna
2. Exercise
3. Dry Skin Brushing

The first two help you sweat, while the last unclogs pores and sloughs off dead skin cells. Isn’t it fun how all the body systems actually work together?

Breath

Why do we say “take a cleansing breath”? It’s not just cleansing for the mind but actually detoxifying for the body to breathe deeply. With every deep breath, oxygen floods our cells and tissues, allowing them to function at a more optimal level and to process and metabolize waste better.

Our lungs are one of our main organs of detoxification, along with the liver, gut, kidneys, lymphatics, and skin.

So consider this your reminder to take a deep breath.

Holistic Health Tips

Foods for Liver Support

The easiest and most effective way to love your liver is to eat nutrient-dense whole foods. That’s because there are two phases of liver detoxification, each of which depends upon a steady supply of nutrients to keep it going. Nutrients that are in foods like:

• Cruciferous Vegetables (foods like broccoli, cauliflower, kale, and collards support both phases of liver detoxification)
• Garlic & Onions (these provide sulfur compounds, vitamin B6, and antioxidants)
• Blueberries (contain polyphenols to support antioxidant status)
• Turmeric (a powerful health-promoting spice!)
• Green Tea (rich in EGCG & antioxidants)

Think of it this way: Your liver is working around the clock to process chemicals and toxins for elimination. If it doesn’t have the nutrients it needs, detox will slow down and you’ll start to feel the effects on your health.

Commit to eating at least one of these foods every day!

6 Ways to Support Detox

Just pick ONE. This is some simple stuff you can do to naturally support your body’s everyday detoxification that has absolutely nothing to do with what you eat.

• Dry Skin Brush
• Castor Oil Packs
• Epsom Salt Baths
• Rebound Trampoline
• Deep Breathing
• Go to Bed On Time

The thing about detoxification is that your body is doing it every day without you even thinking about it. These things work because they support one or more of your detoxification pathways: your liver, gut, kidneys, lymphatics, lungs, and skin.

Movement for Detox

Hello up there! Take a second with me here because I have the simplest way anyone can improve their detoxification for FREE. Move Your Body!!!!!!

When you move, your muscles contract and act like a pump for your lymphatic system. Your lymphatics are a central part of your immune and detoxification systems, which is why we want to improve lymphatic flow (maybe you’ve heard of lymphatic massage – that works too!).

Whether you prefer to walk, run, jump on a trampoline, do yoga, or dance, moving will help your detoxification systems work better.

Protein for Detox

Ready for it?? The most overlooked nutrient that is essential for healthy detoxification is PROTEIN.

Amino acids from protein are needed for phase 2 detoxification in the liver, which is the phase where toxic compounds from phase 1 are conjugated for elimination.

Yes – conjugated. But you can get the full benefits of protein without ever knowing what that word means. Amino acids are also the building blocks of glutathione – the body’s master antioxidant and detoxifier.

So what? So without enough protein, liver detoxification cannot work at full capacity, and toxic compounds can build up in the body. So next time you think about loading up on greens or garlic or lemon water, don’t forget to also grab a source of protein.

Why can’t I handle caffeine?

Caffeine is metabolized in the liver, but not everyone metabolizes it at the same speed.

This depends largely on the activity of a certain enzyme (called CYP1A2).

Depending on the activity of this enzyme, you could be a slow metabolizer or a fast metabolizer of caffeine.

Slow metabolizers feel the effects of caffeine more intensely, with jitters, nervousness, restlessness, racing heart, or trouble sleeping.

Fast metabolizers don’t. This is based on genetics! The best thing to do is to know your limits and not buy into the caffeine culture if it doesn’t work for you.

How much fiber do I need?

How much fiber you need is a mystery to most people. Nutritional guidelines for Americans recommend getting 14 grams of fiber for every 1000 calories in the diet.

So we’re talking 25-30 grams of fiber per day for most adults.

Here are some foods to help you get there!

• 1 cup raspberries (8g)
• 1 cup broccoli (5g)
• 2 carrots (3g)
• 1 cup black beans (15g)
• 1 ounce chia seeds (10g)

Think fruits, veggies, nuts, seeds, legumes, and whole grains. It is easier than you may think.