The Complete Guide to Detoxify Your Life & Start Healing Today
One of the major downsides of living in the modern world is that toxins are everywhere, from the air we breathe to the water we drink.
These harmful substances affect our bodies and prevent us from functioning at our best. Long-term exposure can cause serious issues, including chronic disease, hormone disruption, and mental health issues.
Unfortunately, it isn’t possible to avoid toxins altogether. We don’t have full control over our environment. But we can reduce our exposure to many of the most common toxins by being mindful of the products we use and how we live our lives.
In this post, I’m going to take you through some of the toxins you are most likely to encounter in your daily life and give you some tips on how to avoid them.
This isn’t an exhaustive list but includes some of the most common culprits.
What Are Toxins?
The word toxin is used as an umbrella term for harmful substances that can enter our bodies and negatively impact our health. It covers a wide range of different chemicals, each with its own effect on our bodies.
Some toxins are natural, made by plants, animals, and microbes. They don’t harm the organism itself but can impact the health of other creatures, including humans. Examples include poisonous mushrooms, amygdalin in fruit seeds (which becomes cyanide when it is eaten), and the tetrodotoxin that makes eating fugu (pufferfish) sushi such a risky game.
Other toxins are synthetic chemicals that are manufactured by humans. These aren’t created on purpose to be harmful to our health. They usually play a useful role, such as extending the shelf life of a beauty product or helping our shampoo to foam. But they unintentionally impact our health and the health of our planet.
One of the most overlooked and dangerous toxins today, in my opinion, is synthetic fragrance. It is pushed on us at every turn and the affect on our body is massive. If you take anything away from this article please let it be saying NO to synthetic chemical laden fragrance.
Toxins in our Food
We all know not to eat poisonous mushrooms or berries. But other toxins are found in everyday foods that have a less immediate impact on our health.
While these toxins might not make us sick straight away, regularly consuming them will cause us issues over time. Some people are more sensitive than others too.
Refined Vegetable and Seed Oils
Many common cooking oils are highly processed. Examples include vegetable oil, sunflower oil, corn oil, and soybean oil.
These processed oils are high in polyunsaturated fats. When exposed to high heat, they undergo an oxidation process that creates harmful compounds.
Many vegetable and seed oils are also high in Omega-6 fats, which studies have linked to several chronic diseases, including liver disease, arthritis, Alzheimer’s, and cardiovascular disease.
Instead, look out for cold-pressed oils that are high in Omega-3. Examples include coconut oil, olive oil, and avocado oil. You could also use animal fats in cooking if you aren’t vegan. Choose butter or lard from high-welfare, grass-fed animals.
Refined Sugars
Our bodies rely on sugar for energy and many foods contain sugar naturally. But the refined sugar that is added to most packaged food is a far cry from these natural sugars and can act as a toxin in our bodies.
This is because refined sugars are high in fructose, which only our livers can metabolize. Eating too much fructose overloads the liver and prevents it from doing its main job, which is removing toxins from our systems.
Refined sugars are also linked to issues with insulin production and blood sugar regulation, which can lead to diabetes.
There are lots of different names that can indicate a product contains refined sugars. Look out for anything ending in ‘-ose’, maltodextrin, or maltitol. Cane sugar, corn syrup, beet sugar, molasses, rice syrup, barley malt, and caramel are other things to watch out for on labels.
Don’t be tempted to substitute with foods that contain artificial sweeteners either, which come with their own set of issues. Instead, avoid packaged food and sweet drinks as much as you can and concentrate on naturally sweet foods instead. Dried fruit, maple syrup, and coconut sugar are good options to try.
Trans Fat
There are several different types of fat and some are a necessary part of a healthy diet. Not so for trans fat, however, which is the worst kind of fat. It both raises our LDL (bad cholesterol) and lowers our HDL (good cholesterol).
Studies have linked diets high in trans fat to many chronic diseases, including cardiovascular disease and diabetes.
Unfortunately, trans fat (also known as partially hydrogenated oil) is found in many packaged foods, including baked goods, frozen pizzas, margarine, fried foods, and microwave popcorn.
Again, avoiding packaged foods as much as possible is your best bet here. Choose fresh, natural options over processed food.
Mercury
Mercury builds up naturally in fish but is toxic to humans. Fortunately, our bodies can deal with small amounts of mercury, but when levels get too high, it can cause health issues.
Fish that eat other fish tend to have higher levels of mercury in them. Some to avoid include:
· Marlin
· Shark
· King mackerel
· Swordfish
· Bigeye tuna
· Tile fish from the Gulf of Mexico
· Orange roughy
There are other fish that we should limit to one portion a week. The FDA has a full list here.
Pesticides and Herbicides
With the pressure to produce as much food per acre as they can, most conventional farmers use pesticides and herbicides to protect their crops. While these substances are washed off before the produce hits our shelves, residues remain both on and within the food.
There’s some debate as to whether the levels of pesticide that remain on our food are safe or not – but if you are asking me the answer is 100% no. At high levels, pesticides are extremely harmful to human health. But continuous low-level exposure can also cause issues. It has been linked to Parkinson’s, asthma, depression, and cancer.
Washing and cooking produce helps to remove some of this residue. But if you can, choosing organic produce will reduce your pesticide exposure in the first place. Some of the worst crops for Glyphosate (the cancer causing chemical in weed killing round up) are oats, almonds & corn so aim to eat only organic of these if possible.
BPA
Walking down a shop aisle, it is instantly clear how much of our food comes packaged in plastic. And that is both an environmental issue and a potential risk to our hormone health.
BPA is a type of plastic that is commonly used in drinks bottles and to line cans. But BPA is an endocrine disruptor, meaning it interrupts the natural production of our hormones. Endocrine disruptors can have a serious impact on our health, affecting our fertility, menstrual cycles, and even causing cancer. What makes me most sad about these toxins in our modern world is the impact they have specifically for women.
When our food and drink are packaged in BPA, small amounts of this harmful toxin leach into it.
Many countries have now banned the use of BPA in products intended for babies. But the FDA continues to allow its use in food and drink packaging. It is also used in some food storage containers, and in packaging for beauty products. Also even BPA free packaging contains new chemicals that may be equally or even worse for you but the big food industry has managed to get away with it – for now.
Where you can, try to buy loose produce that isn’t packaged in plastic. It is better for the environment as well as your health. Some plastic products are now labeled ‘BPA-free’ too.
One of the best things you can do at home is swap all your plastic storage containers to glass & get everyone of your family members a stainless steel or glass water bottle. This will minimize your plastic by so much over the course of a year and so on.
Toxins in Our Homes
Consuming food or drink that contains toxins is obviously one way that they can enter our bodies. But we can also introduce toxins into our systems via the air we breathe or through our skin.
While we can’t control our wider environment to avoid toxins altogether, we can choose the products we use in our own homes more mindfully to reduce our exposure. This leaves our systems free to concentrate on removing the harmful substances we can’t avoid.
Beauty and Personal Care Products
There is nothing wrong with wanting to look your best. For many of us, skincare and other personal products play an important role in our self-care routines.
But we do need to choose our products with care. Plenty of conventional cosmetics, skincare, and hair care items contain harmful substances that we don’t want anywhere near our bodies.
Toxins to look out for include:
· Parabens
· Phthalates
· Triclosan
· BHA & BHT
· Sodium lauryl sulfate
· Plastics, especially BPA
· Synthetic fragrance
These are all endocrine disruptors, so avoiding them is a good step to protecting your hormone health.
It is also important to avoid anything that contains synthetic fragrances – including cleaning products, candles, and room sprays, and perfumes, as well as other beauty and personal care products.
Many synthetic fragrances contain harmful chemicals, but manufacturers don’t have to disclose exactly what is in them, so it is impossible to know what might be hiding in there.
Instead, choose products that are made without harmful chemicals. Many will be labelled as being ‘paraben-free’ or ‘phthalate free’, but it is always best to check the ingredient list. You can also look out for certification labels, such as Leaping Bunny, that show a product is made with organic or natural ingredients.
Another great resourse is the Think Dirty App that rates products on a 10 point scale and helps you understand exactly what is or isn’t in your products.
Alternatively, you could try making your own beauty and hair products at home. That way you know exactly what has gone into them.
Cleaning Products
Many conventional cleaning products contain substances that are as toxic to humans as to the germs we’re trying to get rid of. These include volatile organic compounds (VOCs), a category of chemicals that are linked to cancer, as well as irritating our skin, eyes, and lungs.
Other chemicals used in cleaning products can also be harmful. Examples include chlorine bleach, ammonia, formaldehyde, and ozone. And, of course, we’ve already talked about the issue of synthetic fragrances.
Currently, there’s no requirement in the USA for manufacturers to list their full ingredients. Even some products that are labelled as eco-friendly may not be as good for us as they claim. Beware of GREEN WASHING a technique used by corporations to trick consumers into thinking a product is healthy & safe.
You can switch these toxic cleaning products for common store cupboard staples. As our grandparents knew, there’s little that bicarbonate of soda, lemon, and vinegar can’t clean.
If making your own is a step too far, research green home cleaning brands that live up to their promise, such as those that meet the Environmental Protection Agency’s Safer Choice Standard.
Water
It is sad to realize that something so essential to life can contain dangerous toxins. But our water supply isn’t as safe as we might hope.
Research has found that many of us are exposed to dangerous levels of polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) through our tap water. There’s evidence to suggest a link between these endocrine-disrupting chemicals and serious illnesses, including cancer, thyroid disease, and ulcerative colitis.
Other investigations have found arsenic and lead in U.S. drinking water. Both cause health issues in humans.
While it might be tempting to swear off tap water for life, bottled water isn’t much better as an alternative. Many bottles are made from plastic that contains BPA. Plus, it is expensive, and the discarded bottles cause environmental issues.
Instead, consider installing a home filtration system that can remove the toxins from your tap water before you drink it. According to the Environmental Working Group, the best options are a reverse osmosis filter or an activated charcoal filter.
Protecting Yourself from Toxins
Reducing your exposure to toxins is a good first step in protecting your health. But it simply isn’t possible to eliminate all toxins from our lives, short of sealing ourselves away from the world.
This might seem like a scary thought. But I hope it will reassure you to know that our bodies have inbuilt systems to help us deal with toxins and remove them from our bodies before they cause harm.
Our livers and kidneys play a vital role in filtering out toxins and removing them via our urine and feces. Our lungs have cilia, which work to capture particles in the air we breathe and trap them in mucous, which we then swallow down to our stomachs, so they can be removed via our digestive systems. And our lymphatic systems keep waste and toxins from building up in our cells.
Avoiding unnecessary exposure to toxins can help our bodies cope with the ones we can’t avoid. And we can also support our natural toxin removal systems by keeping ourselves as healthy as we can.
Eating a balanced diet and getting plenty of exercise are two of the basic ways we can help to support our bodies’ healthy functioning. You might also consider taking supplements to make sure you have all the nutrients you need.
Sleep is another essential, and one many of us overlook. Blue light exposure can often interfere with our natural circadian rhythms, so use a blue light filter and make sure you switch screens off well before you go to bed.
Getting outdoors can also help us keep our circadian rhythms in sync. And getting enough sun exposure is also vital to our vitamin D levels. Vitamin D plays many essential roles in our bodies, including boosting our immune systems, but many of us don’t get enough.
Finally, our mental health and our physical health are strongly linked. Toxins in your body can impact your mood. On the other hand, stress, anxiety, and depression can reduce your body’s ability to function healthily. In particular, there’s a strong link between our mental health and our digestive systems, which have a significant role to play in removing toxins from our bodies.
By prioritizing our physical and mental health, we give our bodies the support they need to cope with toxins we can’t avoid.