Five Ways To Detox Everyday
The word ‘detox’ crops up a lot in the health and wellbeing industry and be it a massage, a juice cleanse, facial or massage, there are endless techniques to helps us rid ourselves of toxins quickly, and ‘clean out’ the system.
The problem is that the body hasn't really been designed to detox in periodic short bursts; in fact it's cleverly programmed to detox all the time in order to ensure that toxins don't build up in the body in the first place. Not only is this more sustainable and conducive with human physiology, it means you don't have to partake in some punishing fast every 6 months to purge your body of toxic build-up. Get this right and you can expect to have more energy, better concentration, feel less lethargic, have better skin and say farewell to the persistent and painful two-day hangover.
Detoxing appeals to us because lets face it, we throw a lot at the body living a busy modern lifestyle. Taking steps to eat well is great, but we are still exposed to pesticides, chemicals and toxins in food and food packaging, pollution in the air around us, and that’s before we consider the two boozy nights each week, passive smoking (or maybe the odd cigarette) often with less than 6 hours sleep a night.
If you want to do one good thing this week, incorporate one of these easy tricks into your daily life to detox everyday:
Eat Your Greens
The liver needs a complex of nutrients to allow it to flourish and deficiencies in these are a common cause of compromised detoxification. Any green vegetables is a safe bet largely because it is normally a source of folic acid, vitamins C & B, magnesium, sulphur and antioxidants, all of which are essential to the liver.
Brassica greens like kale, broccoli, cabbage, and sprouts are also great as they contain an array of sulphurous compounds that support the liver. Aim to include one portion daily and don’t overcook!
Take An Epsom Salt Bath
The skin is surprisingly permeable and certain nutrients can be well absorbed through it. Epsom salts are made up of magnesium sulphate - nutrients that are both required for detoxification. Sulphur in particular is incredibly important for the detoxification and removal of our hormones. Given it is tricky to absorb through the gut, bathing in Epsom salts is a great way to get the nutrients in.
Magnesium has the added benefit of calming and relaxing the body and mind, so an Epsom salt bath before bed is useful if you struggle to drift off. Perfect also if you work-out a lot to support muscle and nerve synthesis, as well as relieving aches and pains.
Hydrate In the Morning
Your liver does most of its work at night and so toxins are ready and waiting to be removed first thing. Drinking water helps to flush these out and also rehydrate your body, which is essential for the liver anyway. Goes without saying that coffee does not have the same effect!
Add fresh lemon and chopped ginger and if you can hack it, a pinch of cayenne pepper that can help support the liver itself, as well as digestion and immunity.
Flora and Fauna
Whilst being one of the most important organs for health, the digestive system is one of the major routes out of the body for toxins, and sluggish digestion can be a major cause of additional toxicity. Many things have to happen in order for digestion to work properly, and a healthy balance of bacteria is one of the central components of a healthy GI tract (and body). Given our micro-flora is so sensitive to the environment we live in, bacterial balance often goes out of whack, especially if we take medication (especially antibiotics), eat too much gluten, exercise a lot, drink alcohol, eat sugary refined foods and get stressed. As well as stuffing up digestion and causing bloating and other uncomfortable symptoms, the wrong types of gut bacteria can also cause the body to reabsorb toxic compounds back into the body.
Taking probiotics is one of the best ways to help rebalance things and give the gut a leg up. Get a multi-strain product, with a minimum of two billion bacteria (sounds like a lot but there are trillions in there!) per day. Have with food, away from hot drinks so the little bacteria doesn’t get incinerated!
Embrace Algae
Time doesn't always allow for super healthy eating or lounging around in the bath so we do sometimes just need an easy, quick fix. Look no further than algae’s such as chlorella and spirulina. We know eating algae sounds decidedly unappealing, but it's so high in nutrients that just one small portion is like having a massive plate of the raw nutrient packed veggies in one hit. Amazing liver-lovers, algae’s are one of the only good sources of vegetarian B12, as well as supplying folic acid, magnesium, iron, zinc and of course a range of antioxidants. Chlorella also helps to chelate (bind) toxic compounds from the body and remove them, which is an amazing way to counteract harmful effects of smoking, drinking and toxic metals such as mercury found in fish.
Tip - If on occasion you are forced to have a bit of a boozy evening and are worried about the repercussions the next day, then having a hit of spirulina, or a shot of Equi's Fundamental (now called Original Formula) before bed and when you wake up, and may well soften the blow!
For more information, or questions email the Equi Team! E - info@equilondon.com