4 simple ways to help minimize toxins in your body
Written by Holistic Health Coach, Lisa Horgan
Did you know that we accumulate toxins and chemicals in our bodies all the time? We ingest them from a variety of sources, the environment, the food we eat, the water we drink, and the personal care and household products we use.
The good news is that our bodies are built to detox themselves. Our liver, skin, and other organs are relentlessly working to move toxins out naturally (So don’t be fooled by marketing jargon selling you detox teas and supplements!) You can, however, support your bodies natural detox pathways by maintaining good health and work on reducing your toxic load by making some lifestyle changes.
So how do we do this?
First of all, do an inventory of all the products you use and the food you eat.
Before purchasing anything ask yourself questions like, where did this come from? How was it made? How processed has this product been, what has been added?
The more aware you become about the origin of the products you use, the better capacity you have to manage the number of toxins you come into contact with.
4 effective ways to reduce your toxic load
1. Avoid Plastics
Ingesting plastics can affect hormone receptors, cause fatigue, and even illness over the long term.
Try to avoid using any plastic containers, store food in glass jars and certainly don’t heat your food in plastic, the chemicals leach more aggressively when heated.
2. Buy Organic food where possible
Simply put, eating organic food reduces your exposure to pesticides, and pesticides are toxic. Think about it, they’re purpose is to kill small living things. When you buy organic you’re choosing to avoid not only pesticides but GMOs & synthetic fertilizers. And if you choose to eat meat, antibiotics, non-organic feed, and growth hormones fed to animals.
That's a pretty long list of nasties! All of which have been associated with a long list of health issues. If you can’t afford or don’t have access to all organic produce then I recommend following the dirty dozen and clean fifteen lists (you can google this to find produce most exposed to toxins) This will at least will help to reduce your exposure.
3. Invest in a water filter
Tap water is filled with unwanted toxins. Medications, antibiotics, endocrine disruptors all get flushed down the toilet, chemically treated, and then reintroduced in the water supply.
Due to things like pesticide runoff, industrial dumping and leaky storage tanks all sorts of nasties make their way into our tap water. Lead, mercury, PCB’s & chlorine to name a few.
One of the best things you can do is invest in a good quality water filter.
Water filters are a great solution as they remove toxins and greatly improve the taste. Bottled water is not any healthier than tap water and terrible for the environment, especially if it's bottled in plastic!
With regards to which type of filter to buy, do your own research, but always go for the best your budget allows, you can always upgrade over time.
You could also add a filter on your Shower because we absorb all the chemicals and fluoride in the tap water in our shower through our skin. Which leads me to my next point.
4. Choose honest skincare
Studies have shown that indeed much of what we put on our skin is absorbed into our bloodstream. And just because a product is labeled organic or natural doesn't mean that it's free of toxic chemicals.
Always scan the ingredients list and look for transparency when buying from a company. Play detective, check out their website and reviews, and always ask questions. You should be able to understand the ingredients list and if you don't then dig a little deeper.
With Beefriendly for example, its part of their ethos to be natural and beneficial to the planet, you'd never find toxic chemicals lurking in their products.
“Never put ingredients you can't pronounce on your skin”
-Beefriendly skincare
Once you adopt these new lifestyle swaps and create better buying habits, you’ll reduce your exposure moving forward. Work on maintaining a healthy body and mind by taking good care of yourself. Keep your detox pathways clear by living as nature intended. Choose unprocessed whole foods, take regular exercise, spend more time in nature, with good friends & laugh often!
Lisa Horgan
Lisa is a contributing writer for Bee-friendly. A certified holistic health coach, blogger & yoga teacher for 10 years. Passionate about health and wellness, natural remedies and plant-based nutrition. You can find her on Instagram @livesimplylisa
