Approachable Nutrition™

” The First Wealth is Health”
-Ralph Waldo Emerson

The change of seasons and the warmer weather affects our bodies. More energy is required for our bodies during this time of year as we move out of winter sluggishness into spring activities. You may be feeling symptoms of toxic overload and the need to detoxify. Detoxification is a normal body process of cleaning, eliminating or neutralizing toxins through our major detoxification pathways - colon, liver, kidney, lungs, lymph and skin. Our bodies are well designed to eliminate toxins, but there are things we can do to help deal with the overload present in today’s environment.

Detoxification is how our bodies heal. It is an internal cleansing process that takes place continuously. The ability to detoxify and eliminate toxins largely determines an individual’s health status.

Why Detoxify?

Toxins - The assault of toxic sources demands, more than ever, that we consider detoxifying our bodies. We are exposed to a myriad of foreign chemicals on a daily basis. Some chemicals are commercially synthesized and naturally occurring in our environment. In today’s world, organs that were once capable of cleaning toxic matter are now overloaded. This leads to the inability to completely rid our tissues of unwanted substances. Some sources of toxic substances that are harmful to our bodies:

• Food additives, food dyes, solvents (cleaning products), pesticides, herbicides, residues from medicines, heavy metal toxicity, stress, industrial chemicals, toxic metabolite accumulation.

As our bodies become overloaded, we become increasingly sensitive to other chemicals.

The Detoxification Process

The liver is the major organ for detoxification, referred to as the detoxification powerhouse. Detoxification is controlled by two basic systems in the liver called Phase1 and 2. These important processes are affected by the quality of the diet and specific nutritive substances.

Process of Elimination

Toxins are eliminated during detoxification in many ways:

LIVER

• The liver binds toxins, making them water-soluble and ready to be excreted.

• Healthy function - liver toxins are transformed in Phase 1 to an intermediate substance.

• Unhealthy function - In phase 1 toxins are not completely detoxified.

• The water - soluble substance is excreted via the urine.

COLON (LARGE INTESTINE)

• The liver sends waste through the bile into the intestines to be eliminated.

KIDNEY

• The intermediate substance is then transformed in Phase 2 to a more water-soluble substance and released to the kidney.

LYMPHATICS (LYMPH CHANNELS AND LYMPH NODES)

• Some toxins are removed through the lymph (lymph glands swell if too many toxins are present).

• Exercise increases lymph circulation.

LUNGS

• Aids in the detoxification response by expelling metabolic waste that build up in basic metabolic functions.

• Toxic substances such as carbon dioxide are removed from the blood and expelled through the breath.

SKIN

• Routes of elimination are through sweat, tears and the sebaceous glands (oil-secreting glands).

BLOOD

• The blood carries toxins to the detox pathways for elimination or back to the cells for storage if the body cannot eliminate the toxins effectively.

Cleansing requires specific dietary restrictions, during the cleansing process it is best to follow the list of foods to eat and to avoid.

FOODS TO EAT AND AVOID DURING CLEANSING

Foods to Avoid

• Any allergenic foods (such as corn, peanuts, wheat)
• Artificial sweeteners
• Refined foods/refined sugar
• Dairy (milk, cheese, yogurt, butter), eggs, margarine, and shortening
• Foods containing gluten cereals like wheat, oats, rye, barley - found in breads, pasta and many packaged foods
• Foods containing artificial flavorings, colorings and preservatives
• Alcohol/Caffeine/Tobacco (can interfere with proper detoxification process)
• Soy or products made from soy
• Beef, pork, deli meats, bacon, hotdogs, canned meat, sausage, shellfish
• Avoid overeating
• Excess fat

Foods to Eat

• Drink plenty of filtered water (8-10 glasses per day), herbal teas (such as chamomile and ginger), green tea, fruit juices with no sugar added, vegetable juices
• A diet of easily digestible, hypoallergenic, seasonal, organic foods
• Emphasize fruits, vegetables, leafy greens, sea vegetables, and beans all of which contain good fiber
  • Emphasis on cruciferous vegetables such as:
    • broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower

• Easily digestible grains
  • Quinoa, amaranth, millet and brown rice

• Consume grain food made from rice, millet, quinoa, buckwheat, amaranth
• Green powders - super foods supplements, great to use when you do not eat enough green leafy vegetables
• Fresh fruits and vegetables
• Consume mainly fish and moderate amounts of poultry and turkey
• Use olive oil, canola oil and flax seed oil
• For extra protein support - protein powders
• Homemade broths and fresh juices are great during a cleanse
• Nut butters (almond, cashew) (avoid peanut butter)
• Nuts (avoid peanuts) and seeds (high fat content - go easy)
• Rice cakes and crackers
• Omega 3 fatty acid
  • Flax oil
  • Fish oil

There is a chart, in the Charts and Tools Section of this blog, which offer a list of Foods to Support Liver Detoxification. It was part of the original email. Please click here to go to that chart now.

Whenever starting a detoxification program, it is best to consult with a health care professional familiar with detoxification programs.

To schedule a FREE half-hour consultation with Janeen please send an email

Janeen Goldsmith is a Certified Nutrition Therapist who specializes in working with people who have MS or other autoimmune conditions and who are seeking additional health support along with traditional therapies. Her practice is based on the principle that because everyone is different, each person’s nutrition program should specifically fit his or her lifestyle and preferences. Janeen’s goal is to help people eat better to feel better. She meets with individual clients in person, email and/or by phone. She also shares her knowledge through public speaking and teaching cooking skills to local Colorado residents.

Thank you for reading this article, which is part of Approachable Nutrition’s Get Healthy Newsletter (from Janeen Goldsmith, Nutrition Therapy for Multiple Sclerosis). I value your interest and support. If you are not on the mailing list to receive notification of these feature articles, please sign up here. Also know that I never sell your personal information to any third party. And, it is always easy to unsubscribe from email newsletters or change your email address: you can do that right from the bottom of any newsletter. If you have feedback, suggestions, or questions about my newsletter or practice please send me a private note through my contact form.

References:

Bennett, Peter, N.D., and Barrie, Stephen, N.D., 7-Day Detox Miracle, Prima Publishing, 2001.

Bland, Jeffrey, Ph.D., The 20-Day Rejuvenation Diet Program, Keats Publishing, Inc., New Canaan, Connecticut, 1997.

HealthQuest, Inc., 1998-2004.

Murray, Michael, N.D., and Pizzorno, Joseph, N.D., Encyclopedia of Natural Medicine, Three Rivers Press, New York, 1998, p.104-125.

Page, Linda, N.D., Ph.D., Detoxification, Traditional Wisdom, Inc., Carmel Valley, CA., 2003.

Percival, Mark Dr., ANSR-APPLIED NUTRITIONAL SCIENCE REPORTS, Advanced Nutrition Publications, Inc., 1997.

Wagner, D. Leda, BA, NE, Eating for Rejuvenation.