#25 Detoxing
life is hard, food doesn't have to be [vol1, 10.2]
Ten days ago I tripped carrying a large box. After stumbling, I crashed against the garage wall. The box went into my stomach, breaking 2 ribs and puncturing a lung.
Needless to say I have been on pain medications. And meals brought to me! Now that I’m feeling better my thoughts are turning towards detox.
What does it mean to detox?
The idea is familiar: to clean up that which is soiled. My liver has been taxed with the use of ibuprofen and muscle relaxers.
In our modern world, we are inundated with toxins -- not just prescription and OTC drugs. But also cell phone usage as well as radiation from x-rays can be harmful to the body. Fragrances in candles, air fresheners, fabric softeners, even soaps and shampoos can be toxic. The foods we eat are sometimes less than helpful to our body (preservatives, GMOs, etc.) Women, especially, carry high toxin loads because we typically use more beauty products on our skin. And then there are household cleaners...
Words to look for and eliminate in your beauty and cleaning products:
phthalates, parabens, fragrance, retinol, sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS).
How does the body detox?
The body naturally detoxes impurities from the blood through the kidneys, intestines, lungs, lymphatic system, and skin.
Think of your body as a manufacturing plant with chimneys. The chimneys (kidneys, intestines, lungs, lymphatic system, and skin) are allowing toxic waste to escape. If one of the chimneys stops working or slows, this applies greater pressure to the other chimneys to work. When one slows or stops working (like being constipated or stuffy nose), the other chimneys must work harder. Likely that not all impurities are being eliminated.
This is when we become sicker: when the toxins remain in our bodies.
Here are some things I’m doing to give my body a little boost:
Increasing probiotic intake. Fermented foods are my first choice. Traditionally made sauerkraut, kombucha and kefir have been daily in my mouth. Kefir is especially powerful as it survives to the end of the digestive system and can even colonize in the gut. Kefir is the one thing that keeps my bowels moving (sorry/not sorry if that’s too much information!)
Epsom salt baths not only feel good on sore muscles but are helpful for pulling impurities from the skin.
Charcoal is another detoxing powerhouse. You can take it in capsule form, if you have eaten something that isn’t sitting right. I’ve used it as a face mask and even on a wasp sting.
Beet kvass is a traditional tonic made from beets, salt and water. It is a remedy that activates liver enzymes and increases bile which in turn increases the liver’s natural detox function. I made some this summer and was set to make more...before I fell.
Staying hydrated! I’m chronically under hydrated and have tried to drink more this week so my body can easily flush out toxins.
Fresh air and sunshine when I can be outside. This is the time of year Arkansans are rewarded for enduring summer.
Dry brushing before showering. There are special (soft) brushes you buy for this purpose. The idea is to gently brush the skin towards the heart and this stimulates the lymphatic system for greater immunity. I didn’t realize until I looked it up - we have 500 to 600 lymph nodes in the body! Dry brushing will exfoliate dry skin in winter but also increase circulation (which seems to give me a boost of energy. I brush slower and more gently at night than in the morning.) People who dry brush regularly swear by it.
What am I missing? I’d love to hear ways you detox.
Inspiration
Enjoying this book from the library = Cook Once, Eat All Week: 26 Weeks of Gluten-Free, Affordable Meal Prep to Preserve Your Time & Sanity
Did you know you can roast frozen veggies?
Jamie’s Spice Mix is one of my fav’s - easy to mix up, and we use it on everything from eggs, to veggies and even meat. I usually omit the lemon zest.
Have a great weekend.
Julie
PS - If this letter was helpful to you, please forward it to a friend.