Demystifying Detoxes & What To Do Instead
It's the second month of the New Year, and your social feed, news streams, and casual conversations continue to be infiltrated with "New Year, New Me" jargon. Whatever your health goals, the New Year can feel synonymous with dieting and "resetting," which usually leads to resolutions of "detoxes" or "cleanses."
And as a nutrition professional, I'm here to tell you that no matter how many holidays treats you had in December, your body isn't dirty. Extreme detoxes as a kick-starter to dieting or clean eating can often do more harm than good for your overall health and your weight. Plus, our bodies are brilliant — we have multiple systems in play that help clean and detox naturally.
One more time for the folks in the back: juice cleansing, super limiting diets, or extreme fasting are not sustainable or healthy ways to support your body.
However, if you're genuinely committed to a healthier you in 2022, you can integrate small, daily actions into your lifestyle to support gentle detoxification. Because, as best as we try, endocrine disruptors, pesticides, fillers, and chemicals do still find their way into our systems in even the cleanest, greenest households.
Our liver, lymphatic and digestive systems work to clean and maintain our bodies daily. So, a truly nourishing and practical approach to detox is one that gently supports these systems. Meaning small daily actions that you integrate into your lifestyle for an extended period.
Liver
Your liver is part of the digestive system that does a lot of the heavy lifting when it comes to metabolizing and eliminating chemicals, toxins, and nutrients that you don't need. It creates hormones and enzymes necessary for digestion and metabolism and helps digest and convert carbs, protein, and fat into usable energy and nutrients. It does so many things that we might take for granted, but the liver can easily get overloaded by alcohol, processed foods, and medications.
Here are some ways to nourish it and support its natural detoxification processes:
Water, always— Drinking about half your body weight in ounces each day will help your entire system eliminate through the kidneys and digestive system and flush out what you don't need, putting less pressure on the liver.
Food & Herbs— There are phytonutrients in many plants that help modulate the liver's Phase 1 & 2 detoxification processes. A few easily accessible ones are artichoke, watercress, garlic, fresh berries, milk thistle, dandelion (greens and root), ginger, beets, chlorella, avocado, green tea, garlic, grapes, and olive oil.
Lymphatic
The lymphatic system is finally getting the research and attention it deserves lately. The lymphatic system is a network of tissues and organs composed of fluid that help rid the body of toxins, waste, and other unwanted materials. It is part of the circulatory system and a crucial part of the immune system. It helps transfer blood to all parts of the body, circulates nutrients, and assists with waste removal, assisting in detoxification.
Your lymph system can slow down or “clogged up" and show up as fatigue, swollen glands, puffiness, bloating, headaches, food sensitivities, or allergies. But you don't need to fast, smoothie cleanse or do anything drastic for the lymphatic system to do its amazing jobs and help with detoxification.
Support Your Lymphatic System:
Movement— The lymph relies on gentle, light, consistent movements to stay healthy, and it responds well to increased circulation and pressure. Things like dry brushing, castor oil baths, foam rolling, and massage work well to stimulate the lymphatic system. Exercise, especially jumping activities like rebounding, plyometrics, or yoga, also help.
Foods & Herbs— Dandelion, cleavers, and echinacea are all lymph stimulating (or "blood purifying") herbs. And in Ayurveda, red foods such as berries, beets, and pomegranates help promote lymph flow.
Gastrointestinal Support
Your gastrointestinal tract is one of the most obvious ways we detoxify. Healthy bowel movements and a healthy gut are needed for efficient toxin elimination and optimal nutrient absorption. Most nutrients are absorbed in the small intestine, and a healthy colon helps us eliminate toxins that have been filtered through the liver via bowel movements.
Certain food irritants, viruses, and general dysbiosis can cause the gut to struggle with the elimination and nutrient absorption, causing a domino effect on our health. By keeping your GI tract in a constant healthy and balanced state, you can keep things moving along.
Fiber — After your liver has done its work, it's important to ensure your body effectively eliminates the waste. Fiber is an essential piece to the puzzle of proper elimination as it binds to toxins and helps move them out of the body through the gastrointestinal tract.
Probiotics — When your gut microbiome, or the community of bacteria living in your GI tract, is healthy, the function of your digestive system is also healthy. Taking a high-quality probiotic supplement and adding in fermented foods like kimchi, miso, yogurt, and sauerkraut can help ensure you're adding enough good bacteria to your system.
There are, of course, many other daily activities you can add into your routine to help gently encourage detoxification, like daily walks, breathwork, sweating regularly, and getting quality sleep. What's important is that you find something you enjoy and stick to it!
About the Author
Jessica Gilbreath is a Functional Nutritionist and Herbalist — her practice weaves evidence-based nutrition therapy and holistic wellness strategies to help people navigate the many roads to optimal health. She currently works with clients on food relationship, Endocrine disorders, GI conditions, and intuitive eating. Connect with her on Instagram or here.
