Cleansing For Better Health

A new year is here and our thoughts turn to promises and new beginnings. For a lot of people, this includes a promise to lead a healthier lifestyle. Every day we hear about the devastating effects of widespread pollution on our planet’s environment. But how often do we stop to consider its effect on our bodies? We can no longer deny that we are living in a toxic world. The question is what can we do about it?

There are many steps to leading a healthier lifestyle, including eating well, drinking more water, exercising, sleeping regular hours, trying to stay as stress free as possible and to detoxify through cleansing.

Our bodies are amazing machines with organs such as the liver, kidneys and colon that process and eliminate toxins. However, they are not always able to handle the amount of pollutants that we are exposed to on a daily basis. Overexposure to toxins can slow down or harm our body’s systems, including its capacity to detoxify on its own. Over time, this overload destroys health slowly and from deep within the body. By the time you start to see physical symptoms, much of the damage is already done.

When any of the channels of elimination become overwhelmed they cannot function as they should. The body has seven channels of elimination:

• The liver – transforms or detoxifies harmful toxins into substances that can be safely removed from the body.
• The colon – expels toxins from the liver as well as wastes that have accumulated in the intestines.
• The blood – flows through the vascular system and carries oxygen and nutrients to the cells of the body while removing harmful substances.
• The lymphatic system – eliminates toxins from cells through a network of vessels that extend throughout the body. Trampoline jumping is easy on the joints and is a great way to stimulate the lymphatic system.
• The skin – rids waste and toxins through perspiration.
• The lungs – dispel toxins through breathing (ex. carbon dioxide). Deep breathing stimulates lymphatic flow to dispose of toxins.
• The kidneys – receive water-soluble waste from the liver so that they can be further filtered and finally eliminated through the bladder.

Cleansing your body is vital for good health. Herbal cleanses are available from health food stores that can assist your body with toxic removal. There are full-body cleanses that target all seven channels of elimination. Make sure to choose a cleansing kit that does not contain purgative laxatives such as senna or cascara sagrada, as they can be harsh. If you are a first time cleanser choose a gentle 15 day kit such as First Cleanse by Renew Life. If you are looking to do a deeper cleanse or if you are constipated, choose a more advanced 30 day program like CleanseSMART.

As a nutritionist I believe that food is an excellent way to detoxify and stay healthy. Here is a list of healthy foods and I would recommend organic where possible:

Warm water with lemon – Drink warm purified water with lemon juice throughout the day to alkalize your body and cleanse and stimulate your liver and kidneys.

Fresh or frozen fruit – Fruit supplies energy, antioxidants, essential vitamins and minerals, and, is low in calories.

Fresh Vegetables – Good detoxifying vegetables include: artichokes, beets, onions, garlic, broccoli, cauliflower and sprouts. Drink juices made of leafy greens provides chlorophyll which builds up the blood with important nutrients and helps to promotes regularity. Studies have also shown that chlorophyll inhibits cellular damage from radiation. ¹

Raw and Unsalted Nuts and Seeds – It’s easy to incorporate nuts and seeds into your diet because they can be sprinkled over salads or eaten as a snack. Good options include flaxseed, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, almonds, cashews and walnuts. Nut butters are also a great idea. Peanuts and peanut butter are not usually recommended.

Beans – Peas and lentils are most easily digested and you don’t need to soak them as long as other types of beans. Kidney beans, pinto beans, mung beans, garbanzo beans (chickpeas) and adzuki beans are also good options.

Grains – Quinoa, amaranth, millet and buckwheat can be used as an alternative to white rice.

Fibre – Add more fibre to your diet. There are two types of fibre, soluble and insoluble. Soluble fibre absorbs excess cholesterol and toxins and insoluble fibre ‘scours’ the intestinal tract and colon clean. Both types are essential for good health so think of fibre as your daily janitor keeping you clean.

Condiments – Vegetable salt, sea salt, apple cider vinegar, low sodium soy sauce or tamari and all herbs or spices.

Tea – Herbal and green teas.

Other Beverages – Water, lemon water, pure unsweetened fruit and vegetable juices, rice and almond or organic soy milk.

Another thing to make sure you add into your routine is regular exercise. The lymphatic system gathers toxins and during exercise it releases these toxins into the circulatory system where they are processed by the liver and eliminated through the bladder or colon. Exercise also helps you sweat out toxins and release stress. It doesn’t mean you have to hit the gym every day; it could be as simple as a brisk walk 3 times a week for at least 30 minutes to get your heart rate up.

And last but not least, consider dry skin brushing, saunas, steam baths and hot bathtub soaks. The skin is the largest organ of your body and because of its size and area; it actually eliminates more cellular waste through the pores than the colon and kidneys combined.

Prevention is the best medicine; to achieve great long term health, you need to take care of the toxic burden you are carrying. Herbal cleansing twice a year is a great tool but you also need to mind what you eat, drink and expose your body to for your best health.

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1 Chlorophyllin as a protector of mitochondrial membranes against γ-radiation and photosensitization , K. K. Boloor, J. P. Kamat and T. P. A. Devasagayam, Cell Biology Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai 400 085, India, Toxicology¬ Volume 155, Issues 1-3, 30 November 2000, Pages 63-71

Photo Credits:

“Health Food” by Soap Tree @ flickr.com. Creative Commons. Some rights reserved.

Happy Young Woman and Exercising Man Microsoft Office Clipart Collection

Guest Author Bio

Caroline Farquhar, R.H.N., B.A.
For years Caroline suffered with numerous health issues, had chronic digestive problems and was always tired with low energy. Conventional medicine was not helping and that was when Caroline took matters into her own hands. She went back to school, learned as much as she could about how to heal the body naturally and learned that the “best defence is a good offence”. Being healthy is all about prevention of disease and illness. Give the body what it needs to take care of itself naturally and you will not be spending time in a doctor’s office. She is happier and healthier now than when she was in her 20’s.

Specializing in digestive care and cleansing, Caroline has been educating audiences through seminars, TV and radio appearances across the country on the topic of how to achieve better health naturally. Caroline has written and published articles for magazines and websites, has created educational
programs and teaches at the Canadian School of Natural Nutrition.

In addition to being a Registered Holistic Nutritionist, Caroline also holds a Psychology Degree from Carleton University, and:

• Is a regular guest speaker on radio shows across the country
• Frequently lectures across Canada on Digestive Care, Cleansing and Detoxification
• Author of several articles published on-line
• Director of Education for Renew Life Canada
• Taught at the Canadian School of Natural Nutrition

Blog / Website: Renew Life

Caroline’s company on Facebook

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