The human body is an incredible machine. It’s easy to see when you realize the body performs many of its most important processes automatically, without us thinking about it at all. It digests our food, fuels our cells, battles microbes, and filters many chemicals out of the air we breathe and liquids we consume. As our body processes these things, we get life-generating elements like oxygen, water, amino acids, and energy molecules.
But there is a cost.
During these life-giving activities, our body builds up toxic byproducts that can reduce our ability to maintain a healthy, fit body. If left unchecked, this buildup can cause long term health risks. Modern health practitioners are addressing this issue by prescribing foods and an array of natural supplements that work to detox these natural systems. In this article, we’ll discuss the 3 primary detoxification processes and how to keep these systems running optimally.
1. Digestive Detox
The chemicals we take in through the foods and liquids we consume can bog down the effectiveness and efficiency of our digestive system. This is critically important to our health status as digestion breaks down and absorbs the proteins, carbs, fats (macronutrients), vitamins, and minerals (micronutrients) we eat that repair, maintain, and fuel our body. But it’s not all about digestion. This system also eliminates the waste products that must be removed from the body on a regular basis.
The best approach for improving digestive health is to make smarter food choices and incorporate science-backed support nutrients.
Reduce your consumption of processed foods – focus on foods usually found around the perimeter of the grocery store, which are fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and lean meats
Know your fiber intake – processed foods all have one major flaw: the natural fiber has been taken out, which causes bloating, constipation, and wild swings in blood sugar levels
Natural supplements such as Lactobacillus acidophilus, Psyllium Husks, glucomannan, and flax seeds provide friendly gut bacteria and natural fibers that improve digestion and help clean out old toxins
2. Liver Detox
Your liver works in concert with your digestive system to screen out waste products and filter your blood of toxins, such as those found in prescription medications, and when we consume too much salt, sugar, and alcohol. It also helps convert nutrients and amino acids into many of the body’s most important proteins. In fact, the most recent research has shown that the liver, not the spleen, is responsible for removing worn-out red blood cells and maintaining proper iron balance. [1] What many people don’t realize is that…
Your liver has a superpower.
That is, your liver can regenerate itself from physical damage or an overload of the very toxins it is filtering out of your body. It’s a remarkable feat of ingenuity. The same pathways that promote regeneration of the liver protect the liver against damage caused by toxins and viral infections. [2] Because of all this, providing the liver with a well-rounded detoxifying and fortification plan is a great investment.
Here’s how:
Reduce your consumption of alcohol – more than 90% of alcohol is metabolized in your liver
Health authorities recommend limiting alcohol intake to one drink per day for women and two for men
Eat Sulphur rich foods – Sulfur is required to make Glutathione in the liver
Cruciferous veggies like broccoli, plus nuts, eggs, and seeds contain high levels of Sulphur, which help maintain a healthy Sulphur status leading to Glutathione production
Glutathione is the most powerful naturally occurring antioxidant in all human cells and is often referred to as the body’s “master antioxidant.”
3. Cellular Detox
Your body is made up of trillions of cells. These cells work together to perform all the basic functions necessary for us to survive. It is estimated that humans have 200 different types of cells including skin cells, blood cells, muscle cells, and nerve cells, just to name a few. Our cells all have a finite lifespan but have the capacity to be replaced after they die off. The replacement process varies depending on cell type, but we can also improve their performance before they wear out.
As your cells work to create energy, fight off toxins, and defend against illness, free radicals are created. Molecules with unpaired electrons are called free radicals, which means they are not stable and can attack other cells.
Electrons like to be in pairs, so these free radicals search the body to seek out other electrons so they can become a pair. This causes damage to cells, proteins, and DNA. As time goes on, damage caused by free radicals starts to add up, causing what is known as oxidative stress.
Many modern diseases are linked to excess oxidative stress, including heart disease, cancer, diabetes, arthritis, emphysema, and inflammatory disorders.
Think of oxidative stress like your car’s spark plugs getting “dirty” from too much driving between tune-ups. The detox or tune-up for oxidative stress is to…
Increase your antioxidant status
Antioxidants are the reaction your body uses to minimize free radical damage by pairing antioxidants with unpaired electrons before the unpaired electrons attack your cells.
Eat antioxidant-rich foods – antioxidants protect your cells against damage caused by free radicals.
Colorful fruits, berries, and vegetables, plus drinks like coffee and green tea have high antioxidant content
Take glutathione – this is the most powerful naturally occurring antioxidant in all human cells, and is often referred to as the body’s “master antioxidant.”
Supercharging your detoxification systems
Now that you understand how your body’s natural detoxifications work, you can look to supercharge these natural processes. This is where Designs for Health VegeCleanse Plus 14 Day Detox System can provide incredible value.
VegeCleanse Plus™ is a comprehensive, science-based nutritional program designed to support safe and effective detoxification. This is accomplished by providing the nutrients needed to support and balance phase I and II metabolic pathways and to promote healthy liver function and elimination.* Everything is consolidated into packets to make the program easy to follow and to ensure that individuals on the program do not miss any necessary nutrients.
References
Massachusetts General Hospital. (2016, July 18). How the body disposes of red blood cells, recycles iron: Accumulation and removal of aged or damaged cells found to take place mostly in the liver, rather than the spleen. ScienceDaily. Retrieved December 26, 2020 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/07/160718132646.htm
Taub, R. Liver regeneration: from myth to mechanism. Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol 5, 836–847 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrm1489