Every year, around this time, we start to hear about how we should be “cleansing” and starting the new season fresh. For most of us, the word cleanse has some pretty scary connotations. But it doesn’t have to be that way!
Cleansing isn’t only about fasting or consuming nothing but kale juice for a week straight. Cleansing means making changes to your diet to remove the foods and products that are detrimental to your health.
If you’ve been dealing with any of the following symptoms, it might be time to clean up your habits:
• feeling fatigued even though you slept 8 hours
• not sleeping well, insomnia
• dealing with indigestion, bloating, or gas
• less than ideal eating habits (your idea of dinner is swinging through the drive through)
• constipation (see above)
• skin issues like eczema, acne, dullness, etc.
• excess weight gain
• poor focus and mental clarity
Toxins bombard our bodies all day long, from our food, our beauty products, the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the products we use in every facet of our lives. Even our furniture is covered is toxic chemicals (dyes, flame retardants, Formaldehyde, VOCs, etc)!
The number of toxins we’re exposed to every day has increased exponentially in just the last hundred years. Our bodies are toxin-fighting machines, but there is no way that we can keep up with that kind of toxic load. Don’t fear though, there are very easy ways to remedy this! Just follow these simple steps:
1. Clean Up Your Diet
This is one of the easiest ways to cleanse and probably the one that you’ll see the most immediate results from. If you eat processed foods, you’re eating a plethora of preservatives, artificial colouring, artificial flavour, GMO’s, hormones, and pesticides.
The easiest way to avoid toxins in our food is to:
• Eat whole foods
(fruit, vegetables, beans, legumes, grains, nuts, seeds)
• Buy organic
(to avoid pesticides and GMOs)
• Ditch the dairy
(this is the culprit responsible for allergies, skin issues, fatigue, some cancers, and mucous formation)
• Kick processed sugar to the curb
(found in almost all processed foods, processed sugar causes spikes in blood sugar, mood swings, and promotes disease causing bacteria in your gut)
• Remove caffeine
(this is a stimulant that can overload your adrenal system over time)
• Take a break from alcohol
(taxes the liver and feeds disease causing bacteria in the gut)
2. Get Rid of Toxic Personal Care/Beauty Products
The Environmental Working Group found that the average person uses 9 different personal care products each day, and more than a quarter of all women use at least 15 products daily! If you’re not buying clean products, that’s a lot of toxins being absorbed by the body’s biggest organ - your skin.
The standard, big name products you find in the drug store, grocery stores, and specialty makeup stores are full of toxic chemicals that cause cancer, impaired fertility, developmental issues in babies, hormone disruption, and neurological problems, to name just a few.
Look for products at health food stores, online, or in the Natural Food aisle at your grocery store. And remember to always read the labels if you’re unsure. Also, a quick note regarding animal testing of products… if the product doesn’t clearly state “not tested on animals”, then it most definitely is.
Wondering what the toxic load of your shampoo or fabric softener is?
Check out the Environmental Working Group’s online product database.
3. Filter Your Water
Home water filter systems can reduce or remove many harmful contaminants such as pharmaceuticals, chlorine, fluoride, lead, benzene, MTBE, chloramines, and PCBs.
There are many water filtration options on the market that will fit any budget. From large-scale whole home water systems, to under the counter tap filters, to in the fridge water pitchers, to portable personal drinking bottles. There are different types of systems so do a bit of research to decide which one is best for you needs. There are three types to choose from: distillation, reverse osmosis, and carbon filtering.
4. Decrease Your Stress Levels
This one sounds a lot easier said than done. But even small efforts to reduce your stress levels will make a difference to your overall health. Try meditation. There are lots of free online programs and apps to follow along with that only require 10 minutes a day.
Getting stressed out by the company you keep? Try to limit time spent with people who push your buttons and instead spent more time with the people who lift your spirits. Spending time with animals is also a huge stress reliever. No pets? No problem! Offer to walk your neighbour’s dog or cat sit for a friend.
Remember, a lot of little changes day to day can add up to a huge impact on your overall health. So start your Spring Cleaning today!