12 Functional Nutrition-Based Detox Tips

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These days, it’s challenging to keep one’s toxin load low. After all, we are confronted daily with contaminants in food, water, and air. This is a short list of potential action steps that you can take to help reduce your toxin load through food, cooking, and eating.

1) PLANT FOODS: Eat at least 5-7 servings of colorful fruits and vegetables daily. Plant foods are rich in antioxidants, fiber, and anti-inflammatory nutrients, which can protect against the effects of chemical stressors.

2) MINERALS: Eat mineral-rich (calcium, magnesium, iron, seleniumzinc) foods or with the help of a health practitioner, take a quality mineral supplement. Essential minerals and heavy metals compete with one another. Researchers have suggested that when essential minerals are at adequate levels in the body, there is less uptake of toxic metals.

3) BERRIES: Eat plants containing polyphenolic compounds (raspberry, blueberry, strawberry, grape, etc.) for their ability to protect genetic material from ionizing radiation.

4) BROCCOLI: Add powdered mustard seeds to cooked broccoli to increase the formation of one of the significant detox compounds from cruciferous vegetables, sulforaphane. Broccoli, and other foods, as part of a personalized nutrition plan, provide glutathione support.

5) CILANTRO: Cook cilantro in soup rather than eating it raw to optimize its ability to bind toxins.

6) SPICES: Use spices, especially turmeric and rosemary, when cooking to offset the formation of unhealthy compounds (e.g., heterocyclic amines) that form with heat. Different cooking methods may impact food antioxidant levels.

7) HONEY: Choose organic honey, as it has been shown to help reduce DNA damage from pesticides. Honey offers additional health benefits, such as antioxidant and immune system support.

8) GREENS: Eat greens rich in chlorophyll to bind toxins, preventing their entry into the body.

9) STORAGE: Maximize detox compounds in kale and cabbage by keeping them out of the fridge and exposed to natural light, so they stay in harmony with the cycling of day and night rhythm.

10) COOKING: Use slow, low, and moist cooking methods instead of dry heat methods (e.g., grilling, frying, broiling) to decrease the formation of inflammatory compounds.

11) CONTAINERS: Avoid cans and plastic and replace them with glass containers whenever possible.

12) VITAMIN C: Talk with your health practitioner about needing a vitamin C supplement. Vitamin C may help reduce persistent organic pollutant levels and buffer the body from oxidative stress caused by toxins, not to mention bolster glutathione.

If you plan to incorporate more colorful, plant-based, whole foods into your daily eating or have food allergies or questions about which foods can best support your health goals, talk to your doctor, nutritionist, dietician, or another member of your healthcare team for personal options based on your individual circumstances.

Learn about your toxic barriers and achieve long-term optimal health with the 21-day personalized program in Dr. Deanna Minich’s book Whole Detox.

 

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