Posted by admin | Posted in Uncategorized | Posted on 03-08-2010
Tags: australia, baby, design, kids, organic baby gifts australia, shopping
How to Rid Your Body of Toxins in Five Easy Steps
Toxins build up in our bodies over a period of years, and is caused by neglect and/or ignorance and compounded by several factors:
- poor food choices, e.g. a diet high in refined and processed foods, sugar and saturated fats
- exposure to harmful chemicals found in our water, air and the personal care products we use such as shampoo, face cream, cosmetics, nail polish
- lack of fresh air, sunshine and exercise
- a sluggish digestive system which fails to remove toxins properly and allows them to continue poisoning the rest of the body
- overuse of antibiotics in medication
So what can you and I do to help ourselves feel better without resorting to doctors and drugs?
I believe detoxification is only effective if it addresses all the above root causes.
What Are You Feeding Your Body?
Let’s begin with what we choose to put in our bodies.
In affluent Western cultures, we eat too much junk food, refined and processed food, dairy and food high in sugar, salt and unhealthy fats, and not enough whole foods, living foods and fresh fruit and vegetables.
I recently heard a nutritional expert refer to supermarket food as food that is “lying in state”. In other words, it is dead food, devoid of nutrition. Between the time that food started out in its natural state and the time it hits our shopping trolleys, a lot has happened. Most of the nutrients and natural goodness have been processed out of the food with the addition of pesticides, preservatives, additives, emulsifiers and colorings. It is no longer the ripe, juicy apple or fresh cut of steak that it was, no matter what the advertisement or product label says.
Are there healthier alternatives?
Definitely.
If you have the option, go organic.
“Organic” has lost some of its cache because of greenwashing by some unethical parties. Used correctly, it is meant to refer to a way of living and food production that takes into account how food is grown, prepared, stored, processed, packaged and distributed.
Organic farmers use natural methods of sowing, tilling and gathering that are respectful of Nature and do not involve harmful pesticides or GMOs. It is about going back to the way our grandparents and great-grandparents lived, before the Chemical Revolution took hold and cancer became the widespread reality that it is today.
To be certain that what you are paying for is truly organic, look for the Certified Organic logo on the company’s products. In Australia, there are several certifying organizations that accredit businesses and products that want to adhere to the organic philosophy: ACO (Australian Certified Organic), BFA (Biological Farmers of Australia) and BDAAA (Biodynamic Agricultural Association of Australia).
A quick search on Google or Yahoo! will unearth businesses that specialize in selling organic and biodynamic food in Australia.
What Are You Putting On Your Skin?
A lot of what we use on our skin daily contains harmful chemicals. If you look at any store-bought shampoo, you often see paraben preservatives (look for the long word that ends with ‘paraben’, such as methylparaben, ethylparaben, propylparaben), SLS, SLES. These are toxic chemicals that have been found to be linked to cancer and reproductive issues. You will also often see a Warning or Poison sign on the product label that tells you to keep children away from the product and not to let the substance come in contact with your eyes. That gives you an idea of how harsh the ingredients in your personal care products can be, contrary to the product advertising that may claim the product is safe and gentle enough for babies and children.
What it’s important to remember when you go shopping is not to buy solely because of price (sale), image (celebrity endorsed) or claimed efficacy (“this will take years off your face!”). Of course we want to pay as little as possible and we want a hair product that smells good and works as it should, but not if it means adding more toxins to our scalp and hair, which then get absorbed through the skin into our bloodstream and our bodies.
Toxins can take years to build up to the point where they manifest as physical illness, and every decision and product choice takes us towards or away from the spectre of disease.
The acid test of safe product use is to check the ingredient label, to know what ingredients are harmful to health, and to go for products with the Certified Organic label. Constant vigilance and education is the key. There is a lot more demand for organic products now as consumers become more educated about their health, which means you enjoy healthier options at affordable prices.
Get Active
With the stress of holding down a job or caring for young children, it is easy to say we have no time to exercise. Getting enough physical activity is not hard. Keep the car at home and walk to the shops. Take up a gym membership if you like working out with others. Have an exercise buddy; when you have someone to account to, you are more likely to achieve your fitness goals. Take the kids out to the beach or park on the weekend. In a place like Australia, known for its natural beauty and outdoor attractions, you don’t have to go far to find one or the other.
Clean Out Your Gut, And Keep It Clean
Good digestive health starts with including lots of fibre in your diet. Most people don’t eat enough fresh fruit and vegetables, and even the recommended daily serving that health authorities suggest is only a minimum, not the optimum amount that we need. This is why we need to supplement with high quality nutritional supplements, particularly probiotic supplements that encourage the growth of good bacteria in the gut and restore the balance of good/bad bacteria that enables good health.
Don’t Overdo The Antibiotics
Antibiotics are the great modern medical convenience. The doctors prescribe it, we expect it. Over-reliance on antibiotics kills the good bacteria in the body and lowers our immune system, making us more vulnerable to future illness.
To counter this, avoid taking antibiotics as preventive medicine and don’t go that route unless your condition absolutely requires it. Studies have shown that antibiotics do not help you to recover from flu any quicker than if you didn’t have them.
And when you’ve completed the dose ordered by the doctor, replenish your body’s store of good bacteria by taking a good quality probiotic supplement.
These are just five ways to start taking back control of your health so that you have more healthy, productive years to live and enjoy your life.
Serena Tan believes that modern lifestyle diseases can be minimized and prevented through education and action, one person and one family at a time.
Through her website http://www.Inner-Cleanse.com, Serena offers healthy gift ideas suitable for young and old and people with sensitive skin, inexpensive solutions for safer skincare and makeup, and practical tips on how to read ingredient labels when you go shopping.
About the Author
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