Purification of the body, perhapsdetoxification

 

Summary of the original article by Sandra Tamm

 

 

 

 

If you search the internet for information about the word pair "body cleansing" (English "detox"), you can find nutritional supplements and beauty drinks, special programs, even vacation packages and products for the skin, all of which allow the body to be easily and effectively cleansed and look several years older than its actual age. younger. However, the fact that the body itself has an excellent cleaning mechanism is overshadowed by all this, we simply "clog" it with the wrong diet and lifestyle. The phrase "cleansing the body" has become part of a marketing phrase under the guise of which various "miracle-working" products are sold.

 

 

What does detoxification mean?

 

Today's lifestyle, which includes high levels of stress, a toxic environment, processed food with lots of synthetic additives, electromagnetic radiation and little exercise, all contribute to the accumulation of toxins in the body and place a heavy burden on the body's ability to cleanse itself.

 

The companies that sell "health products" also rely on all this, and they try to make it clear to us that in order to cleanse the body, it is absolutely necessary to use nutritional supplements or other drinks/superfoods, etc., because otherwise we will not achieve true cleansing. In fact, if we create an environment in the body where all the body's organs can do their work undisturbed, including cleaning work, the body can handle the excretion of various poisons very successfully by itself, because nature has provided all the means for this.

 

The body itself also produces endogenous toxins, which are byproducts of the body's normal biochemical processes, but the body must break them down and get rid of them before they can cause harm. Various poisons in our body produce unwanted bacteria and fungi in the intestine, which, when they reach the bloodstream, spread throughout the body.

 

There is clear evidence that pesticides and other poisons contribute to various diseases such as cancer, metabolic disorders, autoimmune diseases, and mental health disorders. Many poisons are stored in fat cells, where it is more difficult for the body to remove them. Having accumulated in the fat cells, they can cause mild inflammation there.

 

 

How is the body cleansed of toxins?

 

The liver is the main cleansing organ of our body, it can be said that it is responsible for the process where poisons are converted into less harmful components for the body. There are two phases in the liver cleansing process:

 

Phase I - various chemical reactions that make the poisons less active.  

Phase II  - adds water-soluble components that help to successfully remove all toxins from the body.

 

The liver synthesizes glutathione,   the main antioxidant and an important phase II chemical that binds the work done in phase I "together" and prepares the body to expel toxins.

 

Elimination is the next step in the cleansing process, although   it is not often referred to when talking about detoxification. Toxins that have been processed by the liver either pass through the bile ducts into the gallbladder and from there into the intestines to be excreted, or they are passed into the bloodstream and excreted through the kidneys, lungs or skin.

 

The kidneys complement the role of the liver; for example, ammonia, a toxic byproduct of protein metabolism, is broken down in the liver into less harmful compounds called urea, which are quickly removed from the body through the kidneys and excreted in the urine. Endogenous toxins are transported from cells to the bloodstream by the lymphatic system, which also plays an important role in cleansing the body. In order for any cleansing program to be successful, the body's cleansing organs and pathways must function as well as possible and without malfunctions. Not knowing this, and undertaking a program promising complete body cleansing, the consequences can be the opposite if the decomposed toxic compounds accumulated in the bloodstream are not quickly expelled.

 

 

Which menu promotes body cleansing?

 

A menu that would support the body's own cleansing processes should include three main factors:

 

1.   The menu should contain as few "toxic" foods as possible. These are foods that contain either synthetic or natural food ingredients that encourage the body to produce endogenous toxins or encourage the overgrowth of fungi and bacteria.

 

2.    The menu should include nutrients that the body needs to support resting functions in the liver, including glutathione production.

 

3.  The menu should include fresh, preferably organically grown vegetables, which contain phytonutrients (ref. nutrition.ee) and fiber and a sufficient amount of water. Probiotics can also help, which promote the balance of the microflora and reduce the organisms in the intestine that produce toxic products.

 

 

Reduce toxins in your diet

 

By eating organically (organically) grown vegetables, it greatly reduces the risk of ingesting pesticides with food.  By avoiding processed and ready-to-eat products together, it helps us avoid eating various additives such as nitrites and nitrates, which are used a lot in meat products and are associated with some forms of cancer.Carcinogens, which are created, for example, during food processing (including black grilling of meat) and which are also contained in cigarette smoke, increase the first phase of cleansing in the liver, but do not support the work of the second phase.oxidative stress level in the liver, which in turn can lead to DNA  damage.

 

Animal studies have shown that trans fatty acids, found in hydrogenated fats, also cause oxidative stress and are associated with non-alcoholic liver disease. Foods and other factors that destroy the intestinal microflora promote the overgrowth of harmful organisms that begin to produce toxins in the intestine. Sugar, carbohydrates in processed form, milk and meat - they all have the common property of encouraging the growth of unwanted yeast. Antibiotics and other drugs, a high percentage of pesticides, stress and many other factors can throw the body's normal microflora out of balance.

 

 

Support the body's cleansing system

 

A large number of different nutrients are indispensable as cofactors (so-called collaborators) in the liver's cleaning system. For example, B vitamins are necessary in both the first and second phases and help protect the liver from the harmful effects of alcohol.  Amino acids such as methionine, taurine, glutamine and N-acetyl-PH cysteine are important in the second phase reactions. Antioxidants, including vitamins A, C and E, CoQ10 and alpha-lipoic acid, help neutralize free radicals that are produced after the first phase processes. In addition, the minerals selenium, zinc, manganese and copper are the cofactors of antioxidants in the liver.  Many fresh foods (fruits and vegetables) and herbs containphytochemicals, which contribute to the cleansing processes in the liver.

 

Among other things, such foods as:

 

• apples

• asparagus

• beet

• dark colored threads

• broccoli

• garlic

• ginger

• grapes

 

 

 

Promote the excretion of waste products

 

In order for toxins to be effectively removed from the body through the kidneys or large intestine, adequate daily intake of water and fiber is necessary. Psyllium husks, apple pectin and flaxseeds are some examples of foods that are a source of fibers that promote the movement of waste products in the intestine and thus excretion. Fresh vegetable juices also have a beneficial effect - they are also on the menu of almost all cleaning programs. Raw juices contain plenty of enzymes and essential nutrients that are easily absorbed by the body. Probiotics, which promote the elimination of harmful bacteria, can also help.

 

 

Summary

 

Since body cleansing (detoxification) and waste removal from the body is a complex process   for which clinical studies are not easy to do, it is not surprising that the effectiveness of any detox products is questionable.  However, it is clear that the body itself has very complex cleaning and elimination mechanisms, the functioning of which depends on conscious nutrition.

 

Although   the best cleansing programs and products are thoroughly researched and contain elements that support the phases of the body's cleansing process, the ability to cleanse the body still depends on the machinery working. This means that if your daily lifestyle is little movement, the menu is a lot of processed foods, refined foods, sugar, bad fats and few fruits and vegetables, a temporary detox- doing a program or consuming a product with the same yo-yo effect as temporary weight loss diets. Such a way does more harm than good to the body.

 

The best way to support your body's cleansing system is to pay attention to your diet and lifestyle on a daily basis. Add fruits and vegetables to your daily menu, reduce the proportion of processed and sugary foods, drink enough pure water and move more.

 

 

Original article: Hum, Martin"Detox: what it really means","Optimum Nutrition", spring issue 2012