Tag: Detox

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When Should You Detox?

Detoxing is a popular topic with detox drinks, foods, and supplements being found in almost every health food store, but how important is it? Detoxing is actually very important, but many people don’t know when or how they should detox. We encounter hundreds to thousands of different chemicals every day in our air, food, water, beauty products, and workplaces, and helping your body rid itself of those chemicals can make a big difference.

Toxic Burden

Toxic burden refers to the amount of toxins your body is currently dealing with, and everyone’s burden is different. Certain professions that expose you to chemicals – like welding and cosmetology – can increase your toxic burden, as well as the kinds of beauty and cleaning products you use, the water you drink, and the food you eat. Decreasing your toxic burden can make a big difference in your overall health and the way you feel. Start by eating only organic produce to reduce pesticide consumption, and switching to all natural products whenever possible. Switch to natural makeup, soap, and cleaning products by making some things yourself with natural ingredients, and/or buying from a company that’s committed to non-toxic products. Decreasing your toxic burden can benefit your entire body, but it can especially ease the burden on your liver.

Liver Function

The liver plays a role in over 500 critical functions in the body. One of its main functions is to filter the blood and rid it of drugs, alcohol, and other toxins. Keeping your liver healthy and functioning at optimal levels is critical for proper detoxification, but many people have a sluggish liver and most don’t realize it. A sluggish liver usually doesn’t have noticeable symptoms until liver function becomes severely impaired, this is why routine blood work is important because it allows you to see your liver enzyme levels which can show a sluggish liver before symptoms become apparent.

Detoxing

Detoxing is very important, but it needs to be done the right way so you can reap the most benefits. People often need to fix deficiencies like anemia before beginning a detox. You should also take some time to increase your nutrient intake through vitamin and mineral supplements, and organic whole foods before attempting a detox. You want your body to be nourished and strong enough to effectively handle it, especially if it’s an intensive detox protocol.

Most detox protocols usually last from a few days to a few weeks, but some people view it as a way of life. They eat detoxifying foods every day, and may take supplements designed for a mild detox daily. In general, you should complete one to three detoxes per year, with some people needing more or less. Someone who is exposed to more chemicals than the average person may need more per year, or may do better with a mild daily detox. Regardless of the detox you choose to do, you should eat plenty of organic produce, and good quality meats and fats every day.

How to Know You Need to Detox

Fortunately there are some easy ways to know if you need to detox. The most common signs that you need to detox include:

Fatigue and Brain Fog: Low physical and mental energy means something isn’t right. It may be something simple like sleep deprivation, or it could be a sluggish liver. Try getting more sleep and if the problem doesn’t improve, then a detox may improve your energy levels.

Allergies and Digestive Issues: Leaky Gut Syndrome is very common and often overlooked, but it can contribute to the development of several health issues including allergies and autoimmune disorders. If you have frequent heartburn, diarrhea, constipation, bloating, gas, or food or seasonal allergies, you should look into a detox protocol that focuses on gut health.

Hormonal Issues and Stress: The liver plays a critical role in hormone regulation by producing certain hormones, and binding up excess estrogen for excretion. When the liver is not functioning properly, these functions may be reduced, leading to hormonal imbalances and elevated stress levels.

Anxiety, Depression, and Insomnia: Mood disorders are often due to a hormonal imbalance, a gut microbiome imbalance, vitamin and mineral deficiencies, and/or a high toxic burden. Detoxing may help some of these issues by reducing the toxic burden and helping to balance hormones.

Supplements

There are some supplements you can take to help your body detox, especially your liver. We listed the supplements designed for liver detoxification because the liver is so important and almost always needs to be detoxed.

PhytoCore – Contains dandelion root extract, milk thistle seed extract, and other ingredients that may increase the liver’s ability to detoxify. These ingredients work together to aid the liver during Phase 1 and Phase 2 detoxification.

Core Support – Powder designed to help the liver with Phase 2 detoxification. It contains magnesium, rice protein, taurine, l-glutamine, green tea leaf extract, and many other ingredients that may help heal the gut, and help the liver detoxify. Available in French Vanilla or Chocolate.

Detoxing may help you achieve your health goals, but you should listen to your body. Do not do more than your body can handle, and give your body time to get the nutrients it needs to handle a detox. You should also eat only organic produce, and switch to all-natural products whenever possible. Change is possible, but it’s up to you!

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What Diet is Right for You?

The start of a new year is the best time to create healthy habits and break the old, bad habits. Many people are buying gym memberships, joining weight loss programs, and starting a new diet, but not every diet is right for everybody. So, how do you know what diet is right for you? You need to first consider any food allergies you have and work around those, then you need to figure out your individual nutritional needs like protein, fat and carbohydrates. Doing these things and getting your blood work done should make it easier to find the diet that works for you.

Allergies and Nutrition

Food allergies, intolerances and sensitivities are much more common now than they were thirty years ago, and avoiding the foods that cause you issues is very important. Continuing to eat foods that you’re allergic to can cause inflammation, and chronic inflammation may contribute to a wide variety of issues including autoimmune disorders and cancer. So, if you have an allergy or sensitivity to dairy, for example, and you would like to try the Keto Diet, then you need to find safe alternatives to the large amounts of dairy that are typically consumed when following the Keto Diet. Coconut milk, almond milk, and coconut cream are just a few examples of dairy-free options.

Everyone’s genetics and daily routines are different, so you also need to consider your personal nutritional needs. For example, if you lift weights often, and/or have high muscle mass, then you will likely need to eat more protein than the average person. If you struggle with always feeling hungry, you could try a high-fat diet like the Keto Diet because fat keeps you feeling full and satisfied longer than protein and carbs do. However, if you have had your gallbladder removed you should be careful following a high-fat diet as it is harder for your body to digest fats without a gallbladder. You can still eat fat without a gallbladder, but taking digestive enzymes containing ox bile with each meal is crucial. Digestive enzymes containing ox bile – like Ortho Digestzyme – can help provide the extra bile your gallbladder used to be responsible for supplying, and that your body needs to properly digest fat. These are just a few examples of things you should think about before choosing a diet.

Keto

The Ketogenic (Keto) Diet is one of the most popular diets right now, and there are many people committed to following it. There are countless success stories, and it was a miracle diet for some people, but it’s not right for everyone. The main goal of the Keto Diet is to eat high-fat and low-carb foods with a general goal of seventy to eighty percent of your daily calories coming from fat, twenty to twenty-five percent coming from protein, and only five to ten percent coming from carbs. This typically means you’ll be eating less than fifty grams of carbs per day, with some people’s carbohydrate goals being even lower. Although this has already been mentioned, it is important and should be reiterated: If you have had your gallbladder removed you may find the Keto Diet difficult or uncomfortable to follow, this is why taking the proper digestive enzymes is so important. Both Panplex 2-Phase and Ortho Digestzyme contain ox bile and are great for aiding in digestion for those who have their gallbladder and those who don’t.

Vegan and Vegetarian

Vegan and vegetarian diets have helped many people, but we do not advise following these diets for a long period of time. Vegan and vegetarian diets can be good detox diets, giving your body a break from digesting meat which can use up more energy than digesting fruits and vegetables does. Many people have found that these diets made them feel great for the first two to six months, but they then suffered from low-energy, brain fog and weakness. This is likely due to the lack of vitamin B12 which people mostly get through animal products like fish, meat and eggs. It could also be due to insufficient protein or amino acids as it can be difficult to consume enough protein and amino acids on a vegan or vegetarian diet, especially for beginners. So, you could try one of these diets for a month or two to give your digestive system a break, but due to how restrictive these diets are we do not recommend following them for more than two months.

Whole Food

Regardless of what diet you choose to follow, it should be centered around eating whole, natural foods. A Keto Diet high in unhealthy, processed fats like vegetable oils can do more harm than good, or a vegan diet high in packaged, processed foods, even if they’re certified vegan, can be more unhealthy than what you were eating before. So, focus on high-quality fats like olive oil and coconut oil, fresh organic fruits and vegetables, organic grass-fed and free-range meats and eggs, and avoid packaged, processed foods. Many people get hung up on following a specific diet like the Keto Diet or a vegan diet, but it is often easier to simply focus on eating whole, natural foods. Do your best to eat a big serving of organic vegetables with every meal, choose grass-fed/free-range meat and eggs, eat organic fruit for dessert rather than sugary foods, and drink plenty of filtered water.

How Can I Know What I Need?

Fortunately, blood work results can tell us a lot about what’s going on in your body. We can learn about your thyroid function, your digestive health, liver function, kidney function, your immune system, blood sugar problems, heart health, and many others just by reading blood work results. There are many different things that can affect your ability to lose weight, so finding any abnormalities and dealing with them can make losing weight easier. Nutrients typically need to be adjusted to help restore certain organs and functions in your body, so giving your body what it needs can help you feel better and shed the pounds faster.

So, take note of any food allergies, consider your level of physical activity, and get your blood work done. Then, let us help you reach your goals by finding the right supplements and finding what diet would be best suited for your individual needs. Remember to drink plenty of clean water and eat lots of organic fruits and vegetables, regardless of what diet you choose to follow.