Our bodies are amazing, aren’t they? Have you ever just taken a moment to think about all the fabulous things our bodies do for us? Especially when we make it a point to keep it well taken care of. One of those awe-inspiring functions is its ability to remove toxins from our system and protect us from illness. Just think about that for a moment. Our bodies are self-cleansing and self-detoxifying! So how is this all possible and what can we do to help support it?

Toxins

Let’s start by breaking it down. What exactly is a toxin? They are harmful substances that can damage your body after one exposure or repeated exposure over a certain period of time. And whether we like it or not, we’re all exposed to low-levels of toxins every day. Even inside your own home. Unfortunately, even these low-level exposures take their toll on our health. Health issues such as memory loss and migraines can be attributed to toxic heavy metals, which attack our brain cells. Neurodevelopmental disorders, including learning disabilities, have been linked to various chemicals and pesticides as well.

While our bodies do have a way of cleansing and detoxing, there are still many toxins out there we just can’t break down easily. These particular toxins end up being stored in our fat tissue and eventually sneak into our bloodstream. From there, they’re able to do their damage on areas including:

• Brain
• Heart
• Lungs
• Eyes
• Stomach
• Sexual organs
• Liver

What Are the Signs?

Wondering if you’re in need of a detox? You know your body best so pay attention to signs that may be pointing to your body asking for your support. There are many signs ranging from subtle to more severe, including:

• Skin irritation
• Bloating
• Menstrual issues
• Allergies
• Fatigue that can’t be easily explained
• Low grade infection
• Puffiness, dark circles, or bags under your eyes
• Cognitive changes such as confusion

A Self-Cleansing Body

When your body goes through a detox, it is cleaning your blood by removing various toxins and impurities. Toxins are removed from all areas of your body, including:

• Kidneys
• Liver
• Intestines
• Skin
• Lymphatic system
• Lungs

The Importance of Gut Health

You’ve heard me say over and over how important it is to keep your gut happy and healthy. Let me remind you that gut health is directly related to the health and proper functioning of your entire body. Making your gut health a priority can help reduce the risk of an ongoing list of additional health issues.

Not only that, gut health is also linked to the cleansing and detox functions of your body. A happy gut means protection for your entire digestive system, including your oh-so-important liver. Your liver is responsible for preventing food toxins from reaching your bloodstream by acting as a filter. It has the ability to take in your bacteria and toxin-filled blood, cleanse it, and send it back out. Keeping your liver in good shape also supports its role in storing vitamins, producing bile, and digesting fats. But that’s not the only vital role your digestive system plays. Let’s take a look at how all of these are intertwined. 

The Role of a Happy Gut

When we have poor gut health, waste and other unwanted substances can actually be reabsorbed back into our system. Yuck. Not only does this increase the risk of toxins wreaking havoc in our bodies, but it also puts undue strain on our organs. They’re already working overtime to keep our toxin levels low, so why add poor gut health to the load?

A well cared for gut helps the natural cleansing process in ways you may not realize. For instance, when the inner wall muscles of our intestines are healthy, they are able to relax. This allows food to be moved through the intestine without trouble. You’ll also be supporting the health and functioning of your kidneys. They act as a constant filter for your blood and flush out toxins through your urine. When there are no tears in your digestive system for food to escape through, you are not at risk for the added toxins caused by leaky gut. Similarly, the health of your gut makes for a strong stomach lining. It is then able to protect itself from potential damage by gastric acid. When your gallbladder is stimulated to produce and release bile, it will help flush cholesterol and toxins to your colon. A healthy colon is vital since it is responsible for the removal of those toxins.

Signs of Poor Gut Health and an Overworked System

Even if you feel you’re doing everything you can to stay healthy and fit, your body still needs your help. Your organs are constantly working overtime to detox and provide natural cleansing. As your organs become burdened and overworked, there are several symptoms you may notice and should pay close attention to, including:

• Bloating
• Fatigue
• Muscle aches and pains
• Digestive issues

If these issues are left and untreated, you could be leaving yourself vulnerable to more serious health problems. Take your gut health and exposure to toxins seriously.

So, What Can You Do?

Try committing to a lifestyle change that will benefit your health while supporting your body’s cleansing abilities. Here are five fabulous ways to get started:

1. Choose foods that help support your body through the natural detox and cleansing process. Contrary to what some people think, they are definitely certain foods with the ability to heal your body and remove impurities, while also improving your gut health. Let’s take a look at some of my favorite go-to foods:

• Beets are known to help keep your liver strong and healthy. They provide support your liver needs and help get rid of your body’s toxins.
• Collard greens are full of calcium. Adding foods rich in calcium can help protect your body against toxins such as lead.
• Garlic and onions support the detox and cleansing process by making the antioxidant glutathione. Extremely rich in sulfur, this antioxidant is crucial because it will latch onto toxins in your body and carry them out. It is particularly helpful in flushing out heavy-metals and protecting your kidneys against damage.
• Peas and Spinach, along with other foods high in vitamin B1, help rid your body of lead by reducing its ability to absorb this horrible toxin
• Lemons are a great example of a food that can help flush out impurities. Lemon juice is known to stimulate your liver for this very purpose. Lemons also contain vitamin C, which helps produce glutathione.
• Water, water, and more water! Drinking plenty of water each day helps eliminate waste and keeps all systems functioning properly. Pretty simple way to detox, right? It also supports healthy kidney and bowel functions. Drop in a wedge of lemon and your body will love you for it.

Quick tip: Be sure to drink filtered water to help cut down on your exposure to impurities.

2. Limit your exposure to pesticides by eating organic foods. We know we can’t avoid all toxins we are exposed to on a daily basis. However, we can make conscious choices that help reduce extra exposure, so why not choose to put our health first? There are so many hazardous chemicals, additives, artificial colors and flavoring, and even dangerous packaging materials out there. Going organic is one huge step in the right direction.

3. Exercise regularly to help rid your body of those toxins! On top of the many other amazing benefits of adding physical activity to your routine, exercise will help eliminate unwanted waste from your system. Adding thirty minutes to an hour each day can help you strengthen, tone, shed pounds, increase mood, boost energy and flush your system. In fact, what if I told you that exercise will even help speed up the cleansing and detox process? Here’s how it works:

4. Get your rest! You may not realize this, but sleep is an important part of detox. Establishing regular sleep patterns has been linked to detoxing your brain. In fact, research has shown that waste is removed from your brain during the hours of sleep. This brain detoxification is known as the glymphatic system. When you deprive your body of enough sleep, toxins begin to build up as your glymphatic system becomes less effective. Some of these toxins and waste that build up in your brain are believed to be linked to various brain diseases, including Alzheimer’s. Great reasons to make sure you’re getting your beauty sleep.

5. Take care of your gut! I just can’t stress this one enough. In order to keep your body working and running smoothly, you’ve got to make a conscious effort to do right by your gut. You can support gut health easily with the food choices you make. And what do you always hear me rave about when it comes to gut health?

Bone broth and collagen!

Yes, it’s really that simple! Adding bone broth and plenty of collagen to your daily routine is a quick and easy way to get your system back on the road to wellness and warding off toxins. Not only will you strengthen the systems at work that protect your body from harmful toxins, you’ll be creating a strong defense against additional health issues.  Other major benefits from adding collagen-rich bone broth to your daily diet include:

• Radiant, youthful skin tone, thanks to collagen
• Improve your skin’s firmness and elasticity
• Reduce fine lines and wrinkles
• Strengthen your hair and nails
• Shed unwanted pounds
• Improve your muscle tone
• Reduce your risk of heart disease
• Reduce your risk of certain cancers
• Reduce inflammation

And the list goes on! Bone broth is packed full of vitamins, nutrients, and collagen; all necessary to keep your gut happy. And the amazing bonuses the skin gets from collagen are just too good to pass up.

Cleansing Made Easy

By making bone broth and collagen part of your health routine, you can also support your body’s cleansing abilities by incorporating an intermittent fast. While you may be thinking fasts are not for everyone, you might change your mind in a moment. With my intermittent plan, you’ll choose two days a week to fast, while sipping on six tasty cups of collagen-filled bone broth throughout the day. Don’t worry, it’s so filling that you won’t have the unwanted headaches or feelings of constant hunger and cravings. Giving your body this simple cleansing boost will help you detox, while increasing your energy levels, improving gut health, and elevating your mood. I even have a collection of my favorite bone broth and collagen recipes ready for you to try out!

Remember that list of healthy, cleansing foods you read about earlier? I have a recipe loaded with collagen and greens to help you detox while feeling full and satisfied. With a ton of added veggies, extra fats, and fiber to fill you up, you’ll breeze through your fasting days and come out feeling fantastic! Not to mention, looking fantastic from all that collagen your body will be rewarding you for.

Here’s what you’ll need for my Spicy Bone Broth with Greens recipe:

Prep Time: 10 min

Cook Time: 10 to 15 min

Yield: 1 quart or 4, 8-ounce cups 

Ingredients:

• 4 ½ cups bone broth
• 1-inch knob fresh ginger, sliced
• 1 clove garlic, smashed
• Pinch of cayenne
• Pinch of cumin
• ½ teaspoon ground turmeric, to taste
• 2 or 3 black peppercorns
• Pinch ground cardamom, optional
• 2 cups chopped dark leafy greens – I like to use dandelion greens, spinach, chard, or kale
• Celtic or Pink Himalayan salt, use after serving

Directions: Add all your ingredients, except the greens, to a large pot and barely simmer for 10 to15 minutes. Strain the solids in a fine mesh strainer. Add the chosen greens to your bone broth and let it sit covered.

For tender greens such as spinach, let it sit for 10 minutes. For more fibrous greens such as kale, let it barely simmer in the bone broth for 10 to 15 minutes.

Let’s not waste any more time. Start implementing these five fabulous tips today and help support your body’s efforts. Get started with these amazing bone broth and collagen recipes now!

Keep thinking Big and living BOLD!