March 17, 2016

5 Ways to Detoxify Your Diet

Amie Hoffman, RD
Founder and CEO, Wellness Concepts
As a former foodservice director, Amie understands first hand the power nutrition and education have on a happy, healthy workforce. She's proud to provide innovative on-site, customizable and scalable corporate wellness programs for businesses of all sizes and locations.

April marks the beginning of all things green. From green grass to a greener planet, with the celebration of Earth Day on April 22. In this blog post, we share some insights on how you can eat more healthfully and sustainably by reducing your exposure to toxins. First, let's begin with defining what toxins are and why we want to avoid them.

What is a toxin? Any substance that can cause harm to the body.

Why should we avoid toxins? Long-term exposure can lead to sickness and disease.

How does the body detoxify? Your skin is your first barrier of defense against toxins, helping to shield the rest of your body from exposure. It also excretes toxins through sweating, sneezing, coughing, etc. Once a toxin is in your body, it's your liver that will work hard to process and remove it efficiently. However, if the body is overloaded with toxins, the liver can't remove them all and they are recycled back into the body and stored in fat.

5 Ways to Detox Your Diet
1. Eat Antibiotic-Free Meat - Studies have shown animals treated with antibiotics store trace amounts of those antibiotics in their muscle - the meat that we eventually consume. Those same antibiotics that helped treat the animal can actually act as toxins in humans.

2. Consume Hormone-Free Animal Products - On-going research has shown the consumption of animal proteins that have been given hormones has had a negative impact on human health. Various concerns include early onset puberty and certain types of cancers.

3. Look for Grass-Fed Animal Protein - Farm animals' natural, historic diet, is grass-based. Studies show that grass-fed meats and eggs are more nutrient dense as well. When your body has the proper nutrients, it can detoxify more efficiently and effectively.

4. Choose Pesticide-Free - This is, perhaps, the most logical. Pesticides are used to kill animals or weeds that may negatively impact a crop's ability to grow. However, the same components that kill the animals or weeds - if found in food - can also have a negative impact on human health. New studies are showing the link between pesticides and cancer or neurological disorders. Reference this Shopper's Guide to Pesticide in Produce to help eliminate your exposure to pesticides.

5. Select Seafood Carefully - Unfortunately, many of our oceans and other bodies of water are highly polluted. This results in high levels of PCBs (Polychlorinated Biphenyls), dioxins, DDT and mercury found on the fish we eat. PCBs are likely carcinogens and dioxins and DDT are known carcinogens. Mercury is a neurotoxin. Reference this Health Alert List to steer clear of known contaminated fish.

The USDA Certified Organic Seal ensures no GMOS, antibiotics, hormones or pesticides have been used. It does not guarantee grass-fed.

A good resource to use when trying to purchase antibiotic, hormone and pesticide-free products is to look for the USDA Organic Seal on foods. This is a government mandated certification that assures you the following: