So many of us walk around day to day with toxic buildup limiting how we feel and what we can do. Here are some ways that we can begin to eliminate these poisons, and return to full capacity.
The Importance of Water
There are some very simple things one can do to reduce or even eliminate “inflammation” – the most important being, what you drink and what you eat. Drink lots of water every day – not citified (municipal) tap water with all the chemical neurotoxins, including fluoride (which is added and you pay for, by the way) and other peoples’ drugs, E. coli, etc., but clean, clear water – filter it yourself or buy bottled spring water (which can also contain many contaminants, so, be careful!). But drink more CLEAN water – flush out those vital organs, every day. Stay properly hydrated – every day.
Many health issues today are the result of dehydration, believe it, or not!
If nothing else, keep a “Life Straw” on you, so you always drink clean water, wherever you may be. Don’t worry about looking silly, worry about being sick (or, avoiding it, in this case). To avoid passing illnesses, have one LifeStraw for each member of your “party”, if possible. Or, a Sawyer Squeeze Filter might be a good choice for transport.
Get a good large-volume filter system; it doesn’t have to be expensive; a ceramic filter works well, but it’s very slow. If you build it yourself, it’s relatively cheap. Don’t think you’ll filter by the minute with one of these. Those cheap things that attach to your faucet or have a pitcher? Don’t waste your money or your time. Sawyer also makes “big” filters, that are well thought of, in general.
Eliminate all sodas
Maybe later you can have one on a rare occasion as a special treat, but it should be very rarely. (Side note: I actually had a stomach ulcer heal up when I stopped consuming my favorite drink, “Coca-Cola”!). The same Coca-Cola I use to soak and degrease and de-rust my cast iron when it needs it!
Other ways to naturally detox your body include:
Garlic
One of the most potent foods you can consume to get healthy and stay healthy for many reasons, not the least of which is that it builds the autoimmune system AND is an excellent detox agent;
Ginger
Ginger is another good anti-inflammatory; if you’ve never tried FRESH ginger (slice and eat from the tuber), you’ve never had GOOD ginger, IMHO! It’s like “candy”, only healthy!
Turmeric
This powerhouse can’t be overstated for many benefits, including anti-inflammatory and healing properties. You might want to do some reading on this natural herb; its abilities may surprise you!
Omega 3 Oils
These lubricate the vital organs, including the intestines, and help “clear” things out with minimal stress to the system; Omega 3 oils also reduce inflammation in the kidneys; when the kidneys become inflamed, the body cannot detox itself properly. Krill Oil is considered the best, but it’s very expensive. Not all “fish oil” is good; much of it is rancid before you ever buy it. Do a little research and read your labels carefully.
Bentonite Clay Powder
This is a natural substance (it is really just finely powdered volcanic ash!). BCP is a phyllosilicate which has adsorbent (yes, that’s spelled correctly) strength second only to powdered charcoal.
You can buy it as a powder or as a liquid. BCP attracts, binds and removes pathogens, heavy metals and toxins- from the intestines. BCP gets absorbed into the blood stream and picks up “hitchhikers”, moving them out of the system, out of the vital organs, out of the body. If you can’t handle the liquid, make your own “pills” (this is the form I prefer) using the powder form and gel caps.
Pumpkin Seed Oil
Buy this at any health food or whole foods store; pumpkin seed is proven as an effective agent against worms in both humans and animals. Ewwww….gross! I know.
But humans and animals can and do get worms from the world around us, as well as each other…detoxification by taking Pumpkin Seed Oil caps according to directions every six (6) months to even once a year should give peace of mind and prevent any unwanted “living hitchhikers” in the body. You can also use them for your pets; if you have cats, for example, they are famous for passing on pinworms. Did you know that?
Use Good Sweeteners
Reduce or eliminate refined sugar from the diet, a common cause of inflammation in the body, especially the joints. Learn to eat and drink without “sugar” in order to break the addiction (sugar IS addictive!), but if you must have sweetener, use RAW locally-produced honey (you need the antibodies for your area!) or Stevia in the Raw.
Some people like Xylitol, but I suggest you do some reading first, as there is new evidence Xylitol has its problems, too, such as causing diarrhea, and being processed with ethanol – the same reason I say do not use TruVia or PurVia, which are a form of Stevia. Also, avoid Agave Nectar, even though you’ll find it in health food stores. You can do your research to find out why.
My personal favorite sweetener is locally-produced RAW honey, which helps build immunities (pollens from your locale), and never goes bad. If it crystallizes, just heat it up, stir, and use it. It’s also an excellent medicinal, but; I’ll leave you to research this on your own. Again, RAW (unfiltered) honey–its dark amber; not “golden”. That’s how you know. Look for an apiarist (beekeeper)in your area who sells it; an internet search (www.duckduckgo.com) should do it.
Get ALL of the artificial sweeteners (brain cell killers!) and Monosodium Glutamate (MSG)
Good luck with those two (read labels). I have found artificial sweeteners in a can of green beans (which is why I now can my own). It may take a while to get them all out of your body, as they do have a cumulative effect, and you may experience “withdrawal” symptoms, just so you know.
These are neurotoxins (they both kill brain cells); people who persist in consuming them may find themselves diagnosed with Alzheimers or Epilepsy, when they don’t have either one; I learned that from my Neurosurgeon after I blacked out at the wheel in rush hour traffic over 20 years ago. It took eight (8) months to get it all out of my system. I haven’t touched these toxins since.
Cook Simple “Fast Foods”
This means eliminating “ready to eat” foods, for the most part, particularly “off the shelf”. Watch foods out of the freezers, too; better still, don’t buy them and don’t eat them. Cook simple meals for yourself at home, even if you can only cook once or twice a week to eat from all week. Or eat raw fruits and veggies, if you can’t take the time to cook (once in a while).
Freeze your own meals – make not one casserole, but two; eat one for dinner; freeze the other. Mark and date it; “fast food” for a future meal.
Learn to can your own foods and know what goes in them – “fast food” you can live with! Pop a jar, heat it up, yum! I make large batches of soups, stews, beans, meats, veggies, etc., and can them up so I always have home-cooked “fast food” at the ready.
Wash All Fresh Fruits and Vegetables
Start washing all fresh fruits and veggies before eating, including “organic” and getting the chemicals off; I like to soak mine in a mild solution of cold water with about a teaspoon of white vinegar per gallon of water. Buy only organic citrus, if possible, because you can’t remove the toxins from these skins.
Better still, grow your own; citrus will grow just about anywhere if it gets enough light and warmth, especially in a greenhouse or climate-controlled home (for colder climates); they make beautiful “house plants””.
Eat foods as close to “natural” as possible. The less cooking, the less processing, and the less time out of the garden, the healthier for you.
If you make these simple changes to your diet, you’ll soon feel better, and probably feel like “moving” more! Now you’re ready. Go get some exercise – take a nice walk, even a short one; tomorrow, it will be longer, and the next day…and so on.
Servantheart – This is an excellent article! It inspires me to revisit my spice/herb shelf, use up any partial containers and refresh the supply. Further, after my decadent behavior from Thanksgiving until last week, a good detox along with my “deliberate motion” commitment should go a long way.
First Harriet and now you, darn it you guys, my family is going to end up healthy if you keep this up ;).
Glad you enjoyed it, Pam. Have a blessed day!
All excellent advice, servantheart, well done :)
If you can get local honey, by all means DO. In addition to helping your immune system, local apiculturists tend to be in dire straits, most places. Colony Collapse Syndrome is NOT a myth, and they need all the help they can get. If the bees disappear, we all follow soon after (says the former Entomologist, alas).
I have never gotten the “damp sand in the fridge” method of preserving fresh ginger to work. Peeling, grating and freezing the fresh roots (suck out the air) seems to be “almost as good” for keeping it around for when you want it. Ginger and green tea works like magic for flu/cold symptoms. :)
Fresh garlic is probably one of the most healthful foods you can ever eat. When I ask most friends “got any garlic?”, I usually get handed a plastic jar of powder. NOT the same.
Obviously, does not apply to everyone, but if you live within a few hours of a larger urban area with an Asian/Indian/Latin population, it is worth an occasional shopping trip to some ethnic markets. The prices are much lower, and the quality much higher than the stuff in the plastic jars with a Scottish name at the usual grocery store.
Ah, good reminders, Wyzyrd! I have neglected our local Indian market…shame on me!
Friends, garlic is not difficult to grow fresh, either. Even year round. Just grow it in a pot, as a houseplant; they’re really very attractive. Do a little reading, but it isn’t difficult. You could just go to the whole foods store, get you a bulb of organically grown garlic, let it sprout through the top in our refrigerator, then plant it. It WILL work. Let it grow until it seeds out and start your newly seeded garlic, if you like. You DO NOT want the chemically-tainted and/or GMO garlic from the “regular” grocery store, IMHO. May not produce future generations, anyway, so, don’t waste the effort.
Do a little reading on soil mix, how and when to water, but this is a PREP item – a MEDICINAL as well as food value item. You’ll need to be able to grow your own, AND, when SHTF, it will be an excellent barter item. After all, when food choices become very limited, a bit of spice to add flavor will be in high demand!
Always enjoy your input, Wyzrd! Thank you.
Thanks :)
I never tried growing garlic indoors – silly me.. that will change today :)
A related thought/technique: If you use scallions/green onions in your cooking, “waste” about 1/2-3/4 inch of the white root ends, and just plant the roots again. They’ll re-sprout in less than a week, and be ready in about 3 weeks. If you just trim off the green part for cooking, they will keep producing for at least 6 months. I have some outside that are still producing (slowly in winter) since I planted them last April. “Free” food that’s actually fresh and good for you. :)
And thanks for the green onion reminder; I love those things!
Servantheart- Very good follow up article. Do you grow your own Turmeric, or buy it at health food store? I had not heard about Bentonite Clay Powder. I will definitely check this out.
I have not grown my own turmeric, but I understand it isn’t difficult to grow. Next on my list of greenhouse experiments, perhaps! I buy it as a powder form from the bulk herbs section of my local whole foods grocery, but you can also get it in several forms from Mountain Rose Herbs http://www.mountainroseherbs.com and also from The Bulk Herb Store http://www.bulkherbstore.com, I’m sure. Turmeric is also known as an excellent way to heal skin lesions; the uses for turmeric would make an article all it’s own – but, don’t tell Bev! :Ssshh:
Servant Heart- THANK YOU !!! VG article.I occasionally imbibe with a Coke or peach snapple-yikes. God Bless you.Arlene
PSBeing a bee keeper I liked your advice for honey.
And I can’t wait to learn about beekeeping from you, Arlene!
We’ve been talking a lot lately about getting healthier, detoxing, that sort of thing. I was just listening to Suzanne Somers (I do like some of her writings on health matters) and she spoke about “Hungry for Change”, so I “ducked” it (www.duckduckgo.com)
Found something worthy of sharing with all at Mercola’s site (I’ve been following his work for a very long time; don’t always agree with him, but, in general, I do trust his knowledge.
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/03/24/hungry-for-change.aspx
Addictive and Toxic: Found in Bread, Pasta Sauce and Salad Dressing
He’s referencing Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) and Aspartame, specifically. Also, why MSG and artificial sweeteners actually make you FAT! What they do to healthy cells, and more.