Why and how to eliminate toxins from your diet

healthy life nutrition practical steps younique life Sep 01, 2022

Many of us were brought up loving certain foods because the supermarkets do a great job of selling them to us, and we don’t even realise that some of these foods cause harm. In this blog, we’ll give you some practical tips to eliminate toxins from your diet so that you can live the life of freedom and vitality you long for.

You may be wondering how there could be toxins in food. The truth is that toxins are hidden in some of the most unsuspecting places. Did you know that the toxins found in certain foods can upset hormones and cause weight gain and cost you energy for life? If you’ve been feeling like you just can’t shake that last 2kgs or 5kgs or you’re exhausted at the best of times, then toxins and an imbalance in your hormonal structure could be the culprits.

At YOUnique Life, our core focus is on helping our community to take small, practical steps toward food and lifestyle freedom. You were created to live a life of wholeness and vitality, from the inside out. We believe that by being equipped with the knowledge and with the right tools at hand, the life of freedom you long for is possible. Removing toxins from your diet can have a huge effect on your health. Below we share what toxins are, where to find them and how to practically avoid them, while still maintaining and enjoying a wholesome life.

What is a toxin?

Toxins are any substance that is poisonous or harms health. A “toxin” can refer to all the metals, chemicals, pollutants, artificial food ingredients, pesticides, and poisons that can be found in various foods, water, and environments we live in.

We will focus on food, how toxins are found in water, in food, in the air and how you can clean up your intake.

A list of some familiar toxins:

Artificial food dyes
Preservatives, include MSG, and food dyes
Artificial sweeteners including Xylitol
Herbicides and pesticides
Fruits sprayed with diphenylamine (used to prevent the browning of fruit skin)
Polluted or tainted water
Plastics (BPA)

Our bodies are designed to get rid of toxins

Our bodies are created beautifully. Did you know that your body is designed to process and remove all unwanted substances so that you remain as healthy as possible? Our bodies are created for life and to maintain a wholesome lifestyle, naturally.

The excretory system is made up of the liver, skin, lungs, large intestine, and kidneys. The function of each of these organs is set up to ensure you remain full of energy and vitality:

The liver – filters and excretes waste, hormones, drugs, and other foreign substances.
The skin – eliminates toxins through sweat glands.
The lungs – help to remove carbon dioxide.
The kidneys – filter the blood and help remove waste from the body through urination.
The large intestine – absorbs water and the remaining nutrients convert waste into stools.

Our incredible bodies are designed to get rid of toxins but we can overload them, which puts strain on this excretory system.

Toxins are endocrine (hormone) disruptors

An endocrine disruptor is a substance that acts like a hormone in the endocrine system and disrupts the natural processes. Any system in the body controlled by hormones can be derailed by these hormone disruptors, causing an imbalance. Toxins induce, inhibit, mimic and block hormonal systems causing nasty side effects such as low energy, mood swings, and much more.

The good news is that changing your diet to exclude toxin-processed foods can have a huge impact on hormone function, leaving you feeling and looking healthy.

The effects of fat-soluble toxins on the body

Many toxins are fat soluble, which means that they dissolve easily in fats or fat solvents. This has two effects on the body:

Toxins get processed by the liver and if there is an overload, they are stored in fat tissue.
While toxins sit in fat or liver cells, they disrupt the endocrine system.

If you are dieting then you might lose weight, but the toxins that are stored in the fat cells go back into your system making you feel miserable, tired, and deprived. What happens here is that our amazing body can decide that it does not like this feeling and so it will hold onto fat to store the toxins again. Cleaning toxins out of your system will allow you to lose weight naturally and will bring balance back into your endocrine system.

Other effects toxins can have on the body

As if there’s not enough to consider in the above heading, toxins can have other unfortunate effects on the body too.

Toxins poison our enzymes: Toxins damage our enzymes and undermine countless bodily functions. An example of this is how they will lower the body’s capacity to prevent free-radical damage, which accelerates ageing.
Toxins cause damage to organs: Toxins can damage nearly all of the organs and systems in the human body. According to Joseph Pizzorno in his book, The Toxin Solution, If your digestive tract, liver, and kidneys are so toxic that they are unable to detox effectively, your detoxification will backfire and your body will remain in a toxic state.
Toxins damage DNA: This increases the rate of ageing due to free and degeneration.
Toxins damage cell membranes: “Signalling” in the body happens through the cell membranes. Damage to these membranes, due to an overload of toxins, prevents them from getting important messages across the bodily systems and processes.
Toxins overload our excretory system: Our liver breaks down fats, converts sugars, and removes old or damaged blood cells. If the liver is overwhelmed with an overload of toxins it becomes sluggish. This will affect the metabolism, healthy blood and liquid circulation, balanced hormones, clean blood, and strong digestion.

How to help your body to thrive

It’s not difficult to prevent all of the above bodily issues and complications. All you need are a few simple, practical steps to activate them in your everyday life and food choices. Below are some suggestions:

Remove all processed foods from your pantry, household, and diet: The easiest way to prevent temptation is to simply remove all unwanted, processed foods from your pantry, and shopping list, and to put healthier options to combat cravings. Let’s face it, having energy and balanced hormones is much better than a sloppy, processed cheeseburger.
Remove the whites: White sugar and white flour cause damage mentioned above due to a lot of processing. Have a look at some of our recipes for sugar-free/flour-free options.
Eliminate preservatives and artificial food dyes: Always read and make sure you understand your food labels. If you don’t understand a word or code in the ingredients, what is your body supposed to do with it? It’ll sit or cause you to feel awful.
Drink more water: Water helps to flush the toxins from your body. Try to drink filtered (with charcoal) water.
Eat more brassicas: Brassica vegetables include broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, cabbage, turnip greens, collards, and kale. These vegetables provide unique nutrients (phytonutrients) that rev up your detoxification system.
Eliminate toxic oils from your diet: Toxic oils include vegetable oil, peanut oil, sunflower oil, cottonseed oil, and canola oil.

Your health is important and within your control. Don’t allow food, toxins, and poor decisions to steal from living your best life. It takes some practical knowledge, clarity in decision-making, a few simple steps, and a whole lot of encouragement! Unlock your potential, and sign up for the self-study short courses available at YOUnique Life today.