Step 3 - Diet and Reduction of Toxic Exposure

Reduction of Toxic Exposure

As well as looking at ways to rid years of toxic build-up within our system we have to limit our exposure to toxins. The biggest cause of toxic exposure is through our diet so it’s very important to address and consider carefully our consumption of food and drinks. Also, with in that we have to consider how our food is being stored and what utensils we are using for cooking, some materials like aluminium and plastic have been shown to leak materials into food when heated.

We also have to address our exposure to toxins through our makeup, moisturiser’s, cleansers, deodorants and shampoos which can contain unhealthy levels of toxins. If you down load the app Think Dirty https://www.thinkdirtyapp.com you will be surprised to find out the toxicity level of some of your day to day products. It’s shocking when you realise how many chemicals you are exposing yourself to in your daily maintenance routine.

We also have to address our household chemical usage. Replacing things like bleach, air fresheners and antibacterial surface cleaners that have incredibly high levels of toxicity and using more natural, organic products such as oil burners and white wine vinegar.

Diet

Your most important weapon in the battle against ill health is your diet. Not only does it provide you with essential nourishing vitamins and minerals but also aids in the detoxification process. Modern diets aren’t conducive to good health, we consume too much alcohol, too many takeaways and too many heavy carbs. We are exposed to poisonous substances such as aspartame through our love of fizzy drinks and minute particles of plastic due to our love of convenience microwave meals.

Changing your eating habits can be very difficult particularly when you are sick. I loved my sweet sugary tweets and greasy burgers but I soon realised that by consuming these foods I was feeding my Illness. I was giving the infections in my body everything they needed to survive and I was limiting my body's ability to detoxify by clogging it up with foods that caused inflammation and blocked up my detox pathways.

Refined sugar feeds disease and dairy and gluten both contain proteins that can cause inflammation in the body so they are best avoided completely. Fresh vegetables are a must and it's important to make sure your food is organic and if possible hasn't been sprayed with any pesticides. Many people have cured themselves using diet alone so it’s important to be strict and stick to it religiously. There are three diets that stand out from the crowd.

Paleo

The paleo diet is the diet that Lyme doctors advise their patients to follow. You can’t eat anything that causes inflammation in the body, that means unsurprisingly dairy, gluten and refined sugar are an absolute no. Also, no processed foods, cereals, legumes and artificial sweeteners. It’s fairly easy to follow and the most versatile of the three diets. Here are some fantastic websites and apps with fabulous paleo recipes that I found useful.

Nom nom paleo

I found this website and app by chef Michelle Tam so useful in my paleo journey. Both her cookbooks have made the New York Times bestseller’s list. She shows you how you make simple paleo recipes at very little cost and in record time. You can down load her cook book app from the app store on her website here.
https://nomnompaleo.com

Paleo Grubs

If you’ve got a love for sweet sugary treats like me and you are looking for paleo recipes that can fill the void, then this is the website for you. Check out their Apple and cinnamon energy balls and their flourless blueberry pancakes.

https://paleogrubs.com

Veganism

What a great thing to be able to eat healthily, reduce inflammation and save the planet at the same time. Research shows that plant focused diets are high in fibre, low in saturated fat and rich in photo-chemicals that help prevent disease. In fact, it’s been reported that vegans are 40% less likely to develop cancer in comparison to their meat-eating counterparts. Veganism has also been shown to help prevent heart disease, reduce blood pressure and prevent and reverse type 2 diabetes. There are many alternative protein sources within the vegan diet such as quinoa, chickpeas, nuts and seeds and as long as you supplement vitamin B12 which I believe everyone should be supplementing anyway then there will be nothing that you are missing nutritionally and in-fact you will end up consuming a more nutritionally well-rounded diet.

Deliciously Ella

If you haven’t heard of her where have you been? She’s the darling of the vegan world who bought veganism into the mainstream. The first vegan cookbook that I ever bought was this book and it made the switch to veganism very easy and simple.

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Rita Serano

If like me you like simplicity and you don’t want to spend ages in the kitchen every night, spending loads of money on ingredients, then this cookbook is the one for you. All of Rita’s recipes contain 7 ingredients or less which means less stress and more time to concentrate your self-care efforts in other areas.

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Auto Immune

If your diet is meat heavy and veganism isn’t for you then the complete opposite of veganism is the autoimmune diet. This is the diet of choice for meat lovers.

The auto immune diet is quite restrictive but effective it works by removing anything that’s known to irritate the body or the gut, including dairy, refined sugar, gluten and nightshades such as tomatoes and peppers. It then advises consumers to eat a meat and mineral rich diet that will nourish the body and the stomach. Bone broth is an integral part of this diet and must be consumed daily which has a remarkable healing effect on the gut, the body’s second brain. If you are the kind of person that can eat a meat patty for breakfast then this diet is highly recommended.

Mickey Trescott

This cookbook was recommended to me by my doctor whilst I was on the autoimmune diet. The recipes are fairly simple but tasty and there’s guidance on batch cooking so you can prepare all your meals for the week. Look out for her Nomato sauce recipe, all other sauces will pale in comparison after you’ve tried this recipe.
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Kitchenware

There are two cookware materials that you should avoid at all costs and that is aluminium and Teflon. There’s research that suggests that elevated levels of aluminium could be linked to some cases of central nervous disorders like Autism and Alzheimer’s and at high temperatures aluminium can flake off and merge with your food. The Teflon non-stick coating on pans otherwise known as polytetrafluoroethylene has been shown to transform into perfluorooctanoic acid at high heat and it has been linked as a possible trigger for some cancers. If you’ve made a conscious decision to eat safely and organically then you don’t want to undo your efforts with toxic cook ware leaking into your food. Here are some recommendations for cookware brands that are 100% toxin free.

OXO Softworks Non Stick Cookware
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Greenpan Healthy Ceramic SaucePan set
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Water filtration

If like me you drink tap water most days then you are probably unaware of the potential toxins that could be lurking in your water supply. Not only are you at risk of exposure from low levels of heavy metals such as aluminium and lead but there’s also a risk of exposure to things like pesticides, plastics and cements.  There’s also a bacterium called the MAP bacteria which is believed to be able to survive the water chlorination process and has been linked as a possible cause for some cases of Crohn's disease. I think it’s best to play it safe by filtering your tap water and investing in a decent water filter jug.

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Personal Care Products

We’ve covered detoxing to rid yourself of nasty toxins already stored in your body and we’ve addressed dietary needs as one of our main sources of detoxification. Next, we have to look at our toxic exposure via our personal products.
Do we know what chemicals might be lurking in our deodorants, shampoos, toothpaste, face creams and make up? You would be shocked to find out that many of our personal care products contain known neurotoxins. Neurotoxins are toxins that are poisonous to nerve tissue.

An example of a neurotoxin we are commonly exposed to in our everyday lives through our personal care routines would be aluminium fluoride.

Most deodorants contain aluminium and most toothpastes contain fluoride. When these two elements combine in the body they create aluminium fluoride a potent neuro toxin which has been linked as a possible trigger for some cases of Dementia.

Other toxins we have to be wary of that can be found in our personal care products are parabens, phaltates(plastic), synthetic fragrances, synthetic soaps and even lead has been found to be lurking in 60% of lipsticks.

The best way to reduce our exposure to these products is to purchase from respected organic companies. Here is a list of everyday products from organic and ethical companies. You can gradually switch in organic and ethical products to reduce your day to day toxic exposure.

Fluoride Free Toothpaste

Not only is this fluoride free but this botanical toothpastes key ingredients are neem and pomegranate leaving you with a fruity fresh taste.
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Aluminium Free Deodorant

This multi award winning deodorant is aluminium free and highly effective.
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Shampoo and Conditioner

Having tried a few vegan shampoos and conditioners and struggling to find one that left my hair feeling as soft and shiny as my usual chemical laden hair care brand, I stumbled upon the brand Faith. This combo made my usually dry frizzy hair look soft, shiny and healthy.
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Body Wash and Body Cream

Rens Multi award winning Atlantic Kelp and magnesium body wash and cream are an absolute must if you want an extra bit of energy and what’s more they provide you with an extra hit of an absolutely essential mineral, magnesium.

Body Wash
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Body Cream
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Sunscreens

If the chemicals in sunscreens are destroying coral reefs as has been reported in the media, have you ever stopped to think about what they might be doing to your body. Most sunscreens contain chemicals such as oxybenzone, avobenzone, octocrylene and homosalate. These chemicals once rubbed into the skin can penetrate the tissues and enter the blood stream causing disruption to the Endocrine system which could cause infertility and other hormone related problems. In order to avoid this, you need to make sure when looking at the ingredients that it says zinc and or titanium dioxide only. These are mineral based ingredients that won’t cause any damage if they enter the skin and penetrate the blood circulatory system and are just as effective as chemical based sun lotions. This sunscreen by Green People uses zinc oxide as it’s natural UVA, UVB protector and it has won multiple awards.

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Facial Skincare Products

Arbonne
For men and women I can’t recommend Arbonne enough. They have been certified safe by the vegan society. They are also recommended by Peta as they are free from cruelty. Their ingredients are botanical, safe and yet highly effective. Their RE9 anti-aging range will take years off you as well as making your skin glow from the inside out. They have an extensive range of products so a great brand for anyone who wants to completely overhaul their self-care routine.
https://www.arbonne.com/pws/alisonlarnder/tabs/home.aspx

Neal’s Yard
Another skincare brand that provides excellent results but also gives you an intense aromatherapy experience at the same time is Neal’s Yard. The soothing and calming natural scents from these products will not only make a huge difference to your complexion but will also soothe your tired mind. Their frankincense range is amazing.
https://www.nealsyardremedies.com

Make-Up

Arbonne
Arbonne has a fantastic range of makeup products. Their foundation is excellent and full of botanical ingredients and their eyeshadows and lipstick have a wide range of colours.
https://www.arbonne.com/pws/alisonlarnder/tabs/home.aspx

Inika
Inika is Australia’s favourite natural make-up brand and it’s not hard to see why that is. Their Multi award winning BB cream is full of skin nourishing ingredients and leaves you with great coverage and luminous skin, their organic mascara lengthens and define lashes beautifully.

https://www.onlynaturals.co.uk/inika-organic-make-up-and-cosmetics

Household Products

We don’t really consider when buying things like oven cleaners or air fresheners at the supermarket that they could be hazardous to our health. In fact, air fresheners contain phthalates which are tiny particles of plastic which over time can build up in your system and cause disease. Some oven cleaners contain corrosive alkalis which can have a serious effect on your digestion or respiratory system if inhaled or ingested. Some furniture polish and stains contain phenol and nitrobenzene which can be absorbed by the skin and cause skin cancer and then there’s things like bleach and multi surface sprays which can be highly toxic. However, there are alternatives to these toxic products. Things like white wine vinegar can cleanse and disinfect the surfaces of your kitchen worktops and floor. You can burn essential oils or incense instead of using air fresheners. There’re also natural cleaning products on the market that you can swap in for your chemically laden cleaning products.

Method

Method are a conscious brand that uses naturally derived plant-based products instead of chemicals and has a totally organic ethos. They have a wide range of products such as antibacterial surface cleaners, floor cleaners, washing detergents and window cleaners.

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Essential Oil Diffusers.

Put a few drops of your favourite essential oils in a diffuser and avoid spraying the air with minute particles of plastic.

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