When I ask most people about their “toxic loads” I’ll be honest, their scrunched-up brows and a look of “huh” kinda say it all. I don’t blame you, it’s not an everyday topic—but it should be.
What Is a Toxic Load?
“Toxic load” refers to the gradual accumulation of toxins and chemicals in each of our bodies that are absorbed or ingested from a variety of sources.
This should be familiar to my long-term readers since my mission includes helping women and families to eat real food—you know the stuff with ZERO added ingredients or at least ingredients we can pronounce—and safer products… hold the toxic chemicals.
For those not familiar, we are inundated with toxins at every turn on a daily basis—including within our environment, the food we eat, the water we drink, the air we breathe, and the personal care and household products we use.
Why Is Limiting Your Toxic Load Important?
In two words: your health.
In three words: your family’s health.
Enough said?
10 Signs of Toxic Load In Your Body
- Brain Fog
- Fatigue and Exhaustion
- Weight Gain (Or Loss) That Doesn’t Budge
- Headaches
- Constipation
- Hormonal Imbalances/ Mood Swings
- Bad Body Odor
- Skin Sensitivities
- Insomnia
- Scent Sensitivities
How to Limit Your Toxic Load
While it’s easy to accumulate these toxins over time, it’s also relatively easy to control and help eliminate the toxins from entering our body, as well. To start, it’s important to note that there are four major organs responsible for detoxification: the skin (the largest organ), kidneys, liver, and colon. If you think about it, it makes sense, right? We sweat, we pee, we poop—and with it goes the bad stuff.
“We sweat, we pee, we poop—and with it goes the bad stuff.”
You Can Support Organ Detoxification By:
- Eating clean (especially antioxidant-rich leafy greens!)
- Drinking 6-8 ounces of water a day (filtered if possible to avoid chlorides, fluorides, and heavy metals!)
- Limiting alcohol consumption.
- Aiming for a bowel movement a day (and the more, the merrier your colon will be!)
- Drinking chlorophyll water and/or dandelion tea.
- Working towards healing your leaky gut.
- Consuming more berries!
- Getting enough sleep (this is when your body heals and resets!)
- Practicing intermittent fasting.
Now that’s how we can directly help the organs to detoxify, but what about keeping the toxins away from us in the first place?
Limit Your Toxic Load By:
- Using cleaner and safer household and personal care products. If you haven’t read this post on healthier products to kickstart your year… or your NOW… take a quick read.
- Choosing organic fruits and veggies—and WASHING THEM THOROUGHLY.
- Choosing local seafood and avoiding fish with high mercury and PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls) such as swordfish, marlin and canned tuna.
- Avoiding plastic and non-stick cookware.
So what’s first on your list, friend? Are you ready to start limiting your own toxic load? I certainly hope so. Remember, a healthy lifestyle doesn’t have to be boring, beauty-less or taste-less. We can enjoy exciting lifestyles, with flavors we love, and look great doing it—as long as we’re smart.
Oh, and you look smart, so we’re good!
