8 Superfoods to Kickstart Your Detox
by Alexandra Mamalider on Jul 08, 2018
Toxins in the body can manifest into many different symptoms including fatigue, mental fog, hormone imbalances, loss of energy and even obesity (to name a few). Research has shown that toxicity can be the underlying cause of so many chronic symptoms that people experience each and every day. Superfoods are an amazing way to kickstart the detox process and jumpstart your well-being!
Winter is coming to an end (hopefully) and Spring is right around the corner. Spring cleaning is a time to rid ourselves of the excess and perhaps tidy up some of the corners of our lives that we’ve neglected during the colder months. It’s a time to prepare for the warmer weather that’s soon to come. While we spend some time decluttering and cleaning out our homes, we should think about doing the same for our bodies! Detoxification is an important tool when it comes to vitality and overall wellness. We may not always know it, but we are constantly breathing in and absorbing toxins into our bodies, no matter how hard we try to avoid it.
However, it should be understood that the process of detoxification is just that, a process.
Despite popular claims, detoxifying the body isn’t a one time thing; drinking one green juice or downing a bottle of activated charcoal won’t magically rid your body of toxins. In reality, we should always be including nutrient rich detoxifying foods into our diets each and every day.
What a lot of people should remember is that our bodies, when fed the right foods, work like a well oiled machine to naturally remove toxins. Everyday your liver works hard to screen everything that enters your body while also deciding what the colon needs to get rid of and what we would benefit from absorbing. When the health of your liver starts to decline, eventually the whole body follows suit.
A happy liver = A healthy body
There are many superfoods that the liver and digestive tract can benefit from. Below we have put together a list of superfoods that when consumed regularly, can aid the body through the process the natural process of detoxification. Remember, detoxing isn’t a one time thing; in order for your body to keep up a healthy cycle of removing harmful toxins and allowing them to exit the body, you need to be fueling it with the right foods.
Matcha has become popular for its energy boosting components. Whether you’re drinking it in its pure form or you’re enjoying one of our Matcha Lattes, you’re reaping a whole ton of benefits. One of these benefits include detoxification. Matcha contains high amounts of chlorophyll, a molecule found in all green plants that is used to trap sunlight and convert it into energy. This powerful molecule assists in a number of aspects related to cleansing the body, including the promotion of liver health and eliminating harmful toxins from the body.
In order for your body to be able to rid itself of toxins, your liver has to be functioning properly. In order for your liver to function properly, your digestion must be in check. Enter ginger. Ginger promotes and stimulates a number of bodily functions including sweating, circulation and most importantly, digestion. A healthy digestive tract is vital to your overall health. When your digestive system is running smoothly, your body is able to absorb the nutrients that it needs, while doing away with the toxins and waste that your liver decided it didn’t.
Turmeric is another herb that has recently started to gain popularity in the West, despite having been used for centuries in the East. It is closely related to ginger and aids in many of the same ways. Curcumin is the active agent in turmeric that promotes a healthy digestive tract. As we learned with ginger, a healthy digestive tract = a healthy liver, which in turn promotes health overall. Curcumin has the ability to stimulate the release of bile by the gallbladder. Bile flow is critical to the cleansing capacity of the liver, making it an important part of detoxification within the body as the liver uses it as a vehicle for healthy waste removal.
You may have noticed a trend when it comes to the colour of many detoxifying supplements and superfoods. A lot of them tend to be green. The green hue of many of these superfoods comes from the high concentration of chlorophyll found within the plant. Spirulina, like matcha, contains extremely high amounts of chlorophyll. This blue-green multi-cell algae has powerful anti-inflammatory agents and is also a great source of antioxidants. The high percentage of chlorophyll in the algae also makes it especially helpful when it comes to detoxifying the body. It is particularly helpful when it comes to detoxing heavy metals, specifically arsenic.
Chlorella is another algae that contains extremely high amounts of chlorophyll, twice that of spirulina! Unlike spirulina, chlorella is a single cell freshwater algae characterized by its bright green colour. Chlorella is rich with phytonutrients and has a number of health benefits. This powerful organism has the ability to support healthy hormonal functions and cardiovascular health while lowering your cholesterol levels and blood pressure. Chlorella works by wrapping itself around stubborn toxins in the body such as lead, mercury, cadmium and uranium. It then prevents them from being reabsorbed into the body. Preventing these heavy metals and toxins from being reabsorbed ensures that they won’t accumulate in the soft tissue or the organs.
Barley Grass is another powerful green superfood that contains, you guessed it, chlorophyll! This plant however, grows above the ground and resembles wheat grass. Like chlorella and spirulina, barley grass helps rid the body of heavy metals and it also aids in eliminating waste materials in the forms of crystallized acids and built up mucus. At the same time that barley grass is helping to remove harmful impurities and toxins from the body, it is also protecting against the potentially harmful effects of UV radiation and radioactivity. Wheat grass has gained popularity among individuals who may be undergoing X-rays for this reason. There is also some evidence that points to the glutamic acid in barley grass as being responsible for the suppression of certain cravings such as sugar and nicotine. If barley grass is helping to curb your nicotine craving that means that it is not only helping to remove toxins but it is also preventing them from going in!
If there’s one superfood that you should know of in 2018, it’s Moringa. Moringa is a small tree native to the Himalayan mountains in the northern part of India. To many of the people that reap its numerous benefits, moringa is known as the Miracle Tree. This powerful tree is rich in antioxidants and is also known for its ability to lower blood sugar levels. Hormone imbalances are also treated through regular consumption of moringa. Moringa is commonly used to treat constipation, making it perfect for detoxification as it aids the liver in removing waste from the body. Not only does it improve the function of the liver but it also reduces damage that may have occurred to the liver while simultaneously restoring its enzymes.
Chia and flax are powerful little seeds that both pack quite the nutritional punch. Both seeds are high in Omega 3’s and offer a handful of other micronutrients, however it’s their high fiber content that really aids in detoxing. As we previously discussed, our bodies are constantly undergoing the process of detoxification. This happens through the elimination of waste. All the toxins and unwanted food particles that the liver decides the body doesn’t need are removed from the body through the colon. This is where fiber becomes extremely important in the process of detoxification. If you don’t eat enough fiber rich foods, what can end up happening is the toxins that your liver has filtered out can get stuck in the colon and the intestines which can reap negative repercussions on the entire body. Chia and flax are powerful little seeds that both pack a nutritional punch
