Is Your Body In Need of Detox?

It is undeniable that one of life’s greatest pleasures comes from the indulgence of good food. With an entire universe of flavours, global cuisines, succulent ingredients easily accessible, it takes little effort for us to go ahead and indulge in our gastronomic fantasies. But while we go ahead to eat and drink as we please, we often do not think about the “overtime work” that our digestive and supporting organs need to go perform in order to help us digest and breakdown all that goes into our mouth, eventually making its way through our gullet, stomach and intestinal tracts before the remnants are excreted from our body.

The main organs in charge of our body’s detoxification functions are our liver and kidneys, other supportive organs include our skin, lymphatic system, lungs and colon – together, they work to help our body eliminate toxins.

Constipation can hinder our body’s natural detoxification process. In cases of chronic constipation, toxins and waste reside in our body for an extended period of time and are not expelled from the body in a timely manner.

While there are various factors that can lead to constipation, we’ve shortlisted some food groups¹ that studies have shown to cause/contribute to constipation more than others, namely:

• Foods made from processed grains such as white bread, white rice and white pasta as these foods are lower in fibre and tend to be more constipating as compared to whole grain foods.
• Red meats as they contain little fibre and tend to contain higher amounts of fat and our body typically takes longer to digest and breakdown high-fat foods which can further increase the likelihood of constipation.
• Fried or Fast foods – as with red meats, fried and fast foods are low in fibre and high in fat which means our body takes longer to digest these foods. Furthermore fried and fast foods tend to contain more sodium (salt) which can lower the water content in stools, drying it up and making it harder to push through the body.
• Alcohol when drank in large amount can cause dehydration due to the increased amounts of fluid lost through urination; poor hydration due to not drinking enough water or excessive loss of water is often linked to an increased risk of constipation.

Apart from food, other possible sources of toxins also include beauty and personal care products, as well as pollutants in the environment. Toxin build-up can impact your cognitive and physical health. Not to mention, the added stress on your organs to help eliminate them in the long run may adversely affect our organs’ functions. It is therefore important to pay attention to our body’s detoxification needs – whether it is to adjust our diet and lifestyles to aid our body’s detox function and/or to consider supplements to support our body’s ability to detox effectively.

SIGNS TO LOOK OUT FOR THAT YOUR BODY IS IN NEED OF A DETOX

If you’re constantly feeling sluggish and somehow not feeling all that great, it might be a good time to consider embarking on a detox program. We’ve put together a checklist of signs and symptoms to look out for:

• You constantly feel fatigued
• You fall prey to colds and influenza more readily as compared to your peers
• You experience brain fog and headaches
• You are experiencing skin conditions such as acne breakouts, rash and/or overall dull, lacklustre complexion
• You experience digestive discomforts and/or irregular/infrequent bowel movements
• Your cravings for less-healthy food choices seem to have increased
• You have gained excess body weight or have exceeded your healthy weight range
• You experience frequent mood swings
• Your friends/family might have told you your breath smells or you might have noticed it yourself
• You might find you have developed some form of body odour

WAYS TO DETOX AND CLEANSE

Detox and cleansing can benefit you in various ways. Feeling constipated, bloated and sluggish does not feel great at all, apart from helping you feel better, more lively and lighter overall; detox and cleansing can also help to strengthen our body’s overall immunity (especially important during this current period).

Here are some great tips to help your body detox naturally:

Regular Exercise

Get your body moving! Exercising regularly is a form of healthy detox. It helps strengthen your lungs’ capacity, and promotes good blood and lymphatic circulation. Exercise will also help the body to perspire which is also a form of detoxification. Working out also stimulates the production of “happy hormones”, also known as endorphins which helps to improve your mood.

Stay Hydrated

We all know already how important water is for our body. Start your day by downing a glass of lemon water. The pectin from lemons aid in digestion, and can help kick start your liver into detox mode to flush out built-up toxins². The recommended water intake per day is about 2 to 3 litres, and by drinking enough water, it also prevents dehydration in the colon, which keeps your stools soft and easy to pass out.

Incorporate the right foods in your diet

Swop out processed foods and cut down on your sugar intake – Include whole foods such as high quality protein, vegetables and fruits that are high in fibre in your diet. Coriander and foods containing citric and malic acid (grapes, oranges, lemons and other citrus fruits) have been shown to help remove heavy metal build up in the body³.

Get sufficient sleep

Many of us experience lack of sleep due to busy schedules, stress and other factors. Restful sleep also allows our liver to perform its detoxification process. Tips: Avoid consumption of caffeine and alcohol, tried to sleep at a regular fixed time and avoid eating/snacking 2 hours prior to your fixed bedtime. It is also a good idea to make your bedroom a “detox zone” from your electronic devices, so that blue light emitted from these devices do not interfere with your quality of sleep.

Get help from supplements specially formulated to aid detox/cleansing

Despite our best intentions, we may still fall short when it comes to maintaining a “perfect lifestyle, diet, fitness regime” needed for optimum detox. To help your body kick start and rev up its detox engine, consider trying LAC GastroRX D’Tox , formulated with a proprietary fermented fruits & vegetables blend, with added cassia fistula extract to help promote colon cleansing and the effective elimination of toxins from the body. As an added plus, it comes in a great-tasting peach flavoured jelly, especially suitable for those who are unable to or dislike swallowing pills.

We hope that this has been an interesting read for you! The next time you reach out for that fried donut, that extra glass of wine or indulge in high fat foods – do think about the extra “workload” you are giving to your body and what you can do to help your body detox better and more effectively! Here’s to living our best healthy lives!



References:
¹ Foods that contribute to constipation: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/8-foods-that-cause-constipation#1.-Alcohol
² Lemon water helps with flushing out toxins:https://www.today.com/health/5-ways-cleanse-your-body-one-day-t106536
³ Remove heavy metal build up in the body: https://www.foodmatters.com/article/the-importance-of-detoxifying-your-body