How to Boost Detox
Simple ways to help your body cleanse and rebalance
The word “detox” can have negative and extreme connotations (no, I do not recommend any crazy juice cleanses), but it turns out it’s one of the most essential functions our body performs. It’s natural and healthy. There are many small daily practices that gently boost and optimize our body’s own detox systems!
Our bodies are designed to self-cleanse through the liver, skin, kidneys and lymph. However, in this day and age, our bodies are fighting an onslaught of environmental toxins in addition to toxic buildup from things like birth control, processed foods, conventional cleaning products, chemical-ridden cosmetics and more. Okay, so what does that mean?
When our bodies can’t keep up with detoxifying, we can encounter symptoms like acne, bloating, weight gain, and other even bigger health issues down the road.
Dr. Aviva Romm, a Yale-educated physician, midwife, and herbalist notes, “We are simultaneously being overloaded by external toxins and under-supported by our diets because our diets are not balanced enough to keep our natural detox processes robust.” (source)
WHOA.
So, what are some ways we can boost our body’s detox systems (in addition to reducing toxins in our homes and lives)?
Overall, eating a nourishing, anti-inflammatory diet that’s full of plants, healthy fats, quality protein and herbs and low in processed foods, sugars, and other inflammation boosters. A diet rich in greens and other vegetables promotes a healthy gut microbiome, allowing us to be balanced and to properly digest our food. What we eat communicates with our cells, and plants especially have phytochemicals that support natural detoxification. In this case, food is medicine!
Cruciferous Veggies
To build on a healthy, anti-inflammatory diet, cruciferous vegetables in particular are powerful detoxifiers. These include cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, brussel sprouts, kale and other greens. Since getting off of birth control I’ve incorporated more of these into my diet to help detox excess estrogen and toxins. I especially focus on them during my luteal phase - one of the four phases of our menstrual cycles where we’re detoxing estrogen before our periods.
Some ways I like to eat my cruciferous veggies are:
Cauliflower rice (especially cauli fried rice)
Kale in sauteed veggie bowls (like here and here)
Cabbage like this or in my egg roll bowl
Roasted broccoli
Shaved brussel sprouts (I find the smaller pieces easier and tastier to eat)
Drinking [and Eating] Adequate Water
Ahhhh the most cliche advice for literally everything, but there’s a reason it makes every list. Water is one of the most essential things for our bodies to function healthily and it helps our organs to cleanse and detox properly. I drink at least two cups of herbal tea each day, and often incorporate lemon water too for its detoxifying properties. In addition to drinking water and herbal teas, you can also incorporate hydrating foods such as cucumbers, watermelon, coconut, berries, broths and soups, citrus, and bell peppers.
Detoxifying Herbal Teas
No, these are not your crazy skinny teas or flat tummy teas (can we ban those already??)! They are herbal teas that contain herbs and roots that promote healthy detox. Look for ingredients like burdock root, dandelion root and tulsi/holy basil. Find all of my favorite teas in this post.
Foods, Herbs and Spices That Boost Detox
In addition to cruciferous vegetables, here are some other favorites that boost detoxification…
Raw carrots
Cilantro (escort heavy metals from the body)
Chlorella and Spirulina
Lemons
Ginger
Apples
Turmeric
Leafy greens
Broccoli sprouts
Asparagus
Beets
Fermented foods (it alllll comes back to the gut)
Avocados
And more!
Sweating
Moving your body regularly obviously has a number of health benefits, but one of them is detoxing! Our skin is actually our largest organ of elimination, and sweating is such an important function for detoxing heavy metals and other toxins. Detoxing these out through the skin can help reduce the load placed on our livers and kidneys.
Lymphatic Drainage
It’s important to not let our lymphatic system sit stagnate and there are many ways to get it moving! Any kind of movement including walking and low impact yoga and stretching, lymphatic drainage massage, facial massage (and gua sha), dry brushing, exfoliating, infrared saunas (want to try so badly!), and eating and hydrating properly. Find lots of great info on the lymphatic system here.
Getting Your Zzzzsss
When we sleep, our bodies go through their detoxification processes in addition to rebuilding cells, recharging the brain and more. I don’t always follow my own advice, but getting 7 hours of sleep or more is ideal!
I hope this post inspires you to add some healthy foods and drinks to your diet, as well as to add some healthy practices into your day! There is no one-size-fits-all approach to wellness, but with so many options for boosting your body’s detox, I hope there are some that are a good fit for you!