Just how prevalent are toxins in our environment?

Synthetic chemicals permeate our world and touch every aspect of human life: the food we eat, the water we drink, the air we breathe, the clothes we wear, the products we use--it’s impossible to avoid them. These chemicals have given us the power to exert control over nature in a way that’s never been seen before and has led to breakthroughs in areas like disease control, sanitation, and world hunger.

However, the momentary use of these revolutionary new strategies has done untold, long-term damage to our environment and dramatically altered the natural ecological balance of our world--damage that significantly impacts human life.

It’s unclear just how many chemicals are in commercial use, but we do know an estimated 96 percent of our manufactured materials and products contain chemicals--man-made chemicals which can now be found even in the most remote, uninhabited corners of the planet. As such, all people carry a “body burden” of synthetic chemicals. 

Many of these chemicals are completely non-toxic to humans, but because they don’t break down easily, they clog up our bodies and overload our systems. Others are known to be toxic to humans, yet they’re found in common products like cosmetics, sunscreen, and even our food and water. 

The herbicide glyphosate is the most notorious example of this. RoundUp Ready genetically modified (GMO) crops have an engineered immunity to glyphosate, giving farmers what seems like free license to douse their fields in the weed killing chemical; over 1 million metric tons of the stuff is applied to GMO crops annually. GMOs are found in as much as 80 percent of conventional processed foods, which on its own might not be a threat to human health if it didn’t expose the public to large amounts of this known human toxin. 

Glyphosate compromises the body’s detoxification processes, affects brain health, and depletes and impairs the synthesis of important building blocks for the body’s chemical messengers. It has been implicated in the development of several diseases, including celiac disease and kidney dysfunction, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s Disease, infertility, depression, and cancer. It’s even linked to the obesity and Autism epidemics in the U.S.

How else are we being exposed to toxins?

Environmental--exogenous--toxins aren’t the only peril of our modern world; the body naturally creates endogenous toxins--internally produced toxins--during the digestion process for certain types of foods. 

The Western diet is high in saturated fat, salt, refined sugars, additives, and preservatives which contributes to the production of endogenous toxins when broken down by the flora in the gut microbiome. This diet also starves health promoting microorganisms in the gut and favors those that create dysbiosis, inflammation, auto-immunity, and disease.

The gut lining is incredibly delicate--only one cell thick--and it is the first line of defense between exogenous and endogenous toxins, and the bloodstream. When the gut lining is weakened by a damaging diet, it makes it that much easier for these toxins to seep through the gut lining into the bloodstream and wreak havoc on the entire body. Therefore, dietary choices can either support or thwart microbial health and the body’s natural detoxification processes. 

It’s thought that this leaking of toxins into the bloodstream, also known as leaky gut, is largely responsible for the link between the Western diet and things like obesity, cancer, Alzheimer’s, and autoimmune diseases.

So...what can I do about this?

So much!  Nutrition is an excellent place to start. 

Strengthening the gut’s delicate lining by supporting a healthy microbiome is one of the most effective ways to protect the body from the effects of toxins; just as certain dietary choices can damage the gut lining and increase exposure to toxins, good nutrition and avoiding certain foods can limit exposures and support a healthy gut microbiome. 

Working with a nutritionist to start a whole food and herbal supplement regimen will ensure that your gut is getting the nutrients it needs to support the health of the entire body--nutrients that are nearly impossible to get from our available food sources alone. Avoiding foods high in fat, sugar, and salt, as is characteristic of the Western diet, will limit the production of endogenous toxins and promote balance in the microbiome. Finally, avoiding foods known to be high in chemicals like foods containing GMOs and those high in preservatives and additives will help limit exposure to toxins.

Your dietary choices can directly support the body’s natural detoxification processes, but be wary of fad detox diets and cleanses; evidence suggests the weight loss results of these diets may come from the momentarily limited caloric intake, not the promised detoxification effects of the diet. In fact, people who use these diets tend to gain weight after resuming a normal diet.

In lieu of these ineffective detox diets, try eating more of some nutritionist identified and research tested foods and spices that positively impact detoxification systems, including cruciferous vegetables, berries, soy, garlic, and turmeric.  

There are also certain nutritionist developed and scientifically supported detoxification diets that target the three phases of detoxification to promote health. They contain nutrients that activate and support phase I and phase II enzymes that transform toxins into water-soluble, non-toxic molecules as well as nutrients from plant-based fibers that aid in phase III elimination.

Toxins are also eliminated from the body through sweat; exercise is always helpful with this, as is spending time in a sauna. Diet is the most important component of detoxing, so using these strategies together is most effective.

The sheer amount of toxins in our food, air, and water can seem overwhelming and insurmountable, but simple changes to your grocery list combined with strategies to aid your body in the detoxification process can help you dramatically reduce the impact of toxins on your health!