Detoxification of your body is of the utmost importance.
Your body is full of toxins.
It's inevitable. The good news is that your body is designed to manage and excrete the toxic materials.
But your body is more effective at detox when it gets what it needs.
There's a lot of exciting information about the detoxification of your body. We could discuss all the many reasons that you should take detox seriously. We could also have a conversation about detox methods that would literally never end.
Today I only have one goal...
Here's the two things your body needs to detox, in broad strokes.
#1: Your body needs EQUIPMENT to detox
Biomolecules.
Molecules that are built by and for living organisms.
It's what your body is made of. Every process in your body requires certain biomolecules. Detox is the same. Some biomolecules are essential, and your body can't manage and excrete certain toxins without them.
For instance, your body needs to build organelles called lysomes in order to break down waste materials inside your cells (More on this in section #2!). Lysomes contain enzymes, which are made of amino acids. If you aren't getting the full variety of amino acids necessary to make certain enzymes, then your body will be lagging behind in lysome production, among other things.
That's just one example.
Other biomolecules may not be essential, but they make your body even more effective at the detox process. A simple example is the blood-flushing effect of apple cider vinegar. There are many benefits of ACV, and some relate to detox. But this one in particular is indirect. Toxins are removed from cells and dumped into the blood stream to be processed and excreted. Without getting into detail, the ACV helps flush those toxins out of your blood faster so that they aren't reabsorbed.
So... how do we get the right biomolecules into our bodies so that we're detoxing at peak efficiency and effectiveness?
A thousand products.
A MILLION pinterest posts.
There is no shortage of things that are purported to detox your body when ingested.
Some of them are just healthy foods that also happen to help your body get rid of toxins: Lemon Juice, Ginger Tinctures, Leafy Greens, Apple Cider Vinegar... the list goes on forever. Nature has truly provided more detox 'products' than a practical person could ever hope to use.
Processed products are another option. They're pills and powders that are formulated to trigger some detoxification function in your body. It's a big business! People love easy.
But HOLD ON.
I can think of at least one of nature's detox products that is just as easy to use as a pill or powder.
Microgreens!
They super-nourish your body, and a great many of the concentrated nutrients are important for detoxification. It's a laundry list of nutrients, so I won't go over each of them now. Just remember that Microgreens have up to 40 times the nutrients of mature plants, and up to 100 times the live enzymes.
And there's no chopping, peeling, pitting, mincing, cooking, juicing, tincturing... it's basically no work at all!
If you want to take this big step forward now, learn about our Microgreens CSA program.
#2: Your body needs TIME to detox
Ever worked in a kitchen?
Commercial kitchens get destroyed with mess during the course of a day's service.
Food gets everywhere. Grease in the air. People flying around trying to get orders out. Spilling. It's like a war zone. When do they clean the kitchen?
After hours.
It's impossible to clean a kitchen while you're cooking. It happens after closing. And if the kitchen never closes, then it never gets truly cleaned. Build up of grease and caked-on food grows and grows until the kitchen is disgusting. I've seen it.
Your body isn't that much different...
Digestion is a big production for your body. There's so much to it that one of the major organ systems of your body is dedicated to it. It's how your body maintains metabolism and absorbs the necessary biomolecules to keep living.
But your body needs a rest.
You weren't designed to be digesting all the time. This is one reason why the modern American 'grazing' pattern of eating has caused so much damage to people's lives. Even if you're eating healthy foods, it's important that your body gets a chance to stop digesting for a while and take care of some other essential processes.
...like Autophagy.
Simply put, autophagy is the process by which your body recycles cells. Old and damaged cells are catabolized, or broken down. The useful parts are used for new cells. The non-useful parts are excreted, including toxins.
If your body never rests from digestion, then the cells of your body will look like that greasy grimy kitchen from our illustration.
There's just too much science for me to unpack all of this on a short blog.
Here's one practical point on autophagy: The most effective way to do it is by letting your body fast. There's a lot of great and accessible information around about the benefits of fasting. But if you want to get started right away, I recommend using a program that's easy and well tested.
My favorite simple system for fasting and autophagy detox is the Eat Stop Eat system.