By Isabelle Baissac, ND

Living the fast paced lives that most of us do today does not always allow us to eat healthy foods, breathe fresh country air and do regular exercise. Our bodies are miraculous but even though we generally cope well under pressure our lifestyles can sometimes get the better of us. Detoxifying the body can give us a chance to get back on track by removing toxins that can build up in the liver and fatty tissues.

The liver’s job is to primarily cleanse the blood and remove toxins that can build up in the body from medications, alcohol, and preservatives or chemicals found in food. Supporting your liver is the first and most important step of detoxing your body.

Avoiding alcohol, refined foods and processed foods can help us achieve this. Foods that contain preservatives, artificial colours or flavours, and that are high in fat, have to be processed by the liver. Removing these foods from our diet during a detox can greatly reduce the load on the liver and allow it to cleanse the body more efficiently.
Milk Thistle (Silybum marianum) is a herb that is a potent antioxidant and is used to rejuvenate and protect the liver. Milk Thistle improves and restores liver function by supporting liver detoxification pathways.

The gall bladder is also found in the liver, assisting the body by storing and releasing bile when fatty foods are eaten. Bile is responsible for the emulsification of fats which help us to breakdown and utilise the fats in our body. A herb such as Globe artichoke (Cynara scolymus) improves bile production and flow, helping us to utilise fat more efficiently.

There are many nutrients that support the liver and our detox pathways, including Vitamins A, C and E and minerals such as Zinc and Selenium. This combination of nutrients forms a potent antioxidant complex which can support unstable cells. Damaged or unstable cells become free radicals and toxins. Free radicals must be stabilized or removed from the body to minimise damage to other cells. While our immune system usually works very efficiently at removing these cells, when we overindulge the load becomes greater and it can become difficult to stay healthy.

How Do You Know If You Need To Detox?
When there is an increased level of toxins in the body we can feel tired and low in energy. We can also experience nausea or queasiness after foods especially if the food is high in fat. Decreased appetite is not uncommon and we may become more susceptible to illnesses such as colds and flu’s.

A detox may initially cause some fatigue or drop in energy so it is always important to contact your nearest Healthy Life store or health care professional to help you through a program that will best suit you.