Cleanse basics for the family

We were honored to have Rick Smith and Bruce Lourie, authors of Slow Death by Rubber Duck and the their new book, Toxin, Toxout on at our Cleanse kick off event on Wednesday, April 30th at the Caboto Club.

There are over 80,000 synthetic chemicals in commerce today, including hormone-disrupting phthalates and parabens, cancer-causing pesticides, heavy metals and air pollutants. Rick Smith and Bruce Lourie proved how easily our bodies absorb these chemicals from the foods we eat, the air we breathe, and the products we smear on our skin–day after day. They gave us the good news about what is in our control and the steps we can take to reduce our toxic burden.

They investigated the truth behind organic foods, which detox methods actually work, if indoor air quality is improving, and how we dispose of waste (where do those chemicals go?). The result was nothing short of a prescription for a healthier life. Read their book!!! It will enlighten you.

There are many levels to improving your health and even the simplest steps make a difference. For those of you who are doing this cleanse as a family, congratulations. Some folks may not be ready to completely change their diet so below you will find basic steps anyone can do to help their body detoxify more efficiently.

This is a list of what you need to focus on in order of priority.

Breathing exercises: do this at least  1X/day

Water: at least 2 litres daily… Take ½ lemon in water first thing in the morning to increase bile excretion (bile is a natural laxative)

Exercise: do something every day…how about 5 jumping jacks and 10 sit-ups?

Add 2 tbsp of ground flax seeds to your meals through smoothies, in salad, added to soup, or mixed with veggies

Avoid all artificial sweeteners including aspartame, sucralose (Spenda), and acesulfame potassium. These are found in all diet products, many yogurts, gum, mints, Crystal Light water, most flavoured water and many protein bars.

Add veggies like spinach, romaine lettuce, parsley or fresh mint to your smoothies.

Eat at least 1 organic apple a day

Avoid coffee, alcohol, grapefruit juice, stomach acid blockers and antihistamines.  If you are a regular coffee reduce to 1 cup/day and try to drink only organic coffee.

Include at least 1 portion/day of Cruciferous vegetables daily which include watercress, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, kale, arugula, kohlrabi, radish, daikon, and Bok Choy. These assist your liver in detoxification.

Include 1 serving/day of sulfur rich foods such as cabbage, garlic, onions, and beans which also promote liver detoxification

Include glutathione-containing food such asparagus, avocados and walnuts. Glutathione is the most important antioxidant for your liver.

Include high antioxidant foods such as berries, grapes (organic!), beets, cooked tomatoes, pomegranate and organic green tea to prevent free radical damage.

Include liberal amounts of turmeric, cilantro and walnuts in your diet.

Avoid “White” food: white bread, white pasta, white rice, white sugar

Avoid all fried foods including chips, fries, chicken, breaded fish

No dairy unless it is organic

Avoid MSG. It may be listed as: