3 Ways to Lower Your ‘Toxic Load’ & Keep Your Body Balanced!
When I talk about toxic load with clients we talk about every aspect of their health- diet, environment and lifestyle. Because toxins can enter the body from anywhere- your food, your water, your makeup. Your toxic load is the amount of toxins that you come into contact with. Every body will deal with these toxins slightly differently, some people wont have any issues breaking these toxins down and clearing them from the body, but other people will be effected by them and they may be causing hormonal imbalances, digestive disturbances or even neurological changes.
Many issues are caused by a certain type of toxin known as xeno-oestrogens. Xeno-oestrogens are foreign compounds that mimic the functions of our naturally produced hormone- oestrogen. When they enter our body, they attach to our cells' receptors, effecting the natural oestrogen’s functions- impacting hormonal health among many other facets of health.
So how can we protect our bodies from a high toxic load and ingesting xeno-oestrogens?
Below are 3 things to consider with actionable points that you can put into practice today to get your toxic load down.
DITCH THE PLASTIC
Plastic surrounds us. Our food often comes wrapped in it, so does a lot of our water for that matter. A lot of our environment is made up of plastic- seats, bags, cutlery, drink bottles, cups etc.
Because of this plastic overload the chemicals that are found in the plastic can really take a toll on our bodies, so limiting your exposure is important.
Within plastics, especially thin plastics like cling wraps & single use drink bottles, you find many chemicals such as BPA (Bisphenol A) which act as xeno-oestrogens.
ACTION:
Get a reusable drink bottle- preferably made of glass.
Swap out single use food containers or poor quality plastic containers for glass or stainless steel containers.
Never heat your meals in plastic
Use a reusable coffee cup instead of drinking coffee out of plastic lined disposable coffee cups.
GET TO KNOW WHATS BEING PUT INTO YOUR BODY
Body care products such as deodorants, makeup, toothpastes, you name it! They generally contain chemicals, all of which then have to be broken down within your body- because even if you are just putting it on your skin- you’re still absorbing it!
I’m not saying that you have to forgo all of the above, but just to make some simple swaps to reduce your overall exposure.
ACTION:
Use products that are free from parabens (a xenonstrogen) and SLS (sodium laurel sulphate)
Avoid deodorants with aluminium
Swap a general moisturiser for something simple like shea butter or coconut oil.
Choosing more natural make-up- some good brands include inika, eve perez, issada, eco minerals.
BE MINDFUL ABOUT YOUR ENVIRONMENT
Following on from the above points the next best way to reduce your overall exposure is to look at your lifestyle and your environment. Are you a smoker? This will be increasing your toxic load immensely.
Whats your alcohol intake like?
Do you wash your fruit and veg before eating it? Do you buy organic produce?
Do you work in the city and are exposed to more pollution than the average person? Or are you in an occupation that exposes you to more chemicals than normal- ie hairdresser or mechanic.
All of these questions- among many more, can help to determine your toxic load. So all I ask is for you to be mindful about what your body gets exposed to on a daily or weekly basis. And think about how you can reduce your exposure. Sometimes there is no option for reducing your exposure- and thats fine, but there will be areas of your life that you can change to reduce this exposure, and any changes can lead to better health long term.
