Last week I shared with you some vital information about some of the foods or drinks that you may want to avoid or eliminate from your diet if you are under what I call “toxic stress” (please refer to last week’s blog for specifics).  As a result, many of you reached out to me and asked how to tell whether you are, in fact, being adversely affected by these toxins so I complied a short list (because there are many other signs that are more subtle and some more obvious) of signs and symptoms to beware of regarding your stress and you.

25 SIGNS THAT IT MAY BE TIME FOR YOU TO DETOX…

1)   White or yellow-coated tongue and/or bad breath

2)   Body Odor

3)   Fluid retention

4)   Congested sinuses despite treatment

5)   Distortion in taste perception

6)   Weight gain or difficulty losing weight

7)   Indigestion

8)   Constipation

9)   Cravings (day or night)

10) Inability to regulate blood sugar levels (despite treatment)

11) Gallbladder issues or you had it removed

12) Overheating/excess sweating

13) Acne or rosacea

14) Food allergies with skin irritability (rashes, hives, itchy skin, etc.)

15) Recurrent or unexplained headaches

16) Fatigue or lack of energy

17) Inability to focus or concentrate

18) Short-term memory challenges

19) Irritability or mood swings

20) Depression or anxiety

21) Autoimmune Issues

22) Unexplained soreness or joint stiffness

23) Chemical sensitivity (you are less tolerant of drinking alcohol and/or fragrances make you anxious)

24) Insomnia – especially early morning awakenings such as 1-4 a.m.

25) Sexual Dysfunction

If you have 4 or more of these signs, you may have a congested liver that needs a vacation and I suggest you consult with your doctor to confirm your suspicions. Many eastern medicine remedies are available and some are prescribed for a minimum of 21 days, but I do not suggest ingesting anything unfamiliar without first consulting a health professional.

What You Can Do To Help Detoxify Your Body…

In the interim, while you wait for an appointment to see your doctor, there are some quick and easy changes you can make to your daily routine and basic foods that you may want to incorporate into your diet to help support your liver in cleaning out some of the toxic waste.

1. Drink Plenty of Water.

Without enough water flowing through our systems to carry out wastes and toxins, we would literally drown in our own poisonous metabolic wastes. This may sound alarming, but it is no exaggeration. Even slight dehydration can wear down our systems in ways that seriously compromise our overall quality of life. And water flushes the liver tissues, aiding in removing toxins, and also assists the kidneys during a liver detox, so the liver can focus on its own cleansing. Adding lemon to water can help in the detoxification process, because it stimulates bile to remove toxins.

2. Consume Antioxidants.

Antioxidants are essential for Good Health. Most people throw this term around however, and don’t really know what an antioxidant is and why antioxidants are good for the body. For every molecule of toxin metabolized in the body (such as from cigarette smoke or the pesticides on the grass at a park or at the golf course), you generate one free radical molecule. Free radicals damage DNA and accelerate wear and tear in the body, similar to rust on a car. Taking vitamins C and E, flavonoids, carotenoids, and reduced glutathione helps neutralize the free radicals you’re making each day in response to these toxins. Here are a few of the foods that are rich in flavonoids: berries, parsley, onions, green and black tea, citrus, and dark chocolate. Carotenoids? You can get them from carrots, pumpkin, squash, plantains, spinach, and sweet potato.

3.Consider Adding Cardamom or Cinnamon to your Coffee and other spices known to be helpful for detoxification to your foods.

There are actually 9 spices that have been identified that not only improve the taste and texture our foods, but also act to neutralize or even enhance certain enzymes that are responsible for mechanisms that are a part of the way we process and break down our food and are therefore help get rid of toxins.  These spices are: Tumeric, Cumin, Ginger, Saffron, Rosemary, Horseradish, Cayenne Pepper, Cardamom, and Cinnamon. Like any other food source, please be sure to ingest only a little with foods to test first of you have any allergies or reactions to these spices before you begin incorporating them into your diet regularly, and stop using the offending spice immediately with any sign of allergic reaction or intolerance.

4. Consider adding Broccoli Sprouts into Your Diet.

The sulforaphane in broccoli sprouts is an important part of detoxification within the liver. Broccoli sprouts, in fact, have been referred to as the “DNA whisperer” because they contain a particular sequence of potent anti-cancer elements even though it actually has a lower nutritional content than the full sized broccoli. The sulforaphane, in the sprouts, work as a catalyst to boost enzymes in the body and these detoxification enzymes trigger ongoing antioxidant action for at least 72 hours.

5. Avoid or Reduce Your Consumption of Alcohol.

Alcohol affects and potentially harms the detox pathways within the liver. Recently, a scientific review showed that 4 servings per week reduces live birth by 16 percent in women undergoing in vitro fertilization. Also, women who drink 3 to 6 servings of alcohol per week have a 15 percent greater risk of breast cancer compared to nondrinkers, according to the Nurses’ Health Study.  And even low levels of alcohol confer some risk.

6. Eat 3 servings per day of cruciferous vegetables.

Brussel sprouts, broccoli, cabbage, and cauliflower all help reduce estrogen dominance which support the liver during detoxification.