Detox Part 2

The next part in my rant about detoxing, elimination.
In the previous post, I talked about two of three ways our bodies were designed to eliminate toxins naturally, exhaling and our skin. I hope you found this helpful.

The processes of eliminating is something we tend to find funny, uncomfortable, we do not want to talk about, but we are going to. Why? Because this is VERY important! By pooping, our bodies ride themselves of very dangerous toxins as well as many other toxins produce naturally by our bodies. By peeing, we also rid the body of toxins.

Let us being with peeing. The urinary system is there to help clean the blood, among other duties. Once the blood has been cleaned, the toxins, dead cells, anything our bodies need to ride themselves of, goes to the bladder and then we pee. Of course, one of the best ways of increasing our urination, is by drinking water, other fluids and food. The questions is always, how much water should I be drinking? This depends on the person, your activity level, how much you are sweating, what types of food you consuming, how much alcohol and caffeine you drink. A good rule of thumb is, you want your urine to be light, pale yellow in color. Too dark and you are dehydrated, no color and you might be consuming to much water, there is a balance. Like with anything, to much water can be a bad thing. We can really mess up the balance of electrolytics with too little or too much water. I do talk more about water in this post. 


Foods do contain water, except for processed foods. When we eat veggies, fruit, meat, dairy, we are taking in water with these. This will decrease our need for water. When it is a hot summer day, one of the foods we tend to crave is watermelon. This is because there is water in this fruit as well as other minerals to help with the balance of electrolytes. Watermelon quenches our thirst and gives us good vitamins and minerals, keeping everything in balance. This is one example of eating food that will decrease the amount of water we need to drink. Really, the best way to know how much water to drink, is by the color of your pee. Everyone is different.

Let's move on. How often do you poo? You should be about two to three times daily, after each meal. Are you? Is it difficult? Do you have diarrhea? Are you only going once a week? These are all symptoms of issues, some of these can be big issues.

When we poo, our bodies get ride of fat soluble toxins. Fat soluble toxins are some of the worst we have and they are everywhere. In fact, most of our modern toxins are fat soluble. Understanding why it is SOOO important to flush poo down the toilet? Not only are external toxins fat soluble, but so are some that our bodies make naturally. The easiest way to eliminate these toxins is by defecating. When we do not go for long periods, these toxins are reabsorbed by the body. Nasty. If they are not bad enough the first time around, they are even worse the second or third or fourth time around. This makes our bodies even more toxic, which causes more illness. If you have a yeast overgrowth, these darn little things can permeate your gut wall, allowing even more toxins to escape into your body. Not good. We need to rid our bodies of the waste daily.

Now that we know we want to poo two to three times a day, what can be done to help the body with this issue?
This goes beyond taking in more fiber, especially from grains. This step could actually be making your constipation worse. I know it is always touted, eat more whole grains and this will fix your constipation. Well, not so fast. If you have celiac or gluten intolerance this can make you worse. Be sure to be tested for celiac first, then you do not have to go back on the grains. I discussed more on these issues with these posts, Celiac and Gluten Intolerance, and two on Grain or Not to Grain and the second.
A deficiency in vitamins and minerals can cause you to be constipated. Magnesium being one of the top contenders. Magnesium is important not only for sleep and preventing migraines, but elimination as well. Without it, we are constipated. One of the best ways to take magnesium is actually from the skin. Soaking in Epsom salt can help as well as applying magnesium oil to the skin. What I found works great is putting magnesium on a cotton ball and rubbing it on my under arms and rib cage area, best places for absorption. It will tingle and possible burn a little. Be aware, this can help clean you out. Be sure you are taking enough water, salt and potassium to prevent dehydration and other serious side effects of diarrhea. Not all diarrhea is a sign of something bad. Sometimes it is because our bodies are trying to get rid of something, toxic, a bug a virus, in these cases, it is good. Just take necessary precautions as you should already be aware of. Deficiencies in fat soluble vitamins can also contribute to constipation.
Be sure you are drinking enough water. This will soften the stool and make it easier to eliminate.
Yeast over growth can hamper your elimination.
A toxic, overworked liver. More on steps to detoxing the liver later.
Make sure you are eating enough fat and protein. Our bodies need fat to help make bile, which helps with elimination. Protein is also very important. If you are not eating enough protein, you will be constipate, try eating more animal protein.
Veggies and fruit have good sources of fiber which feed our gut flora and help clean out.
Live cultures from foods like raw milk, kefirs, kombucha, real yogurt or supplements.
Avoid eating processed foods and sugar, other than real fruit, raw honey, stevia.
Medications can also cause constipation. If you suspect this, talk with your doctor and see if another medication can be used, if you even really need the medication or what else can be done.
Aloe vera is packed with nutrients, one of the most nutrient dense foods, and helps clean the body.

This is by means an exhaustive list, just some things to get you started. If you have any further questions, feel free to contact me, or talk with your doctor.

Saving the world one stick of butter at a time.  
Many blessings from God,
Jenn