Hello,
I'm Charlotte Watts.
Welcome to these podcasts that were first broadcast live in my Facebook group Charlotte Watts Calm.
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Please look at my website charlottewattshealth.
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Hello,
I wanted to talk to you this morning about detoxification and what it really means because it often gets banded about as a kind of regime for clearing things up or for being good after times that we've been maybe not so good.
And the implication there may be that we don't always detoxify.
And yet detoxification is something that we are doing all of the time.
Every nanosecond we're alive.
It's an incredibly crucial part of our survival is getting rid of that which essentially can damage us,
Can interfere with body processes,
Functions,
Even mutate DNA.
So rather than viewing detoxification as something that we would choose to do and see it as something that is a particular phase in life,
Understanding how we are always and constantly detoxifying really helps us to support that capacity and support our body functions as they're always happening.
So one of the ways that we really support how we let go of that which doesn't serve us,
Which gets in the way of healthy function is to support digestive processes.
So we take in through our mouths that which potentially can nourish us depending on the quality of food.
And then the gut wall is making decisions in terms of what it takes in what it deems as nourishment.
And then what it doesn't need or doesn't feel digestible is eliminated out through the stool.
And obviously sometimes things are taken in that aren't particularly healthy for us,
But we also take in toxins and damaging particles through the breath,
Through the skin.
And so other detoxification processes are happening in every single cell.
So just like us as a whole,
Each cell is taking in that which nourishes and releasing or ejecting that which can potentially cause harm.
And also that which is a byproduct of energy production.
So is like our exhaust if you like.
So it's very important to realize that if we are exercising more or if we are in higher stress,
If we're basically running our body in more kind of excitory tones,
Which is what the stress response does,
Then we're creating more exhaust,
More byproducts,
Which can also be damaging to cells.
So that the more we exercise,
The more we need to support detoxification processes and also have antioxidants in the diet that help quench the free radicals,
The damaging particles that are part of that byproduct of energy production.
So sometimes a bit of a fallacy with an exercise that the more you exercise,
The more the body kind of takes care of itself and we don't need to eat as well.
And we can kind of get away with it often because it's seen in the realms of weight.
But actually the higher we're running our system in terms of action,
The more supportive we need to be and the more we need to support detoxification,
Which also includes factors that are naturally inflammatory and naturally help us heal and repair after the exertion and the breaking down of tissues that is part of exercise.
So the other ways that we detoxify once things have come into the body,
Into the bloodstream and once they have been moved through cells just in the natural metabolism of their function is through the liver.
And the liver has two phases in terms of detoxification.
Phase one where everything just comes in indiscriminately and then phase two where after that first phase of things being broken down into components that are more easily detoxified,
Then it will go through one of four pathways in phase two.
And those all deal with different types of chemicals and they rely on different types of nutrients.
And an interesting aside there is that the pathway that breaks down used estrogens in the body is the same one that breaks down alcohol.
So for those who have,
For those women who tend to,
What often gets referred to as estrogen dominance,
Which might be difficult periods or more tendencies to depression or mood swings or heavy periods or sore breasts,
Alcohol can exacerbate that because alcohol will always be prioritized to detoxify.
Body wants alcohol out,
It's a neurotoxin.
So alcohol can actually raise circulating estrogen and exacerbate estrogen related issues including breast cancer risk.
So supporting this phase two liver detoxification is one of the most important and healthy things that we can do for our body's general function,
Its ability to clear out that which gets in the way of us feeling most energy and best mood and most regulated immune function.
And so things like cruciferous vegetables are really,
Really key in here.
So that's the broccoli,
Cabbage,
Pak choi,
Sprouts,
And also opening that up to other vegetables within the mustard family like watercress and even spinach.
But anything that's got a big green leafy veg is an incredibly important part of our basic and evolutionary diet to help us function on many levels and particularly including liver detoxification.
Sulfur containing foods are really helpful for all cells and liver detoxification.
So back to those cruciferous vegetables again,
But also beans and pulses,
Garlic,
Leeks,
The onion family,
And also sulfur proteins within eggs and meat.
So very good quality organic well-sourced versions of those if you do eat them.
And having those in our diet as a kind of mainstay is really important for liver function as is omega-3 oils that are found in nuts and seeds,
Which also have good amounts of soluble fiber in there that are really important for then clearing out that which the liver detoxifies as it comes through the bile and then out through the bowel.
So it's really important to have a support healthy bowel function to detoxify and take out that which the cells in the liver are passing through in completion,
Actually remove that from the body.
So lemon juice and other bitter and sour foods are other components that are really helpful to get bile flow going from the liver and help break down fats in the bowel as well as support healthy digestion and elimination in that way.
And plenty of fluids,
Hydration is what keeps our detoxification capacity up,
Which keeps moving liquids through the bowel and also supports health hydration on the gut wall.
So it supports how the health of the microbiome,
The gut bacteria also are involved within detoxification.
And the more that we can have soluble fiber in the diet from things like beans and pulses and plenty of vegetables,
The more we're able to support that healthy movement through the bowel and also support blood sugar balance,
Which means we tend to crave less of the sugars and junk fats that actually interfere with detoxification at quite a great rate.
So a few other foods that really help detoxification are really useful to include regularly within our diets are turmeric and green tea and foods that have a lagic acid in which are really good for phase two liver detoxification.
So that is particularly raspberries which are absolutely incredible for phase two detoxification,
But there's also a lagic acid found in lesser amounts in strawberries and green tea.
So that's a good kind of overall.
You can also take the herb milk thistle,
Which is a really good and safe herb to take with medications and a long traditional history of supporting detoxification factors.
You can also take turmeric capsules and artichoke,
Another great food for detoxification,
But also really good to take in capsules if you just want something that supports your detoxification in the background.
