Welcome Spring … goodbye toxins

Did you know that 9 out of 10 Americans have detectable sources of the toxin Bisphenol A (BPA)?

The upcoming spring season signals the beginning of a desire for not only cleaning our home but detoxing our body’s. Toxins like BPA are only one of many that interferes with the bodies natural hormonal signaling.

Spring is the perfect time to ask yourself the following questions:

“Do I wake up in the morning refreshed and re-energized to take on the day?”

“Am I free of digestive issues like, GERD, IBS, or gas and bloating?”

“Is my body at a weight that I’m happy with?

If you answered yes to all these questions, congratulations!

But, if you answered no to one or more of these questions, now is the perfect time to step into action.

Just as the spring season is a cue to rummage through our house and decide what to throw away, what to keep, and what needs a fresh coat of paint, we can do the same for our overall health.

Detox your environment … reduce toxins

It’s easier to first start with reducing toxins coming into our body. What are toxins? Definitions of toxins include poisonous biological entities transferred through ingestion like botulism.

For the purpose of this article the working definition is:

Toxins are harmful or poisonous non-biological substances such as a pollutant.

Start your spring cleanse by reducing the toxins lurking in your home, work, or car.  You get two for the price of one if we start with cleansing our personal environment, an organized area and opportunity to enhance our health.

Four ideas for reducing toxins

1. Begin with a cupboard cleanse

What would I find if I looked in your cupboards?

We start with a cupboard cleanse since this small clean up produces big results. Some typical items to look closer at are:

Canned foods – if they don’t say BPA free, there not.

Most canned or tinned foods contain the chemical and recognized hormone disruptor BPA.

A hormone disrupter has a structure that is similar to a hormone. For BPA, it mimics the hormone estrogen. However, the body doesn’t recognize this mimicry. It treats the BPA as estrogen and let’s it into cells that were meant for estrogen.

BPA has been linked to everything from breast and other cancers to reproductive problems, obesity, early puberty and heart disease.

If you use canned foods – look for cans that are BPA free such as Eden Organic Beans and Wild Plant Tuna.

Next, do you have any of the following in your cupboard?

• Cake mixes
• Commercial pies
• Butterscotch chips
• Commercial frostings
• Ready-to-eat canned puddings
• Certain instant and regular puddings
• Hard candies
• Colored marshmallows
• Flavored carbonated beverages

These foods are suspect to containing a synthetic dye, referred to as FD&C Yellow No. 5 or tartrazine. You’ll need to read ingredient lists to determine which processed foods contain this additive.

This particular artificial color is frequently cited as causing hives, skin itching, stomach pain, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. A severe reaction may result in swelling of your lips and tongue, as well as difficulty swallowing or breathing.

What about sugar? There are numerous articles stating that sugar is a toxin. That’s hyperbole because a sugar molecule does not cause harm by itself. If it was, every time we eat fruit we’d be loading our body with a toxin.

However, when sugar hangs out with some shady characters, like flour, certain fats, and salt, it can take on addictive “bad boy” characteristics.

These foods, like cookies and ice cream, become toxic since they squeeze out eating food that provide nutritious elements like vitamins, minerals and fiber. Plus, they overstimulate our dopamine reward system making us desire this food even when were full.

Another example of sugar gone bad – daily use of sugar sweetened beverages (SSB).  Recent statistics show that 1 in 3 Americans drink at least one sugar-laden soda or other sweetened drinks every day.  SSB’s have been shown to increase the risk of developing heart disease, diabetes, and obesity. This easy step is one example of how to rid your body of a “engineered toxic” food and reap huge health benefits.

2. Time for a Desk Do-Over!

The stash in a work desk can tell a lot about the person. What would your desk drawers tell others about you?

Toss items with artificial sweeteners like Splenda or Equal. Current research questions artificial sweeteners negatively altering the bacterial neighborhood in our gut. This change can lead to digestive disorders and even prevent weight loss.

Look out for vending machine “health halo” foods like microwave popcorn. The lining contains PFAS’s (perfluoroalkyl substances).

The research suggests that the maternal serum concentration of PFAS’s during pregnancy may be associated with poorer brain development in children. Given that these products are not tested prior to use in food products, a precautionary approach is prudent.

Better choices for your desk stash include single serve tuna packets by Wild Planet, McDougall’s Organic Oatmeal packets, and single-serving packets of nuts.

3. Purse Purge

What’s lurking at the bottom of your purse, tote, briefcase or backpack? Tossing a nutrition bar into your bag is a no brainer for the busy individual. Thinking ahead for a snack is a great idea, just look to see what’s in that bar.

The majority of nutrition bars are nothing more than glammed up candy bars – the addition of protein to a bar doesn’t negate the high amount of sugar they contain.

This is another example of how sugar can be morphed into a toxin.

For lip stick wearers, did you know that a study showed that girls and women reapply their lipstick and gloss up to 20 times per day? Why does this matter? Most lipsticks contain at least a trace of lead, a known neurotoxin.

Another study finds a wide range of brands contain as many as eight other metals, from cadmium to aluminum. Now experts are raising questions about what happens if these metals are swallowed or otherwise absorbed on a daily basis.

A FDA study published in 2012 revealed that 400 shades of popular lipstick contained trace amounts of lead. The study identified five lipsticks made by L’Oreal and Maybelline, (both owned by L’Oreal USA), as ranking among the top 10 most contaminated of the cosmetics.

This matters because this represents chronic long-term use, not a short-term exposure. The metals are contaminants that are present in the pigments and base materials used to make the products. Because the metals are not ingredients, cosmetics companies are not required to list them on products’ ingredient labels.

One way to decrease exposure, use minimal amounts, try not reapply several times throughout the day. Plus, don’t let children play with lipstick.

4. Car Cleanse (no water needed)

Some people spend more time in their car than at home or work. As a former road warrior, my experience showed that fellow warriors often had back seats filled with empty candy bar wrappers, bags of chips, bottled water, energy drinks, and even bags from fast food stops.

Cleansing your car of these “leftovers” is step one. Step two is to start making choices that reduce your toxic load. For example, switch out water bottles for either glass-protected reusable holders or stainless steel; swap a candy bar for a Kind Bar (many have 6 grams of sugar or less); and plan for snacks by keeping a cooler full of organic plain Greek Yogurt and fresh fruit.

Next step to reduce toxins …

These steps are only the beginning of discovering how detoxing your food, environment, thoughts, and actions can transform your body, health, and life.

Next Clean Eating program starts in spring where you’ll discover more about detoxing your body with whole foods and discover easy practices to free your brain of toxic influences to ease stress and anxiety.

Bonnie Roill helps women discover foods that can re-balance their hormones to create a healthier weight, increased vitality, restorative sleep, a happier tummy, and more enjoyable days without constant deprivation, total elimination, or semi-starvation. Visit her website https://www.B3Nutrition.com and receive a free gift!