How to Boost Your Immunity and Reduce Toxins
Cleansing is vital in this toxic world.
After so many years of struggling with poor digestive health, I focused simply on digestion. But then one day the light went off in my head. I realized that to have good digestion, you must be cleansing properly.
You see, cleansing is a natural step toward a better digestion. Good digestion leads to less inflammation, and less inflammation leads to fewer GI issues, fewer injuries, and less disease. Let me say it again, decrease the inflammation and prevent disease.
Hippocrates said it best: “All disease begins in the gut.”
If this is true and disease begins in the gut, aka your digestive system, then having a healthy and strong digestion is key.
But let me share a secret with you - when your body is toxic, your digestive system is weak.
So even if you eat “clean” and only buy organic and hormone-free foods, you are still breathing toxicity in this world.
We live, eat and breathe toxicity every day. Look around your home and think of the paint on the walls, the rugs, the pesticides sprayed on the green grass, the exterminator to get rid of the bugs.
Even if you are chemical-free in your home, is your make-up free?
Even if you are doing your best to live a chemical-free life, we are still alive, and that means eating, breathing, and sleeping in a toxic environment.
Unless you feel that are ready to live in a bubble or a hyperbaric chamber, then it is time to wake up to what I call, "daily cleansing."
Now cleansing is not a curse word or anything to be scared about. Instead, it is exciting to think about your body and cells actually functioning. I do not tell people that cleansing has to be living on juices, or water only, or only smoothies or just salad or soup.
Rather, cleansing is about lessening the toxic load in your body. As I say, “It's taking out the trash.”
When we are toxic, our body cannot perform its job. The body cannot metabolize properly, cleanse properly, absorb nutrients and minerals, or stay hydrated. It is a vicious cycle. See, cleansing is necessary to be healthy, happy and free of disease.
We all have some low-level inflammation because again we breathe, but even more so, we stress in this busy world. And depending on the activities you do, and how you manage your stress levels, your inflammation levels can be higher (or lower) than others.
Every time you stress you create acid in your body.
Your body is then forced to pull minerals to buffer the acid waste. The liver, lymph and kidneys begin to work hard to filter out the toxic load.
But what happens when the body is tired and clogged?
When your digestive system is not working and cannot break down these foods, it cannot focus on getting RID of TOXINS. That means you cannot get rid of bloat and fat and skin breakouts and all that jazz that keeps you tired.
Toxins > Weak Digestion > Weak Immune =
Difficult weight management
Constipation/diarrhea
Gas/bloating
Headaches
Low energy
Low sex drive
Bad skin
Heartburn/reflux
Moodiness/depression
Get where I am going with all of this?
By seasonally cleansing you will improve digestion and free your body of inflammation and toxins in the process.
The foundation of seasonal cleansing is NOT to ever feel deprived or starved. The goal is to help you do what I have learned to do in my own life: learn how to eat clean and learn what foods are irritating your body.
Now that you’ve learned a little more about the benefits of cleansing, how can you start bringing it into your daily life?
Here are a few of my favorite ways to stay healthy and cleanse naturally:
Upon waking, drink a lemon elixir. Fill a glass with warm or room-temperature water with lemon and 1 tsp raw apple cider vinegar (if tolerated) and add a dash of cinnamon or cayenne.
Start your day by setting an intention through meditation. This is your opportunity to find stillness within yourself even just for one minute - and say “I release what does not serve me.” Place your hand on your heart as you say this out loud. Scream if it you need to, own that power.
Drink fresh green juices or make your own green juice by mixing 1 tbsp. chlorophyll with lemon and lime and water.
Aim for one meal that is super easy on your digestion per day like a smoothie, green juice or soup. Give that digestion a rest.
Get moving and shaking. Yes, exercise is one of the best ways to detox your body.
Drink plenty of water and add lemon, lime or grapefruit to flush the toxicity.
Dry skin brushing is my favorite way to support the liver and get rid of those toxins.
Tongue scraping.
Be truly happy and grateful for life.
Naomi Nakamura is a Functional Nutrition Health Coach. She helps passionate, ambitious high-achievers who are being dragged down by fatigue, burnout, sugar cravings, poor sleep, unexplained weight issues, and hormonal challenges optimize health, find balance, and upgrade their energy so they can do big things in this world.
Through her weekly show, The Live FAB Live Podcast, programs, coaching, and services, she teaches women how to optimize their diet, support their gut health, reduce their toxic load, and improve their productivity, bringing work + wellness together.
Naomi resides in the San Francisco Bay Area and can often be found exploring the area with her puppy girl, Coco Pop!
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