Spring In To You
Ah, spring is here! There’s something about the fresh crisp air this time of year and the sweet notes of a soft fragrant breeze that pleasantly reminds me of awakening, cleansing, and the warm sun that is soon to come. This is the time of year that makes us want to stretch and straighten out those old logs of wood we call bones; wakeup, rise, and breathe deep. A time where we look out the window in anticipation of the warm sun, the lush bounty of greenery, of fruits and veggies that will be sure to keep us nourished for months to come: a gift. It is the season that represents love, hope, struggle, and strength. A gentle reminder that we are fragile humans but we can overcome anything, no, every thing. I love this time of year. Not just because of these reasons, but because of its effect on our body too. A few months ago I said spring is the primary season for our hardest working organ, our liver. It is in this season that our relentless liver works the hardest. If there’s any time to support your liver and the detoxification process of your body, it’s now! In January I suggested not to cleanse when your body is in a state of rest. Well friends, our body is waking up, slowly stretching out kinks and reaching for the sun, rising to the occasion. Now is the time to listen closely to your body’s cues. It’s now time to gently and respectfully honour our selves and support our body in its detoxification processes. I can’t tell you how easy and affective this will be to your health.
On some early spring days I wake up with an incredible feeling that my body is ascending slowly from a deep slumber. I feel energy is slowly building up but just enough to remind me that I can spring forward in full swing after all! Some people are so boggled down with extra toxicity that their body is working too hard to have any energy at all. I invite you to consider supporting your body this season by treating yourself with some well-deserved love and healthy habits to kick-start the detoxification process. Forget quick fixes and 7-day detox programs, they are not sustainable and they put incredible pressure on the immune system (and your hard-working liver). The goal is to easily and effectively support your eliminatory organs in a sustainable and long term manner, to detox EVERY day.
Detoxifying is one of the most basic and automatic functions of our body occurring every single second of every day. Toxins are constantly eliminated and neutralized through the liver, colon, kidneys, lymphatic system, lungs, and skin. Unfortunately in this day and age, and our current state of living, we are constantly exposed to toxins in the air, water, and food we eat, where our bodies have a hard time keeping up with its own normal detoxifying process. Our body systems are now overwhelmed to the point that these toxins are no longer eliminating and neutralizing properly, and instead, are now remaining inside our tissues. Toxicity is the cause of all illnesses. It is important to constantly support your eliminatory organs on a daily basis and limit your exposure to toxins regularly. This is why it is crucial to know exactly how, and when to support your body in this process. We’ve already established the when, let’s now focus on the how:
There is one thing to always remember when it comes to the detoxification of our body, our gut is key. Our digestive tract is one of the most integral parts of our health. It is what allows the break down and absorption of food, it is the main part of our immune system (over 70% of our immune system is in our gut), and it houses 100,000 billion viable microbes. Our microbiome (friendly and much needed bacteria) plays a huge role in our health. The billions of microbes that live in our intestines count for approximately 3.5 pounds of our total weight. New research is now showing that we have microbes in every single part of our body, not just the gut. We have ten times more bacteria in our body than we do cells, and we are now discovering that we have one hundred times more viruses within us than we do cells. Isn’t that crazy? So why the war on bugs? Well, I think they have it all wrong, without bugs, we would fall to our demise in a few days. Bugs are compulsory to our survival and so it is crucial to have a balanced microbiome. Why are they so important? To put it simply, our microbiome is what determines how our body responds to our environment.
What truly affects and disrupts our microbiome are antibiotics and antibacterial products. Unfortunately antibiotics are so over-used and mis-used, not just in medicine, but also in our food system, water, and farms that it is literally and collectively disrupting the normal bacteria in our bodies and our soils. Of course there are times we need antibiotics, however, it is one of the major causes of a disrupted microbiome. To truly help your immune system, be aware of how often you are using and consuming antibiotics. When consuming meats, animals from factory farms often are treated with antibiotics, and when we consume these meats we are also consuming small amounts of antibiotics as well. Small doses are the most dangerous. It’s in small low doses that allows bugs to become resistant. Animals raised on pasture and their normal natural environment will not require antibiotics so these are the best choice for consumption. When taking antibiotics, first determine whether you absolutely need it and make sure you are taking it for a bacterial infection (not viral). Be sure to take a high quality human strain probiotic (at least 2 hours away from the antibiotic) and continue for at least 2 months after. Remember, to decrease resistance, always finish the round of antibiotics to the very end even if you are feeling better.
Some antibacterial soaps advertise that they kill 99.9% of bugs, but remember the best way to help our immune system is to keep those hard working bugs! In the end, it’s the bugs that will keep us safe, not the lack there of. The more “clean” we are, the more susceptible we leave our immune system for bigger and badder bugs, and the harder it is for our eliminatory organs to eliminate and neutralize. Antibiotics and antibacterial products kill all bacteria, the good and bad leaving a blank canvas, and if our diet feeds the bad bugs, our immune system is further compromised. Other ways to disrupt our microbiome is an over-working liver and kidneys putting a lot of pressure on the body. Stress, pesticides, herbicides, toxicity, processed refined foods, sugar, and alcohol can put a tremendous burden on our body systems. They all feed the wrong bugs! What we must do to support our body is to feed the right bugs by eating whole nutritious foods, dark green leafy vegetables, foods low in toxicity (check EWG’s list of Clean Fifteen and Dirty Dozen fruits and veg), fiber, high quality fats/omega 3’s, and the right types of protein and carbohydrates. I always tell my clients that half of their plates at every meal should be vegetables and small amounts of fruit.
Along with a solid diet, one of the main ingredients to add long-term is probiotics. Having a normal balanced microbiome is essential to aid in our body’s natural detoxification process. How do you know what probiotics are best? First and foremost, if it’s synthetic, don’t use it. Actually that’s my rule for everything, and that’s rule number one. If it doesn’t exist in nature in the same form, ditch it. I love human strain probiotics, I find it’s more bioavailable and works amazingly. Go to your nearest health food store and ask for the highest quality probiotic. It will be a bit more expensive, but you know what, you are worth it! And, you deserve the best. If there’s one thing to splurge on, let it be this.
One of the best foods for detoxification is bone broth. It is the most healing, nutritious, and one of the cheapest foods in the world. You just can’t go wrong with this one. Bone broth is absolutely packed with high-dense nutrients including a range of minerals, collagen, and amino acids: the foundation of our building blocks, helping us heal on all levels. Eating this on a regular basis will do wonders for your body, reducing inflammation, healing mucous membranes especially of the gut, boosting immune system, and helping your body in its natural detoxification process. Make sure you’re using high quality bones, meaning bones from a free-range animal and pasture raised. To learn how to make bone broth medicinally, email me directly (sherry@seedednutrition.com) for free tips and recipes, or check out the Health Article section on my website (seedednutrition.com).
This spring listen deeply. Allow now to be the beginning of a new self-care and self-love regimen. Just as the seeds in the garden are now struggling to break free and grow into beautiful green plants and bear fruit; with just a little water, some nutrients, and a little love, you too can overcome everything, rise above, and flourish in health.
