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No matter how hard you try, you simply can\u2019t avoid all toxins. Your kids are going to be exposed to toxins on a daily basis, since there are chemicals lurking in food, water, air, schools, playgrounds \u2013 and even in your home. Everyone living in this world has some level of toxicity in their body. Unfortunately, that\u2019s the world we\u2019re living in.<\/p>\n
There are two things you can do to reduce the toxic load in your child\u2019s body \u2013 and yours:<\/p>\n
1 \u2013 Limit Exposures<\/strong><\/p>\n 2 \u2013 Optimize Detoxification<\/strong><\/p>\n Consider the exposures over which you have some control. One of the most important things you can do is buy organic whole foods instead of processed conventional GMO foods. Then take a look at the products that you buy for your home, such as toys, furniture, mattresses<\/a>, bedding<\/a>, cookware, and cleaning products. You can use an air purifier<\/a> to reduce the toxins circulating in the air and in the dust in your home. And a water purifier<\/a> for clean pure water. Body care products like soaps, lotions, shampoo, etc. can contain a lot of chemicals that can be absorbed through your skin. There are many non-toxic alternatives on the market that work just as well or better than the toxic products.<\/p>\n The main organs involved in detoxing are the liver, kidneys, large intestine, lymphatic system, and sweat glands (skin). The body is always<\/strong> working to neutralize and break down the toxins so they can be moved out of the body. So detoxing is happening all the time in a healthy body.<\/p>\n The safest and most effective way to reduce your child\u2019s toxic load is to make changes to their diet to optimize their normal ability to regularly remove toxins.<\/strong><\/p>\n This might sound simple, but detoxing is a very complex process that is completely dependent on adequate nutrients, including enzymes, vitamins, minerals, amino acids, antioxidants, and other compounds. So optimal nutrition is necessary before detoxing. A good balance of healthy microbes in the gut is also necessary to clear toxins from the body.<\/p>\n Many people think that detoxing means removing or eliminating, so they go on cleanses or fasts to remove waste from the body. People can get worse doing cleanses or fasting if they do not have the nutrients needed to detox.\u00a0Extreme fasting and cleansing can be counterproductive and even dangerous in a body that is undernourished.<\/p>\n Gentle detoxing is good, but be cautious about doing intense detoxing with your kids. Extensive detoxing with supplements or chelation may be necessary if your child has a chronic illness, but this should be done under the supervision of a qualified health practitioner.<\/p>\n Gut dysbiosis is an imbalance in the bacteria and other flora in the gastrointestinal tract. This is very common in kids and can be caused by antibiotics, environmental toxins, stress, poor diet, C-section birth, and other issues. If your child\u2019s gut flora is not optimal, their ability to detox is compromised.<\/p>\n It\u2019s common for kids to have genetic mutations called polymorphisms or SNPs that compromise the body\u2019s ability to detox. You can have your child tested, and a nutritional program can be prescribed to normalize the detox process.<\/p>\n As I mentioned, detoxing requires sufficient nutrients. Some kids have specific deficiencies that may need to be addressed with supplementation. You can do lab testing for nutrient levels and work with a knowledgeable health professional to balance your child\u2019s unique nutritional needs. There can also be nutrient overloads and the wrong supplements may make existing issues worse or can create new problems.<\/p>\n A cumulative effect of multiple toxic exposures can overwhelm the body. Some kids have ongoing exposures giving them a bigger body burden than their system can handle.<\/p>\n Mental and emotional stress affects every system in the body, including detoxing. In order to detox efficiently, your child\u2019s stress levels need to be kept at a minimum.<\/p>\n The safe way to optimize detoxification is with food \u2013 specifically unprocessed, organic plant-based foods.<\/p>\n In order to get the nutrients needed for detox, kids need to eat plenty of organic plant foods that are nutrient dense and high in fiber. Eating these foods will support the liver and other detox pathways. It will also allow the gut flora to be healthier and more balanced.<\/p>\n Kids need a variety of colorful fruits and veggies that contain phytonutrients to support detoxing. Phytonutrients are key because they positively affect the liver and other organs and they reduce inflammation and oxidative stress.<\/p>\n It\u2019s good to eat a variety of different colored fruits and vegetables every day. The servings do not have to be large. Small amounts of different colored fruits and vegetables will add up to a wealth of phytonutrients that will make a huge difference.<\/p>\n A fun game for kids is to try to eat all the colors of a rainbow in a day. Let them choose their fruits and vegetables so that they can say at the end of the day they \u201cate a rainbow\u201d.<\/p>\n Particularly important vegetables for detoxing are those containing sulfur. These include garlic, broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables. Add in these foods in as much as you can. Fermented vegetables are also great for balancing the gut flora. Chlorella, cilantro, parsley, beets, ginger, and turmeric are powerful detoxing foods.\u00a0Hint \u2013 you can add some of them to smoothies.<\/p>\n Protein is also essential for detoxification. The body cannot effectively detoxify without amino acids (building blocks of protein) to bind the converted toxins in the liver so they can be carried out of the body. Protein also stabilizes blood sugar. It\u2019s ideal to include some protein in every meal.<\/p>\n Good sources of protein are pastured eggs, wild fish, grassfed meat, and pastured poultry. The quality of animal protein is vital and should always be organic, grassfed, wild, or pastured. Vegetarian sources are miso, natto, tempeh, and hemp or pea protein powders. Beans are a good way to get protein and fiber. Raw, organic nuts and seeds are also great for snacking and added to meals.<\/p>\n Avoid fish with high mercury content. This includes bluefish, grouper, mackerel, marlin, orange roughy, sea bass, shark, swordfish, tilefish, and tuna (canned albacore, yellowfin, bigeye, ahi). Shellfish is often contaminated with mercury and other toxins. Farmed fish may contain hormones, PCBs and other toxic chemicals.<\/p>\n Cold-pressed, organic, non-GMO fats are also important. Fats and oils from avocados, coconut, flaxseed, olives, rice bran, and sesame seeds are essential for detoxification.<\/p>\n It\u2019s important for kids to have healthy elimination \u2013 it\u2019s necessary to keep the bowels moving. They need one to two healthy bowel movements a day. This means they need to eat plenty of fiber and drink plenty of filtered water.<\/p>\n Toxins are removed through pooping, peeing and sweating so make sure this is all happening regularly!<\/p>\n The second step in the optimal diet is to remove toxic foods and food triggers.<\/strong><\/p>\n Organic food is vital to reduce exposure to pesticides, herbicides, and GMOs. Buy foods in season and from local organic farmers. Or better yet, grow your own food.<\/p>\n It\u2019s important to identify any foods that might be causing adverse food reactions in your kids. Removing these foods will reduce inflammation and help the gut to get back in balance, which will support the detox pathways. This is especially important if your child has a chronic illness.<\/p>\n Wheat, dairy and sugar are the biggest culprits in inflammation so it\u2019s important to reduce or remove these foods. There are many other foods that can cause reactions in kids.<\/p>\n You might want to consider an elimination diet.\u00a0This entails temporarily removing suspected foods and\u00a0then adding\u00a0them back one at a time to find\u00a0the foods\u00a0that are tolerated and the foods\u00a0that need to be avoided.<\/p>\n Other safe ways to detox:<\/strong><\/p>\n Epsom salt is magnesium sulfate, a compound comprised of two minerals \u2013 magnesium and sulfur. Both of these minerals are essential in helping to flush toxins from the body. Epsom salt baths can be a safe way to increase levels of both magnesium and sulfate since they can be absorbed through the skin.<\/p>\n How to take an Epsom salt bath:<\/strong><\/p>\n Dissolve 1 or 2 cups of Epsom Salts in a standard size bath with warm (not too hot) water. Soak 2-3 times a week for at least 15 minutes and up to 20-30 minutes. Don\u2019t use soap in the bath and, rather than rinsing off, let the Epsom salt dry and stay on the skin for maximum absorption.<\/p>\n Toxins are released through the skin through sweating. Regular exercise is important. It\u2019s great to let kids work up a sweat with exercise. Jumping on a trampoline or rebounder is a great way to stimulate the lymphatic system to remove toxins.<\/p>\n It\u2019s safe for kids over age six to use infrared saunas for up to 20 minutes. One of the benefits of a quality infrared sauna is that it produces a lower temperature than the conventional type of sauna and the surfaces don\u2019t get hot enough to cause contact burn. But make sure you watch your kids during and after the session to see how they react to the heat.<\/p>\n In addition to detoxing, a sauna can be nurturing and calm the nervous system. A good time for kids to take a sauna is before an evening bath or shower. It can get them relaxed for bedtime.\u00a0Bouncing on a mini-trampoline or rebounder right before a sauna can open up the skin pores and stimulate lymph flow.<\/p>\nLimit Exposures<\/h2>\n
Optimize Detoxification<\/h2>\n
Reasons why kids might have a difficult time detoxing:<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Gut Dysbiosis and Dysfunction<\/h3>\n
Genetic Impairments<\/h3>\n
Nutritional Deficiencies<\/h3>\n
Body Burden<\/h3>\n
Stress<\/h3>\n
Healthy Elimination<\/h2>\n
Avoid Toxic Foods<\/h2>\n
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Food Triggers<\/h2>\n
Epsom salt baths<\/h2>\n
Sweating<\/h2>\n
Infrared Saunas<\/h2>\n
Safety Guidelines for Saunas<\/h3>\n
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