11 Ways to Detox & Get More Energy

What does detoxification have to do with energy? Janet Jacks shares her knowledge with us to help us increase our energy and improve our detoxification!    

In our grandparents’ day, detoxification meant clearing out internal toxins and sluggishness that had accumulated over the long winter months. Today, a yearly or twice yearly detox protocol can lower our toxic load, but the daily bombardment of man-made, external toxins may require some ongoing assistance to protect our precious health and to help the body cope. We may worry about our heart, our kidneys or our bones, but we pay rare attention to one of the most important organs of all…the liver. Perhaps that is because an overworked liver (which today’s environment too easily creates) may produce only a few vague symptoms that we do not directly link to the liver, such as fatigue, constipation, or emotional distress. Yet, the liver is the central clearing house of the body, responsible not only for removing toxins from the bloodstream, but also for ‘packaging up’ these toxins so that they can be effectively -- and safely -- removed from the body  (i.e. stage 1 and stage 2 of the detox cycle). To do this, the liver needs our ongoing help.  

The liver is a dome shaped gland – the largest in the body – that sits at the lower edge of the right rib cage. It’s constantly bombarded with toxic chemicals coming not only from within but also especially from the environment: from medications, chemicals from food, fumes or cleaning products, hormones (including our own), and by-products of metabolism.  Our body cannot function without a liver.  It filters almost two litres of blood per minute.  And, if the bowel is not eliminating toxins at least daily, then these are re-absorbed into the blood, putting a yet larger burden on the liver, so supporting the other detox pathways of the body, including the GI tract, supports the liver as well.  

We have an incredible opportunity to protect our bodies, lower our risk of disease, and boost our energy, all at the same time! Diet, herbs and other gentle remedies cleanse and strengthen the liver, and that in turn lowers our toxic burden. Here are some easy and important helps for the liver that you can incorporate into your daily routine:  

• Dandelion (yes, that persistent weed!) is a wonderful herb to stimulate liver function and promote bile flow. Use dandelion juice (1-2 Tbsp. at a time) or extract, or drink dandelion tea two to three times a day
  • NAC is a powerful liver detoxifier, and together with glycine it helps make important glutathione to protect and detoxify the cells from within.
  • Indole-3-carbinol (the powerhouse component of sulphur-containing vegetables) and calcium d-glucarate are two important and specific supplements for removing harmful xenoestrogens…chemicals that have harmful, hormone-like activity in the body.
  • Milk thistle is a powerful antioxidant which helps regenerate the liver and protect it from free radical damage
  • Alpha lipoic acid is the king of antioxidants and an important protector of the liver
  • Artichokes (fresh or use artichoke juice) stimulate bile flow
  • Avoid margarine and shortening…use quality, unrefined essential fats only
  • Eat lots of sulphur-containing vegetables (onions, garlic, turnips, etc.)
  • Green, slightly bitter vegetables like endive, collards and dandelion greens are important. Or, use Swedish bitters for powerful benefits
  • All green food supplements cleanse and rebuild; spirulina, wheat or barley grass, and chlorella are among the best
  • Lemon water that can be made by squeezing half a fresh lemon into purified water restores PH balance

Improve your diet, adopt new habits, add in several of these cleansing herbs, and create an internal environment conducive to rejuvenation and health. Your risk of disease will diminish, and your energy will increase.  

Genuine Health Greens+ daily detox is one way that you can meet your daily needs for nutrient-packed detoxifying power, in one easy product. It not only provides all the research-proven benefits of greens+, but also contains more than a dozen important nutrients and herbs that assist today’s important detox challenges.  It has been formulated to give antioxidant support; provide gentle, daily, full body detoxification; target both phase 1 and  phase 2 detoxification;  provide probiotics for the GI tract; and boost energy three ways: through the proven power of greens+ nutrient-rich formula; through the lowering of the body’s toxic load, and through enabling the liver to better perform its important functions. This is a gradual, sustained increase in energy that reflects your growing wellbeing.  

Only you can take care of your body, and give it what it needs. Your body will reward you with the vitality and energy we all want to have.  

Janet Jacks is the founder of Goodness Me! natural food markets. She is the host of the popular radio show “Just For the Health of It”,  heard Saturday mornings at 8:00 a.m. on 900 CHML. She is also the author of the best-selling Discover the Power of Food.