Are You Polluted?

We at CHI Health have been looking for Chefs who share our passion for wellness and personal health. Last week, we introduced you to Miriam Sorrell from "Mouthwatering Vegan" and shared a few of her recipes. But we are always trying to give you more, and so our search for quality information continued.

            Yesterday during our research, we were struck by a self-healing blog written by Chef Valerie Adair. Intrigued by her passion for healing through a healthy diet, we contacted her hoping to bring some of her recipes and knowledge to the CHI Health page.

            Her response was thought provoking. Chef Adair was adamant that one of the big reasons that diets fail and supplements don’t work as well as they should is because of toxins in the internal landscape of the body.

            It’s no wonder, she wrote that “With our diets and lifestyles out of balance, it is easy to become discouraged and attaching that discouragement to a product, when the source of the problem is an overly toxic internal environment."

         When we pump our bodies full of additives, chemicals, partially-hydrogenated oils and prescription medications, we are throwing our internal landscape out of whack. These toxins that we ingest act as physical obstacles in the body’s attempt to heal itself.

         And while you can’t avoid every toxin on a daily basis, you can drastically reduce your exposure to them.

         Here are some tips that will help you cut down on your toxin intake:

1.                Knock off the coffee and soda. Opt for an herbal tea.

2.                Buy organic fruits and veggies.

3.                Switch out the meat for a plant-based diet. (If you can’t give up the meat, make sure you are  getting hormone-free, non-processed meat.)

4.                Use raw sugar, Stevia, Truvia or Sucralose, instead of the potentially damaging aspartame found in Equal and NutraSweet.

5.                Be mindful of where your food is coming from and where it is prepared.

         If you feel like you want to do more than the tips listed above, here are a few suggestions for a gentle detox:

1.                Drink lots of water. Some experts suggest drinking as much as 10 glasses a day in attempt to naturally flush your body of toxins.

2.                Drink Green Tea, which is full of antioxidants and also acts as a diuretic to help you clear chemicals from the body.

3.                Exercise. A good sweat will help rid your body of toxic waste and boost your metabolism.

4.                Try our "Bathdetox" - it's a must for those who are serious about detoxing their systems.

5.                Be consistent with your diet and your exercise. A healthy body is all about balance.

Do your body a favor and cleanse your internal environment, so that you can see and feel the effects of both your diet and your supplements.

And don’t miss any of our future installments with Chef Adair as we further explore the world of self-healing nutrition right here on the CHI Health Blog.