Delicious Recipes and Foods to Look Beautiful, Lose Weight, and Feel Great
Rockridge Press
Copyright 2013 by Rockridge Press, Berkeley, California
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ISBN: Print 978-1-62315-199-7 I eBook 978-1-62315-200-0
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
D o you often feel fatigued or sluggish? Do you suffer from allergies or red, irritated skin? Is your hair thin or dry, your nails cracked, and your skin rough?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, your body may be in dire need of a detox.
Most dictionaries defines the word detoxification or detox as the removal of a harmful substance (such as a poison or toxin) or the effect of such (Merriam-Webster Online). You may be familiar with the term detox as it applies to drug and alcohol addictions; however, it has another more ubiquitous application. In the modern health and fitness world, the word has become synonymous with cleansethe act of following a particular diet or engaging in certain eating habits to rid the body of accumulated toxins.
Toxins enter your body through a variety of means. Your body absorbs toxins from the air you breathe, the water you drink, the food you eat, the medications you take, and the environments you inhabit. Each and every day your body is exposed to countless toxins that build up in your body over time, hampering the bodys healthy function and affecting your appearance. This accumulation of toxins has been linked to skin problems, hormonal disturbances, weight gain, and even increased risk for serious diseases, including cancer.
By changing the way you eat and by managing the substances you expose your body to, you can cleanse yourself of accumulated toxins. Detox diets are becoming increasingly popular as a means of promoting healthful weight loss, but they provide other significant health benefits as well. By detoxifying, you can boost your metabolism and improve the way you function. Cleansing will also improve the health of your skin, hair, and nails, and it may also decrease your risk of developing reproductive disorders and chronic diseases.
In this book, you will learn how toxins enter your body and how following a detox diet can drastically improve your health and appearance. You will also find a collection of healthful, beautifying recipes, as well as a chapter about how movement, massage, and even breathing exercises can detoxify your body. Once youve finished this book, you will be well equipped and ready to start your own detox.
P A R T 1
Beauty from the Inside Out
IDENTIFYING TOXINS
A toxin is a harmful substance that, even in small doses, can cause serious health problems. When your body is functioning at its highest level, your liver, kidneys, and immune system collaborate to remove toxins as they enter your body. If the intake of toxins exceeds the capacity of your body to handle them, however, the toxins will accumulate until your body can deal with them. It is possible for your body to store toxins for years, and eventually the burden of doing so will become too great, and you will begin to feel the negative effects. As the toxins continue to accumulate, if you do not detox, your body may shut down.
There are a number of different types of toxins, some that are natural, and others that are chemically manufactured. Toxins with a biological origin are called biotoxins, and they serve two primary purposes: predation and defense. Predators such as snakes, scorpions, spiders, and wasps produce venom that often contains some kind of hemotoxin, necrotoxin, or neurotoxin. Hemotoxins destroy blood cells, while necrotoxins destroy tissues of all types, including skin and muscle tissue. Neurotoxins affect the nervous system. Other types of biotoxins include cyanotoxins (produced by cyanobacteria), apitoxin (produced by honey bees), mycotoxins (produced by fungi), and cytotoxins such as ricin, which attack at the cellular level.
Almost every time we step outside, put something in our mouth, or apply something to our skin, we are exposing our bodies to toxins. Toxins are present in the air we breathe, the food we eat, and even the environment around us.
The word toxin can also be applied to a number of man-made chemicals and compounds. Chemical agents such as herbicides, pesticides, insecticides, and fungicides contain toxic substances, as do many cleaning products, preservatives, detergents, and paints. You may be shocked to hear that the food you eat is also likely to contain either natural or man-made toxins.
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