Inflammation and detoxing: What you need to know – Health and Wellness Nashville

By Dr. Christina Rahm

With the holidays just around the corner, and the traditional overabundance of pies, cakes, and cookies within reach, I want to talk about the effect that too much sugar can have on the body (along with increased inflammation), and the importance of detoxing to improve overall health, functionality, and well-being.

Inflammation is a normal part of our body’s response to many issues, including injury, illness, disease, infection, and external invaders like toxic substances. While inflammation helps promote healing in response to injury, inflammation without injury, caused by chronic ailments and environmental toxins, can harm a healthy body.

So, what primarily causes inflammation? Environmentally, a variety of sources can trigger inflammatory responses, including bacteria, toxins, viruses, and fungi, as well as clinical disorders such as heart disease, obesity, and diabetes. Sugar is another well-known perpetrator causing inflammation, which can also lead to health anomalies over time, including diabetes.

In general, detoxification is the process of removing toxins from the body. Toxins can come from chemicals, pollutants, and a myriad of other substances that can accumulate over time and lead to a variety of health issues. The body is designed to naturally detoxify itself through the liver, kidneys, skin, lungs, and digestive system. However, it can often become overwhelmed by too many toxins, a poor diet, and other lifestyle factors such as smoking. As a result, the body’s detoxification processes can become impaired and lead to additional inflammation, causing health issues.

According to the Cleveland Clinic, the average American consumes around 17 teaspoons of added sugar per day. The current dietary guidelines suggest limiting added sugars to less than 10 percent of your daily caloric intake. By reducing the amount of sugar you eat (and drink), and specifically food items with ‘added sugars,’ you can easily take steps to help mitigate inflammation.

Consuming a diet high in simple sugars can rapidly raise your blood sugar and increase insulin levels, which promotes a pro-inflammatory state. While there are obvious sources of added sugars in candy, cookies, and soda, the following are examples of foods with added sugar you might not suspect:

Crackers, bread, and granola bars
Salad dressings.
Yogurt.
Cereals
Sport Drinks

How to lower your sugar intake

To lower your intake of sugar, pay close attention to food labels:

Ingredient lists: If you see sugar or some form of syrup listed among the first three ingredients, you are most likely headed for a sugar overload.
Nutrition facts: Look for foods that have less than 4 grams of added sugar per serving.

Comparable to sugar, there are many other foods that tend to increase inflammation, including unhealthy fats such as:

Trans-fatty acids
Vegetable shortening
Margarine
Red meat (beef and pork)
Cheese, cream, and full-fat dairy products

Incorporating anti-inflammatory foods such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and healthy fats (fatty fish, nuts, and seeds) can also support a healthier anti-inflammatory response. Also, by eating antioxidant-rich fruits, like blueberries and oranges and cruciferous vegetables, including tomatoes and leafy greens, you can also help protect the body from toxins and reduce inflammation.

According to WEBMD, an anti-inflammatory diet will produce anti-inflammatory effects while reducing the risk of diabetes. Food with those natural properties includes:

Soybeans and oysters.
Olive, flaxseed, and canola oil
Avocados
Walnuts

Supplements can also be used to help improve detoxification and reduce inflammation, including ginger, garlic, rosemary, turmeric, and basil. Plus, herbs like dandelion and milk thistle are known to eliminate harmful substances to support detoxification.

Finally, for additional detoxing support, try Clean Slate, a proprietary, zeolite-based based patented detoxing formula with added silica and Vitamin C, manufactured by The ROOT Brands®. This product is sold worldwide, and designed to eliminate toxins, pathogens, bacteria, and fungus to support passive cleansing. Go to www.therootbrands.com/purelivingroot.