Toxins - Metals

Metals have played an important role in medicine for years, ever since humans have walked the planet. Many are essential in our diets in varying quantities, although people have only recently realised their significance. This could probably be attributed to our increased awareness of our personal and families’ health, and increased media involvement in our lives.

However at the other extreme, certain metals remain toxic in trace amounts, which can enter the body via a variety of routes and often cannot be excreted leading to metal toxicity. Until recently many people were unaware of the full extent of the risk of metal toxicity, for example in the use of lead piping in houses; the legacy of which continues to this very day.

Toxic Substances Are Part of Our Everyday lives

Toxic substances are very much a part of our everyday lives, and everyone uses/eats/drinks them, so they are publicly accepted. This means we tend to not think about them, or what they are doing to our health, because everyone else accepts them too. Tacit approval.

So this may shake you up a little. Have a look at the US National Toxicology Program at http://ntp-server.niehs.nih.gov/ntpweb/ . This is a government program that conducts testing, and issues reports on the impact of toxins on public health, carcinogens, evaluation of risks to human reproduction, and more.

This is scary stuff! We need to detox!

Toxins and Frequent Flyers

How many toxins are there in the place where you work, for hours each day?
Airconditioning, cleaning agents, chemicals in the upholstery, the list can go on and on. You are not only breathing these in, they also enter your body through your skin. You cannot avoid them.

Need to travel for your work? Consider this :

Toxic air recirculates in commercial jet cabins

The toxicity in airplane air is a combination of jet fuel, hydraulic fluid leaks, engine lubricant oil, cleaning compounds, and pesticides that are sprayed on passengers and crew as a landing requirement in many countries.

Diana Fairechild’s workplace was on various aircraft, as an international flight attendant. In 1987, after flying 10 million miles as an international flight attendant, Diana was "medically grounded" from pesticide poisoning on airplanes. She has written an excellent book “Jet Smarter”, which covers the things that affect passengers today: jet lag, airliner air quality, toxic sprays, radiation, electromagnetic fields, altitude, pressurization, dehydration, G-forces, noise and much more. Then the book tells you what to do about them. Diana reveals the risks and how to minimize them.

My point is that toxins are everywhere! Unless you want to live in the middle of nowhere, and use and eat only organic products (and this would only be minimizing the amount of toxins you receive - you will still receive some), you MUST detox for the sake of your health. Do it now before your body gets a toxic overload and you become ill. The best, most natural way to detox is a juice detox.

BANANAS Are Amazing

When you compare a banana to an apple, it has four times the protein, twice the carbohydrates, three times the phosphorus, five times the vitamin A and iron, and twice the other vitamins and minerals. It is also rich in potassium and is one of the best value foods around. So maybe its time to change that well-known phrase so that we say, "A banana a day keeps the doctor away!"

Bananas contain three natural sugars - sucrose, fructose and glucose combined with fibre, a banana gives an instant, sustained and substantial boost of energy. Research has proven that just two bananas provide enough energy for a strenuous 90-minute workout. No wonder the banana is the number one fruit with the world's leading athletes.

But energy isn't the only way a banana can help us keep fit. It can also help overcome or prevent a substantial number of illnesses and conditions, making it a must to add to our daily diet.

Depression: According to a recent survey undertaken by MIND amongst people suffering from depression, many felt much better after eating a banana. This is because bananas contain tryptophan, a type of protein that the body converts into serotonin, known to make you relax, improve your mood and generally make you feel happier.

PMS: Forget the pills -- eat a banana. The vitamin B6 it contains regulates blood glucose levels, which can affect your mood.

Anemia: High in iron, bananas can stimulate the production of haemoglobin in the blood and so helps in cases of anemia.

Blood Pressure: This unique tropical fruit is extremely high in potassium yet low in salt, making it the perfect way to beat blood pressure. So much so, the US Food and Drug Administration has just allowed the banana industry to make official claims for the fruit's ability to reduce the risk of blood pressure and stroke.

Brain Power: 200 students at a Twickenham (Middlesex) school were helped through their exams this year by eating bananas at breakfast, break, and lunch in a bid to boost their brain power. Research has shown that the potassium-packed fruit can assist learning by making pupils more alert.

Constipation: High in fibre, including bananas in the diet can help restore normal bowel action, helping to overcome the problem without resorting to laxatives.

Hangovers: One of the quickest ways of curing a hangover is to make a banana milkshake, sweetened with honey. The banana calms the stomach and, with the help of the honey, builds up depleted blood sugar levels, while the milk soothes and re-hydrates your system.

Heartburn: Bananas have a natural antacid effect in the body, so if you suffer from heartburn, try eating a banana for soothing relief.

Morning Sickness: Snacking on bananas between meals helps to keep blood sugar levels up and avoid morning sickness.

Mosquito bites: Before reaching for the insect bite cream, try rubbing the affected area with the inside of a banana skin. Many people find it amazingly successful at reducing swelling and irritation.

Nerves: Bananas are high in B vitamins that help calm the nervous system.

Overweight and at work? Studies at the Institute of Psychology in Austria found pressure at work leads to gorging on comfort food like chocolate and chips. Looking at 5,000 hospital patients, researchers found the most obese were more likely to be in high-pressure jobs. The report concluded that, to avoid panic-induced food cravings, we need to control our blood sugar levels by snacking on high carbohydrate foods every two hours to keep levels steady.

Ulcers: The banana is used as the dietary food against intestinal disorders because of its soft texture and smoothness. It is the only raw fruit that can be eaten without distress in over-chronicler cases. It also neutralizes over-acidity and reduces irritation by coating the lining of the stomach.

Temperature control: Many other cultures see bananas as a "cooling" fruit that can lower both the physical and emotional temperature of expectant mothers. In Thailand, for example, pregnant women eat bananas to ensure their baby is born with a cool temperature.

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD): Bananas can help SAD sufferers because they contain the natural mood enhancer tryptophan.

Smoking: Bananas can also help people trying to give up smoking. The B6, B12 they contain, as well as the potassium and magnesium found in them, help the body recover from the effects of nicotine withdrawal.

Stress: Potassium is a vital mineral, which helps normalize the heartbeat, sends oxygen to the brain and regulates your body's water balance. When we are stressed, our metabolic rate rises, thereby reducing our potassium levels. These can be rebalanced with the help of a high-potassium banana snack.

Strokes: According to research in "The New England Journal of Medicine," eating bananas as part of a regular diet can cut the risk of death by strokes by as much as 40%!

So, a banana really is a natural remedy for many ills. Now I know you can't juice a banana, but it does form part of a detox diet.

Motivation and Body Image

This is something positive you can do that will make losing weight MUCH easier and, in particular, the thought of commencing a diet.

Many people have used this to transform their bodies and get lasting results.

Step 1
Every day, take a few minutes to set your mind “on course” and create the body you want.

Your mind is so powerful that whatever you can imagine and hold your focus on, you can create!I literally engrain a picture of my ideal body so strongly in my mind that my body has no choice but to obey.

In fact you are using this principle right now to create the body you have even if you are unaware that you are.

It’s called Body Image and every body has one!

Here’s what to do:

• Take a few minutes every day to visualize what you will look like, and feel like, inside your body when you reach your goal.

• Then lock it into your mind through repetition.

Every time you look in the mirror imagine your body transforming.

Bring this picture into your mind whenever you can.

Step 2
Take action. Decide on the diet you will undergo, and start! (Of course, I recommend my diet, you can read lots more about it at Juice Detox)

Mindpower combined with action is so powerful, you have to succeed.

Lifestyle Changes

We must remember that in the past 50-100 years there has been a considerable reduction in energy expenditure, because of a more mechanized way of life. People today don't have to go out to the barn and hitch up a horse or team or count on a long walk when they are ready to go somewhere. They merely step into their car, which is as close to the front door as they can manage it, and then drive to their destination, again parking as near the entrance as possible.

The introduction of countless labor-saving devices in our home, factories, and offices has also robbed us of most of the physical exertion our grandparents and great-grandparents knew. In fact, when it comes to conserving energy, we seem to have approached about as near as we can get to a vegetable existence.

The message is clear - we must break our old bad habits and develop new good ones if we want to lose weight and regain our health. Making healthier food choices and participating in some sort of physical activity (I dislike the word 'exercise'!) is paramount if we want to keep our weight down and live a long, healthy, happy life.

A juice detox will give your body a chance to cleanse itself, and allow all our wonderful internal systems to work properly again.

Weight Loss Success Story

I didn't devise my detox diet to lose weight, initially. I did it to get healthy, and my weight loss was a by-product. (And there's a heap of other great by-products of this diet as well).

Read my Weight Loss Success Story!

How long should you detox for?

The books say that a juice detox can last from one to 30 days. Although people have fasted longer, I personally would not recommend juice detoxing for more than 3 days. Also, do not be afraid to work your way up – first start with a one-day fast. After this, you will be much more comfortable with fasting and your second fast can be 3-4 days. As your body cleanses itself, you will find that you will be able to hold a fast longer.

Best Times For a Juice Detox

When should you detox?

You can detox at anytime of the year, however, not eating during your detox decreases your body temperature. Therefore, it is most comfortable when you are in a warm place. If your house is normally cold in winter and warm in summer, then wait until summer for your juice detox.

Why Fast ? (continued)

When you eat a meal, the blood circulation to the digestive organs increases. The body does this to fight off harmful substances in the food, to absorb nutrients and to fuel the muscles along your entire gastrointestinal tract to keep the food and waste moving along in your body.

When the body is not burdened by the tasks associated with digesting and eliminating food, it focuses all the energy it would normally have given to these tasks, to pulling out and flushing toxins from the body. Therefore, fasting helps to flush out toxins. And juicing is the best fast there is, because you are receiving nutrients while you do it.