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by Ann Louise Gittleman, PhD, CNS
Rid Your Body of Toxic Fat
I believe the slogan for the twenty-first century should
be “No Diet Without Detox!” Whether we live
in the heart of Manhattan, the suburbs of a Southern
city, or the wilds of Wyoming, we’re being exposed
to poisons in our air, food, water, and homes. How can
these poisons in our organs, bloodstream, and fat cells
not affect our health?
Toxic Load
Some of the toxins to which we’re regularly exposed
include chlorinated water (which kills lactobacilli,
or friendly bacteria, in the digestive system), gasoline,
heavy metals (including cadmium, lead, and mercury),
herbicides and insecticides, hexachlorobenzene (used
in dyes and wood preservatives, as well as on wheat
fungus), industrial petrochemicals (a source of xenoestrogens),
nitrates in cured meats and water, perchlorate (rocket
fuel that leaks into our water supply), and phthalates
from plastics. Virtually all of the 80,000 industrial
chemicals, additives, and preservatives currently in
use were invented in the last 75 years.
While few studies exist on the dangers of environmental
toxins, cancer rates have risen from 20 to 50 percent
since 1970, and the number of asthma sufferers has grown
by 75 percent since 1980. Isn’t it just common
sense to suppose that this new incidence of disease
may be related to environmental pollution?
Estrogen Dominance
Let’s look at one group of toxins — xenoestrogens
— whose use has skyrocketed since World War II.
These chemicals mimic the effects of the hormone estrogen
in the body, where they induce, block, or otherwise
scramble our hormonal signals, either deliberately (as
in weight-inducing animal feeds) or as accidental effects
when they break down in insecticides. Either way xenoestrogens
contribute to a relatively new condition known as estrogen
dominance — one symptom of which is a tendency
to gain weight.
A female hormone vital to menstruation and pregnancy,
estrogen helps stimulate cell growth, signaling women
to build up uterine tissue every month and helping our
ovaries to instruct one egg each month to mature. Also
found to a lesser degree in men, this hormone promotes
cell growth, healing, and other vital functions.
The trouble is that excess estrogen can create deficiencies
in B vitamins, magnesium, and zinc, while creating a
hormone imbalance that’s detrimental to health.
In women estrogen overload can cause breast tenderness,
cervical dysplasia (often an early sign of cervical
cancer), irregular menstrual periods, PMS, polycystic
ovaries (another cancer risk), and uterine fibroids
and cancer. For both sexes, estrogen dominance can lead
to allergies, autoimmune disorders, bone loss and osteoporosis,
decreased sex drive, depression, dry eyes, fatigue,
hair loss, headache, hypoglycemia, infertility, insomnia,
irritability, memory loss, mood swings, and thyroid
dysfunction. A further downside of this life-giving
hormone is unrestrained cell growth, eventually leading
to cancer.
Toxic Fat
If you’re overweight, consider that estrogen dominance
can cause fat gain, especially around the abdomen, hips,
and thighs, as well as water retention and bloating,
a sluggish metabolism, and numerous nutritional imbalances.
Every time you’re exposed to plastic, industrial
waste, nonorganic meat, pesticide-laden fruits and vegetables,
car exhaust, and much of the furniture, paneling, and
carpeting in your home and office, you’re setting
yourself up for estrogen dominance — and weight
gain.
Paula Baillie-Hamilton, MD, PhD, has published an
extensive study of numerous synthetic chemicals pervading
our environment: “I discovered that these chemicals
appear to be making us fat. . . . Time and again, when
I learned about a different group of pesticides or environmental
pollutants, I would soon discover that they too could
cause weight gain.” Between 1930 and 2000, the
number of synthetic chemicals in use soared —
and so did the number of overweight adults in the United
States.
Detox for Weight Loss
Detoxification is crucial to losing weight, because
toxins are stored in our body fat. Melting that fat
away dumps toxins into our bloodstream — unless
we flush them out. Supporting the liver and colon, organs
critical in the effort to rid our bodies of fattening
chemicals, can be an enormous advantage.
One of the liver’s most important functions,
and the one most crucial to weight loss, is breaking
down everything that enters your body — from the
healthiest bite of organic food to the poisonous pesticides
that linger on conventional produce. It’s the
liver’s job to distinguish between the nutrients
you need to absorb and the toxins that must be filtered
out of your bloodstream. To do this, your liver engages
in a number of detox processes.
While the liver works like a filter (removing gunk
and sludge), the colon is your body’s plumbing
system. But if this organ is clogged and toxic (as many
colons are in our toxic world), you’re likely
to encounter health problems, as well as weight issues.
When toxicity is the problem, fiber (or roughage) is
the solution. Fiber functions much like a garbage truck,
carrying away toxic waste and restoring your system
to health.
Unfortunately, most Americans consume far too little
fiber: on average 12 grams daily, down from the 30 to
40 grams our grandparents ate.
Get Ready
To prepare your body for internal cleansing, consume
foods that will support your liver and colon. Eat the
following daily for a week before you detox:
- cabbage family veggies (broccoli and its sprouts,
Brussels sprouts, cabbage, and cauliflower)
- leafy greens (chard, cilantro, collards, mustard
greens, parsley, and watercress)
- sulfur-rich foods (daikon radish, eggs, garlic,
and onion)
- citrus fruits (lemons, limes, and oranges) for juice
- at least 2 servings (the size of the palm of your
hand) of lean protein (fish, skinless poultry, lean
beef, lamb, or 2 Tbsp of blue-green algae or spirulina)
- 1 to 2 Tbsp black currant seed, flaxseed, or olive
oil
- liver-healing plants (artichoke hearts and leaves,
asparagus, beets, celery) as well as nutritional yeast
and whey
- 2 servings of colon-caring foods (apples, berries,
carrots, ground or milled flaxseeds, pears, and powdered
psyllium husks)
- 8 oz unsweetened cranberry juice.
Also drink half your body weight in ounces of filtered,
pure water. Water is best taken at room temperature
between meals, though you can drink up to half a glass
(4 oz) with meals. More can dilute hydrochloric acid,
necessary for proper digestion.
Set? Go!
A one-day fast is all your body needs for detox, if
you’ve prepared yourself properly. Drink filtered
water and diluted, unsweetened cranberry juice (seasoned
with freshly squeezed citrus and spices), alternating
one with the other every hour of your fast. During this
day, consume 8 glasses of juices plus 72 oz of water.
Begin and finish your day-long fast with psyllium husk
powder or ground/milled flaxseed mixed in water or juice.
Most people on my Fast Track Detox Diet find this
day extremely positive. “Only when I had gaps
in sipping did I notice a slight want for food. I noticed
a slight increase in my energy level, and by the end
of the day, the swelling in my ankles had disappeared,”
says one 50-year-old woman who lost five pounds on this
program.
While many participants report increased energy, mental
clarity, and well-being, some do experience other symptoms
including headaches, fatigue, irritability, foggy thinking,
and mild depression. The explanation is simple: Having
stored toxins in our fat, we pay a price for getting
rid of them. Realize that these symptoms are an indication
that both the fast and detox process are working and
that you’ll soon feel even better than you did
before.
Closely following my diet plan for a week before detox
may prevent any symptoms during your fast. You can take
nutritional supplements the week before and after your
fast, but please skip them while fasting. Your body
will have a hard time digesting even the finest supplements
on an empty stomach, and they might make you feel nauseous.
On fast day, indulge in conscious breathing for five
minutes at a time (it’ll help combat any hunger
pains), or engage in longer sessions for a consciousness-raising
experience. Also meditate, write in your journal, schedule
a massage, draw or paint, and take a long soak in the
tub. Engage only in light exercise (either a 20-minute
walk or 10
minutes on a rebounder).
Focus on your feelings to get in touch with your “true”
hunger. Flower Remedies can offer valuable support while
you face and cope with difficult feelings that may arise.
I’ve come to call them “psychotherapy in
a bottle.”
seal in results
After fasting, seal in the result with the following
regimen for the next three days:
- probiotic-rich foods (1/2 cup sauerkraut or 1 cup
yogurt with “active and live cultures”)
- 1 or more hydrochloric acid formula tablets before
each meal
- the cleansing diet you used to get ready for detox,
with plenty of liquids.
“I didn’t know I’d feel so much
better,” says one Fast Tracker, “just from
that one day without food.” Others report losing
three, four, even five pounds in one day. “Now
my favorite black pants are loose in the waist and the
hips. I’ve never had results like this before,”
says a participant.
“I always knew that the environment was important,
but I never really got how much it was affecting me.
. . . Now I feel so terrific, I can’t imagine
going back to the way I was before,” notes another.
To keep your body clean after your fast, buy organic
foods whenever you can. The extra cost is absolutely
justified by the benefits to your health, beauty, and
ability to stay slim. TFL
Ann Louise Gittleman, PhD, CNS,
is the author of The Fast Track Detox Diet, available
this month, as well as more than 20 other titles on
nutrition and natural health including the New York
Times bestselling Fat Flush Plan. |
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