PHASE FOUR

DETOX YOUR LIFE

Now you’ve cleansed your gut, it’s time to start detoxing your emotions, your household and the things you put on your skin. Food alone will not promise a thriving colony of healthy bacteria in your gut. Stress and emotional factors can override even the most perfect diet.

Stress can be both acute and chronic. Chronic, long-term stress that lingers for weeks is incredibly damaging to gut health. Stress causes many reactions within the gut, including changes in gastric secretions, gut motility, mucosal permeability, visceral (i.e. organ) sensitivity and barrier function. Evidence also suggests that our gut bacteria respond in damaging ways to our negative emotions and stress. The hormones secreted during a stress response contribute to the overgrowth of bad bacteria.

What is it that causes you stress? Figuring out the cause is the key. Is it something you can control? What lifestyle changes or decisions can you make to remove stress from your life? If the answer is unclear, exercise such as calming yoga, walking and swimming may help you deal with these issues. When was the last time you got out into the sunshine and connected with nature? Sunlight and exposing your bare feet to the ground (also known as earthing) have a healing impact on hormones and the brain. A series of these lifestyle changes, including a wholefoods diet, may be all you need to take the edge off.

Toxic relationships and toxic friendships could be the thing preventing you from achieving a peaceful mind and a healthy gut. Choose to surround yourself with positive, kind people. By detoxing your relationships and enjoying mutual life-giving human connections, you’ll experience more joy, which your gut bacteria will love you for.

Meditation is another wonderful practice that can help you master your mind and emotions. While it requires discipline, it has been shown to have remarkable effects on emotional health and stress. Cultivate an attitude of gratitude; find three things each morning to be grateful for and meditate on them.

Did you know that contributing to your community is another way to decrease stress and improve your emotional life? Being generous towards other people is a powerful way of bringing a healthy emotional perspective to our own lives. It also boosts social connectedness and has even been shown to increase life expectancy!

If stress and negative thought patterns are a deeper problem for you, counselling and psychology may be needed, and that’s okay! It’s so important for the sake of your health to deal with any lingering emotional issues. Your gut and your emotions are a two-way street. They both have the potential to affect one another negatively, so addressing the state of your mental health, not just the food you eat, is incredibly important.

‘What is it that causes you stress? Figuring out the cause is the key. Is it something you can control? What lifestyle changes or decisions can you make to remove stress from your life?’

YOUR HEALTHY HOME

Minimising your toxic load is vital to maintaining a healthy gut. Toxins and chemicals that are breathed in or absorbed through the skin have to be dealt with by your gut’s immune system. Taking the load off the good guys will free them up to do all of the health-promoting duties on their to-do list. This means eliminating toxins and harmful chemicals wherever possible.

Chemicals in household cleaning products have been linked to a range of illnesses. For example triclosan, a common ingredient in antibacterial hand soap, has been linked to endocrine disruption and is a known carcinogen. Give away anything with an ingredients list you can’t understand, and replace the toxic products with simple, homemade or chemical-free options.

Almost all your chemical-laden cleaning products can be replaced by three ingredients: bicarbonate of soda, white vinegar and lemon juice. They will kill harmful bacteria and leave your house squeaky clean without any detrimental side effects.

Now you’re making the change to a healthier lifestyle. Yoga – check. Daily green juice – check. Purchasing organic produce – check, check, check. But have you given much thought to the harmful toxins that are living rent-free in your furniture, upholstery or the mattress you nestle into every night?

These harmful toxins are known as volatile organic compounds (VOCs). VOCs are carbon-based chemicals that can evaporate or easily get into the air at room temperature. This is the odour you might smell when the carpets are professionally cleaned or there’s new paint on the walls. Not all VOCs have such a strong odour, however; some have none at all but still cause the same level of harm to the body. Such harmful effects can be headaches, dizziness, nausea and eye/nose/throat irritation. Continual long-term exposure to these toxins can result in them accumulating in your body, thus potentially increasing the risk of liver and kidney damage.

Common VOCs such as formaldehyde, benzene, acetone and ethylene glycol can be found in air fresheners, paint, varnish, upholstery fabrics, vinyl, cosmetics and mothballs. Common floor coverings are most often primary contributors to indoor air contamination, as are all types of synthetic carpets, carpet underlay and upholstery with synthetic foams, foam rubber, latex or plastic. This is because they either have VOC constituents or these are present in the adhesives used to install them.

Furniture or carpets with a chemical finish, such as stain repellents and brominated flame-retardants, are also unhealthy. At all costs, avoid recarpeting your home or ripping out carpets while you’re pregnant.

Furnishings in the bedroom also contain chemicals, such as flame-retardants and stain-repellents. These are present in most foam mattresses, synthetic curtains, upholstery or carpets. Even the clothes you keep in your wardrobe, when dry-cleaned, emit toxic chemicals!

Try not to keep too many electrical and electronic appliances in your bedroom at the same time, such as computers, TVs and hi-fi systems, as they are also treated with brominated flame-retardants.

Mould is a major indoor air polluter, and can occur at all times of the year in damp areas of a house or apartment, especially in south-facing parts of the home. Poorly maintained air-conditioning systems can also spread mould throughout a house.

HOW TO CREATE A HEALTHY HOME

• Choose furnishings wisely – natural finishes such as oils, waxes and polishes are better than polyurethane, varnishes, melamine or paint, all of which can emit VOCs.
• When repainting, choose low-VOC options or natural paints. Paint can be a major source of indoor air pollution, especially when it’s freshly applied. Old paints manufactured more than forty-five years ago contain high lead levels, so make sure your paint isn’t flaking or creating lead dust.
• Ensure your gas heaters are flued (and cleaned). An unflued gas heater can emit dangerous vapours.
• Minimise the impact of cleaning products by sticking to low-harm options such as vinegar instead of bleach. Cleaning a house regularly is the key to a healthy home.
• Regularly air your house by opening the windows and doors to flush out dirt and mould.
• Instead of using artificial air freshener, open your windows wide, whenever possible. If you can’t keep windows open, use natural odour eaters. A bowl of baking soda effectively absorbs odours. Alternatively, use natural fragrances such as potpourri or lavender, or better yet, burn essential oils for enhanced beneficial effects.
• Vacuum with a HEPA filter machine to keep dust mites at bay.
• Use indoor plants as natural air filters to cleanse the air of VOCs and other pollutants.
• Keep a doormat at the front or back door to stop dirt and pollutants being tracked through the house, or make residents take off their shoes to leave the dirt at the door.
• Choose carpets made from organic natural fibres such as wool, cotton, rattan or jute. Not only do they look and feel nicer, they’re also much safer for you and the environment.
• Choose curtains, carpets and upholstery containing little or no brominated flame-retardants or stain-repellents.
• When buying a PC or monitor, look for the TCO’95 Ecolabel, which limits the amount of brominated flame-retardant in the product.
• If you’ve just redecorated your home or moved into a newly decorated one, airing it for a short period before you live in it will dilute the chemicals during their most potent stage. High levels of VOCs will nonetheless outgas for months, and in many cases will continue to outgas for years.
• It’s impossible to live in a bubble and protect yourself from every harmful chemical you come into contact with, so just phase them out at your own speed and as required to fit in with your lifestyle.

DETOX YOUR SKIN

The skin is an organ of digestion, and 60 per cent of what you put onto it is absorbed directly into your bloodstream. When you think about it, nicotine patches are designed to be placed on the skin so nicotine can be absorbed into the body, so why wouldn’t the ingredients you layer on your skin every day leach into your system too? This is frightening, considering the average woman places approximately 515 chemicals on her skin each day.

The beauty industry loves to promote the promise of eternal youth, skyscraper lashes and a holiday glow, but many scary truths are hiding behind these promises of beauty and allure. Nowadays, more than 10,000 chemical ingredients are permitted for use in the production of personal-care products. Pick one of those moisturisers up off the shelf next time you’re shopping, and read the ingredients list – you’ll no longer be surprised that this is true. The danger is that many of these chemicals have been scientifically linked to a range of harmful diseases and bodily reactions.

Common skincare ingredients, including sodium lauryl sulfate, polyethylene glycol, parabens, isopropyl myristate and phthalates, have been linked to a horrendous number of illnesses, ranging from immune-system disorders and allergies to cancer and infertility. Your gut desperately needs a break from having to cope with these toxins.

Taking these facts on board, it’s really important to read the ingredient lists of your products and do your research so that you and your family are safe from their harmful effects. Bath, beauty and skincare products should be made with pure, organic oils, fragrances, butters and pigments, and should contain absolutely no synthetic preservatives, toxins, artificial fragrances, colours or mineral oils. I have personally scrapped every possible toxin from my beauty regime, including my everyday lotions and potions.

Once you’ve restocked your makeup bag and bathroom cupboards with safe, organic products, you’ll notice an improvement in your overall health, which, in turn, will improve the way you look, especially in the long term.

Never let yourself be fooled by the large claims of the cosmetics industry. There’s no doubt that beauty comes primarily from within. It’s a huge misconception to think that layering ingredients on the outside of our bodies will make us beautiful. If you heal your gut and feed your body with a range of colourful, antioxidant-rich, chemical-free foods and healthy fats, you’ll have bought yourself a one-way ticket to a healthy, thriving colony of bacteria that will manifest in natural, glowing gorgeousness.

A TYPICAL HEALING DAY, PHASE FOUR

UPON RISING: Start with dry skin brushing followed by a hot shower. While you’re in the shower, use extra virgin coconut oil to oil pull. Use avocado or coconut oil to moisturise your skin. Do some gentle yoga and meditation. Verbalise three things in your life you’re grateful for.

EARLY MORNING: Enjoy a glass of hot water with lemon.

BREAKFAST: Savour Smashed Sardines with Avocado on Chia and Flaxseed Loaf (my favourite recipe of all time). You’ll find this one on my blog.

MORNING TEA: Sip on a Cleanse and Renew Smoothie for maintenance.

LUNCH: Enjoy Eggplant and Green Bean Curry (see my website) and include a spoonful of Cultured Vegetables.

AFTERNOON TEA: Indulge in some Nut Butter Biscuits (see my website) or Spinach Ice Cream (see my book Supercharged Food: Eat Clean, Green and Vegetarian).

DINNER: Eat Vegetable Tamari Stir-fry (see my website) or Pan-fried Zucchini Noodles (zoodles) with Basil Pesto (see my website).

BEFORE BED: Take a probiotic supplement. Count your blessings.