Every single day toxins enter your body through the food that you eat and the drinks that you drink. Don’t panic though, your body is geared up to deal with a certain amount of toxins and it can filter them out. But you can overload your body with toxins and that can lead you to feeling tired and exhausted, or it can even lead to more serious illness, so read these ten common sources of toxins, so that you can avoid a toxin overload:
1. Caffeine
There is no harm at all in drinking the odd cup of coffee, but be careful not overdo it. Too much caffeine and your blood sugar levels will soar along with your adrenaline levels and this can cause your adrenal glands to work too hard. Remember too, that coffee is not the only source of caffeine. It is also present in tea and many soft drinks, such as cola.
2. Alcohol
Like most things in life, a little can be fine, but a lot of alcohol is no good for you at all. Alcohol dehydrates you, depletes nutrient levels in your body and damages your liver. If you drink too much too often, hangovers are not all you will suffer from.
3. Smoking
It should really go without saying that smoking is bad for health, but it can’t be ignored on a list like this. The toxins that are in cigarette smoke are too numerous to mention and smoking is still responsible for a huge number of premature deaths today.
4. Pesticides
Pesticides are present in much of the food that you eat and sometimes in very dangerous concentrations. You can’t avoid them completely, but you can minimise the risk by buying organic food when you can and always washing fruit and vegetables, thoroughly, before you eat it.
5. Salt
Too much salt can lead to high blood pressure, kidney problems and bloating and too much salt is a poison. Watch out for the hidden salt in processed and fast foods, and cut back on how much extra salt you add to your food at the table.
6. Teflon
It might come as a surprise to you, but your non-stick pans might be damaging your health. You would be much better going for stainless steel cooking pots and pans because, when teflon is heated to high temperatures, it gives off a noxious gas that can be damaging to health.
7. Sodium Nitrites and Sodium Nitrates
Sodium Nitrites and Sodium Nitrates are preservatives that are often found in processed meats like hot dogs and bacon. They have been linked to cancer and diabetes, so limit your intake of processed meats and buy fresh, organic food instead.
8. Artificial Sweeteners
Artificial sweeteners like aspartame and saccharin are often marketed as a healthy alternative to sugar, but they could be doing you more harm than good. Studies have shown that artificial sweeteners can actually make you put on weight by tricking the brain into not recognising sweetness in food.
9. Artificial colours
Always read the label on food packaging and watch out for the colours; blue 1 and 2, green 3, red 3, and yellow 6. Artificial colours like these have been linked to a number of different types of cancer, so try and buy food with no artificial colours at all, that’ the safest thing to do!
10. Trans-fats
Avoid food that has partially hydrogenated oil or shortening listed in the ingredients which are added to products to extend their shelf life. These are the trans-fats that you have probably heard about and they can clog your arteries and cause diabetes. Look for monounsaturated fats instead, like olive oil, avocado and coconut oil oil.
Stay happy and healthy!