What is your body trying to tell you?

From cellulite to puffiness, it pays to listen to your body and pay attention to the visible signs.

Here are 5 common body signs which could mean you have a toxic build up which causes systemic inflammation. Find out what these common signs mean and what you can do to reduce the toxicity and inflammation.

The Body Signs

1. Pimples
2. Dry flakey lips
3. Waxy itchy ears
4. Puffy eyes
5. Cellulite

Body sings are often overlooked and ignored, but are highly important indicators of your health, wellbeing and your toxic burden. If you pick up on these signs early it can save a lot of time, trouble and money. One of the first things you can do when you notice any of this toxic body signs is to start a gentle detox, you will be more likely to reverse the signs of toxicity and heal your body.

Here are 5 signs that your body has a toxic overload and requires a detox.

Pimples In Between Your Eyes and On Your Temples

In TCM (traditional Chinese medicine) face reading is a pivotal part of assessing overall health, areas of your face at said to correspond to parts of your body, these areas will give you insight into how your liver is functioning. Normally a pimple breakout in between your eyes or temple indicates an overload on the liver such as fatty foods, alcohol, hormone backlog or increased toxin exposure.

3 surefire liver cleansing strategies:

1. Consume half a lemon in water on rising to help reduce inflammation and cleanse the liver.
2. Limit your toxic exposure for 14 days. Remove alcohol, sugar, processed foods, and any BPA containing items from your diet.
3. Add liver cleansing foods to our diets such as turmeric, pomegranate seeds, and beetroot.
4. Consume a green smoothie with coriander and parsley – dairy free of course.

Flakey Dry Lips

In most cases, dry lips are ignored as a toxicity symptom, you just slather your lips in Paw Paw and hope that they get better. Dry lips are an epidemic, which is not being identified or rectified.

Your lips are a window to your digestive health, and any problems give you real insight into how your digestive system is working. If they are dry, this can indicate an imbalance of good and bad bacteria in your digestive tract. You may find that when you have a sugar binge, eat lots of gluten, or drink alcohol, you wake up the next day with even drier lips, this is a sign that your digestive tract is struggling and needs to be re-balanced, with the good stuff. The better your digestive health the more luscious your lips will be.

Cleanse your digestive tract for luscious soft lips: 

1. On rising consume 2 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar followed by a probiotic.

2. Consume 1 tablespoon of cultured vegetables daily, just add onto one of your meals.

3. Consume 1 cup of homemade bone broth daily, this has amazing gut healing and soothing properties. (For vegans consume: aloe vera, okra and slippery elm)

4. Continue cleanse throughout the day by drinking cleansing tea and smoothies.

Need to use cotton tips constantly?

Itchy waxy ears is often an indication of what is happening in the gut. If you find your ears are often waxy, meaning you have to clean them regularly, or they are over itchy, then it could mean you have a food intolerance. The main foods that can cause this issue are dairy, gluten, soy, and even eggs. Once you remove the foods and heal the gut, you will find the symptoms improve.

Unblock your ears and clean your gut

1. Remove dairy, gluten, soy, and eggs from your diet for 14 days.

2. Keep a food diary so you know what foods cause a flare up for your condition, you will get waxy ears within a day of eating foods that are not right for you.

3. Cleanse for 14 days and take good bacteria to help heal the gut.

4. Load up on good bacteria such as cultured veg, umeboshi plums, coconut kefir, and soil-based probiotics.

5. Remove yeast from your diets such as vegemite, beer, wine, and bread 

Puffiness under the Eyes

Many people suffer from this, especially if you’ve had a late night or are just generally fatigued. However, it can be a sign that your kidneys are a little sluggish. As we age the kidneys get weak and can cause our eyes to get puffier (this is a sign of premature ageing).

The 2 main toxins that the kidneys are weakened by is alcohol and medications. The kidneys are one of the first organs affected whenever we overindulge, which makes them prone to slowing down over time, causing fluid to become stagnant. 

Flush the kidneys to reduce your bloat

1. Decrease your sodium chloride intake, which is found in table salt and processed foods such as cereals and dried sauces, and replace with natural sea salt.
2. Consume foods which help to cleanse the kidneys such as celery, parsley, and watercress.
3. Have a protein fast day once per week, to rest the kidneys.
4. Consume liquids such as bone broth, green soups, and smoothies along with a cleansing tea that contains celery seeds. These all help to nourish and restore your kidneys.

Cellulite

Cellulite is such a frustrating condition as it is so hard to treat, and all the expensive creams do nothing. Getting cellulite is a sign that your circulation and lymphatic system are not working at an optimal level. Your lymphatic system is one of your biggest detoxification pathways; it acts like a canal, removing toxins via channels like sweating. If you have a bad diet, take medication, or drink alcohol then it is likely that your lymphatic system is clogged up with toxins, so when you do a cleanse it is always a good idea to cleanse on the lymphatic system for about 2 weeks.

Get smoother skin by detoxing

1. Dry skin brush daily with a natural bristled brush, very gently in the direction towards the heart, do this daily before your shower. You will notice results almost instantly.
2. Take herbs that help cleanse the lymph system such as celery seed and nettle tea, parsley, and hibiscus.
3. Drink plenty of filtered water with lemon.
4. Eat foods high in chlorophyll such as seaweed and lots of rich dark leafy greens. The chlorophyll helps to eliminate toxins and waste from your lymphatic system.
5. Eat foods high in potassium to help with elimination such as celery, cucumber, asparagus, and watercress.

Recipes to Optimise Your Detoxification

Kimchee for Digestion

Ingredients:

1 head cabbage, sliced thinly and diced
¼ cup Himalayan rock salt
Filtered water
4 cloves garlic, mashed
3 cm cube ginger, peeled and diced
2 tablespoons coconut aminos
1 tablespoon chilli flakes
1 daikon, peeled and cut into matchsticks Zest from ½ lemon
1 probiotic capsule

Instructions:

Place the cabbage in a bowl and add salt. Distribute evenly and then let stand for 2 hours. Rinse the cabbage and then allow to drain for a few minutes, pat off any excess liquid with a paper towel.
Meanwhile combine garlic, coconut aminos, ginger, and chilli flakes into a paste.
In a bowl combine daikon and cabbage, add the paste and mix thoroughly with your hands until covered completely, add zest and the probiotic, mix again.
Pack the mix into a glass jar and pack down super tight, ensure a little bit of liquid covers the mix, add more filtered water if needed. Close the lid and let the mix stand for up to 4 days at room temperature.
Once it is nicely fermented and bubbling, place mix in the fridge. Enjoy a heaped teaspoon or more if you like with your meal.

Kidney Cleanse Broth

Ingredients:

1 cup potatoes, chopped
1 cup carrots, chopped
1 cup beetroot, chopped
1 bunch of parsley, chopped
3 celery stalks, chopped
1 ½ litres water

Instructions:

In a medium-sized pot, pop in the vegetables and heat them through. Add the salt. Then add water and ensure it is enough to cover the vegetables. Simmer slowly for an hour. Remove from heat and strain. Serve in a mug and drink throughout the day for optimal cleansing action.

Liver Cleanse Smoothie

Ingredients:

500 mL water
Large cup iceberg lettuce, chopped
3 celery stalks, chopped
1 pear, chopped
½ a banana, chopped
½ a bunch coriander
½ bunch parsley
¼ beetroot, chopped
½ a teaspoon turmeric

Instructions:
Combine in a blender and blend until smooth.

Cleansing Lymphatic Soup

Ingredients:
3 celery stalks, chopped
1 onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, diced
1 handful of parsley, chopped
½ bunch watercress, chopped
1 teaspoon of Himalayan rock salt
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 tablespoon coconut oil
800ml filtered water
1 teaspoon dulce flakes per serving

Instructions:

Sauté the onions and garlic for a few minutes in coconut oil. After a few minutes add all the vegetables, and sauté for another minute. Add water, salt, and turmeric and simmer for 20 minutes, until vegetables are soft. Once cooked, puree using a hand blender until smooth.

Serve topped with dulse flakes.