We are onto the next week of the How to De__________ My Child Series. If you missed last week, we talked about How to Destress Your Child and some things to watch out for to help lower their stress burden. You can check out that post HERE.
This week we are going to talk about How to Detox Your Child. A lot of people may wonder why we would need to detox our children. There are several ways that our children can be exposed to different toxins including toxins from pollution, household cleaners (check out this post to get some clean cleaning ideas ), medications including vaccinations, and processed foods full of chemicals and additives.
Through my research I found several different ways to detox your child and I am going to share those with you now along with the recommendation on frequency if applicable. Eating a nutritious diet. Detox baths. Drinking clean water. Nutritional Supplementation.
But before we get into those topics, people often think, why do we need to do this extra stuff, isn’t this what our body is designed for? Well, the reason that this is needed, especially in our children, is that their kidneys, which are one of our key detoxing organs in our body, are not fully developed until 2 years of age and they could use a little help. Also, when our body is exposed to different toxins, it can negatively impact the gut bacteria which is also required to properly eliminate toxic substances. So, if we can assist the body in the detoxing process, why would we choose not to?
Nutrient Dense Diet. We all know the importance of a nutrient dense diet, but I recently heard that when we eat one serving of processed carbohydrates it compromises and suppresses the immune system for up to 12 hours. So, when we eat a slice of pizza and have a scoop of ice cream after, we have kids that now have a comprised immune system for 24 hours! Who wants this for their child? And especially as they are working on releasing toxins from their body. This is why we need to keep their body as strong as possible by eating a whole food, nutrient dense diet!
Detox Baths. There are so many recipes out there for detox baths and I have heard some say that they do not work, and others have reported that they have seen significant changes in their child after doing them regularly. The key ingredient in all the recipes that I found included Epson salts. Epson salts are made up of magnesium sulfate and can be absorbed through the skin. Magnesium has a number of jobs in our body including regulating the activity of over 325 enzymes, reducing inflammation, helping muscle and nerve function and helping to prevent artery hardening. Sulfates help improve the absorption of nutrients and flush toxins. If you have a specific reason for wanting to detox your child, you can do a detox bath 3 times a week, other than that, you can do it once a week to help their bodies eliminate the environmental toxins they are exposed to. Like I said, I found a lot of different recipes, but a simple recipe I found is ¼-1/2 cup of Epson salts with 1-2 TBSP of baking soda dissolved in warm water. You want to allow your child to soak for 15-20 minutes and then make sure to rinse off well after the bath. Also, make sure to have some drinking water available for your child during the bath as they may feel thirsty and you do not want them drinking the bath water! Try them out and let me know what you think! Also, as an adult, you can do these as well and they are very relaxing!
Drinking Clean Water. In order for your body to function properly it needs plenty of water. A few months back I did a whole post all on the importance of water. I encourage you to take a look HERE and understand that water is necessary for proper kidney function and healthy kidneys are needed for proper detoxification!
Nutritional Supplementation. There are so many different things that we can add to our diet to assist our bodies in functioning well. Omega 3 oils aid in brain detoxification. Cilantro, or the coriander plant has been found to accelerate the excretion of mercury and aluminum from the body as it binds to heavy metals and pulls them away. Dandelion Root helps support and cleanse the liver, gallbladder and kidneys which are all key organs in toxin filtration. Elderberry Syrup or gummies can inhibit enzymes used by viruses to penetrate and infect healthy cells. Probiotics allow for our gut to be as healthy as possible to assist in proper elimination. A great way to consume these items is by adding them into a smoothie if you kids do not like how they taste individually. Let me know if you have any specific questions on how much they should consume.
Some signs that you may need to detox your child include: eczema, allergies, anxiety, frequent illness, ADHD. If you notice these signs in your child, I highly encourage you to do some more research and begin a detox regimen for your family!
Please let me know if you have any questions about the information that I shared with you all today! We are starting this journey in our house and would love to learn and share with you as we go!