Could your toxic burden be a root cause of your brain fog, body fat, high blood pressure, gut issues or serious health condition? Research suggests — indeed it could be (Belmaker et al., 2024; Kumar et al., 2020; Kharrazian, 2021)! From our food and cosmetics to cleaning supplies, cookware, candles, and poor-quality supplements—few things escape becoming carriers of a chemical cocktail.

I highly recommend you check out >> PART 1: Alarming Stats! Toxins in Everyday Items and What It Means" <<

Great news! We have the power to reduce our toxic burden! 

Note: It would be nearly impossible to do all of the following things—these are just options. My recommendation: Pick 1 to 3 things from the list that you’re not currently doing and try to implement them. You can always add more as you master your initial ones.

1. Filter Your Water

• Reverse osmosis (RO) filters remove microplastics, nanoplastics, heavy metals, pesticides, fluoride, pharmaceutical residues, and other dissolved solids. However, they also strip out minerals, which can impact hydration, electrolyte balance, and overall health—so a remineralization step is key. 
• Activated carbon with nanofiber filters (Ex: Epic Nano) retain minerals and remove many of the same toxins, but may not catch nanoplastics or dissolved solids as effectively as RO.

2. Prioritize Organic

Especially for:

• The > Dirty Dozen < - fruits and veggies with the highest pesticides. It is updated yearly but strawberries, kale and spinach are usually on there.
• Grains and coffee - glyphosate-heavy when conventionally grown.
• Meat, poultry & eggs when possible.

3. Avoid Food & Beverage In Plastics & Cans

Heating food in plastic is the worst offender. Adding hot food or drinks to plastic or paper cups (often lined with PFAS) is nearly as bad. Even freezing in plastics can significantly leach chemicals into food.

In regards to canned foods: high-fat, high-protein and acidic foods (ex: canned tuna in oil, tomato soup, cream of mushroom soup) are the biggest offenders, as they leach more toxins from cans.

Better swaps:

• Use glass or stainless steel containers.
• Bring your own stainless steel mug to coffee shops. Or opt for iced coffee.
  • P.S. Avoid plastic straws in hot beverages!
• Skip Keurig pods—high heat draws chemicals from plastic. Even some tea bags contain microplastics! Use freshly brewed coffee in a glass/stainless maker and looseleaf tea. 
  
  • Cut open tea bags or K-cups and add to a >stainless steel food grade tea infuser < (what I started doing!).
• Minimize rotisserie chickens, takeout and meal prep containers— food often goes in hot. 
• Avoid TV dinners and frozen food in plastics. 
  
  • Buy fresh fruits/veggies and freeze in glass if you prefer frozen.
• Even paper cups and containers are usually plastic- or PFAS-lined—avoid when possible.
• Replace food, oil, beverages in plastics or tins with fresh food or glass jar food.  
  • Practical example of maneuvering the gray area: A canned product that is low in protein, fat, and acidity (ex: canned pumpkin) is likely to be less toxic than generic canned cream of mushroom soup, tomato soup, or meat.

4. Deep Sleep = Body & Brain Detox

Our healing and detox capacity is maximized during deep, restorative nighttime sleep, which our body is primed to get into from the hours of 10 pm to 3am. The glymphatic system removes toxins from the brain — and it’s activity is reduced by 90% when we're awake (Reddy, 2020)! Good sleep habits are perhaps one of our most powerful tools for good health!

5. Choose Cleaner Cosmetics & Cleaning Products

Use Environmental Working Group (EWG) Skin Deep Database and EWG Cleaners Database to look up the toxic rating of your cosmetics and household cleaners respectively.

Avoid products with ratings 4+ (cosmetics). Avoid products with C/F grades (cleaners). Start by prioritizing the most commonly used products that are most likely to get absorbed such as soaps, deodorants and toothpaste. For ladies, add foundation, lipstick and possibly hairspray to the list.

6. Eat These Foods to Support Liver Detoxification

Your liver transforms fat-soluble toxins into water-soluble forms so they can be excreted through sweat, urine, and stool. This happens in two phases. In Phase I, enzymes transform toxins into intermediate compounds. In phase II, these intermediates are bound to nutrients and excreted. Both phases require the following specific nutrients to carry out their functions!

Key Nutrients & Food Sources for Liver Detox (Phase I & II):

• B Vitamins (B2, B5, B9, B12) – egg yolks*, leafy greens, beef, lamb, poultry, fish
  Support Phase I enzymes and the Phase II detox pathway known as methylation.
• Choline – egg yolks, liver, salmon
  Essential for methylation and breaking down fat-soluble toxins.
• Iron – beef, lamb, spinach
  Needed for Phase I detox enzymes (cytochrome P450).
• Vitamin C – citrus fruits, bell peppers
  Powerful antioxidant; supports detox enzyme function.
• Lipoic Acid – broccoli, spinach
  Regenerates antioxidants; supports both detox phases.
• Flavonoids – citrus fruits, berries, parsley, onions
  Boost “UGT” enzymes for phase II liver pathway known as glucuronidation.
• Curcumin – turmeric
  Also enhances glucuronidation enzymes.
• Sulfur Compounds – broccoli sprouts, garlic, onion, cruciferous veggies, eggs, animal protein
  Fuel sulfation & glutathione conjugation pathways for detoxing toxins, meds, estrogen.
• Glutathione Precursors – bone broth, garlic, cruciferous vegetables
  Support production of glutathione, a master antioxidant.
• Complete Proteins & Amino Acids – fish, poultry, eggs, legumes
  Provide building blocks to bind and eliminate toxins.
• Betaine – beets, spinach, sweet potatoes
  Supports bile flow; essential for carrying toxins out via feces.
• Sesquiterpene Lactones – dandelion greens, chicory root, endive, radicchio
  Stimulate bile and support liver enzyme activity.
• Cynarin – artichokes, milk thistle tea
  Enhances bile production and flow.

7. Stress Reduction & Nervous System Regulation Practices

Chronic stress impairs cellular communication and detoxification pathways, a phenomenon called the Cell Danger Response (CDR) (Naviaux et al., 2019). The following practices can help shift your body out of the CDR (a sympathetic stressed state) and into the parasympathetic healing state:

• Breathwork
• Eye movement exercises
• Prayer or meditation
• Any modality that helps you relax and de-stress!

8. Select Supplements & Spices Tested for Toxins

• Check for certifications like NSF or USP (for supplements), and search third-party databases (ex: Mamavation, Consumer Reports, Clean Label Project) to find a clean version of the following most commonly contaminated products. I spent hours going through, and I’ll save you time and give you my new go-to brands where possible:
  
  • Salt
    
    • Sea Salt often contains plastics
    • Himalayan Salt often contains heavy metals.
    • Non-Himalayan rock salt or salt sourced from clean Arctic or Icelandic waters is better. I use the brands David’s Kosher and Diamond Crystal Salts.
  • Chocolate (especially dark chocolate)
    
    • I  recommend the brands: Santa Barbra (best), or Unreal Chocolates or Taza Bars
    • Note - Carob is a chocolate alternative that tastes great and does not soak up heavy metals from the soil like chocolate! I recommend the brand Australian Carob Company
  • Baby food (many brands contain lead, arsenic, and cadmium)
  • Brown Rice
    
    • Tends to soak up arsenic from the soil
    • Don't rely on brown rice as a staple carb source).
  • Supplements & Protein powders 
    
    • Plant-based and chocolate protein powders often have higher heavy metals. I use Designs For Health Body Collagen and Equip Prime Protein
    • Look for a 3rd-party tested label on supplement and protein powder bottles; NSF and USP test for heavy metals
    • Be extra cautious of non-tested Ayurvedic supplements, which are more commonly contaminated with heavy metals.
    • > Fullscript < is a dispensary offering quality, third-party tested supplement brands.
  • Spices (turmeric, cinnamon, and paprika are often high in lead)
  • Tea (especially from China and India, which may contain lead and pesticides)
  • Wine (due to pesticide and arsenic contamination)

9. Filter Your Air

• Use a HEPA air filter to remove:
  
  • Microplastics, nanoplastics, pollen, dust mites, mold spores, and other airborne allergens.
• For even better filtration, consider an activated carbon filter to remove chemical pollutants and volatile organic compounds (VOCs).

10. Sweat It Out

Sweating via sauna or movement helps eliminate Endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs), plastics and heavy metals (Genuis et al., 2011).

11. Replace Your Cookware

• Use cast iron or stainless steel instead of non-stick pans (which contain harmful “forever chemicals”).
• Avoid using plasticware to stir hot items on stove; Use stainless steel instead
• Replace plastic cutting boards with wooden or glass

12. Reduce Microplastic Exposure in Clothing

• Avoid synthetic fibers like polyester and nylon—they shed microplastics during washing.
• Opt for natural materials like cotton, wool, hemp to reduce exposure.
• These might be unrealistic for many so focus on gradually replacing the most impactful items:
  
  • Underwear, socks, pajamas, bedsheets, pillowcases, and workout clothes.

Beware of Marketing Schemes!

Just because a container says “BPA-free” doesn’t mean it’s free of other toxic chemicals like BPS, BPF, phthalates, PFAS, etc. Some companies swap one harmful chemical for another just so they can slap a label on the product and market it as "safe." At the end of the day, we're still exposed to many of the same health risks—endocrine disruption, metabolic issues, and potential long-term effects on the gut and immune system. The solution lies in the above tips! 

DID YOU KNOW...

Heavy metals and plastics are not detoxified via traditional phase I and II liver detox! We need special detox strategies to remove these, and honestly, things get a bit complicated. I decided to put this info in a separate article. If you'd like to learn more, >> drop a message HERE to request a copy of the article <<

Do you want to test your toxic burden or a customized detox plan?

‍> Schedule a complementary 15 minute consult with me HERE to see if we're a good fit to work together! <

Key Takeaways:

Let’s not make the goal perfection… Let’s make the goal progress and do what we can when we can to minimize exposure. 

The research on this topic is fresh and still emerging; There’s a lot we don’t fully understand. But let’s err on the side of caution without spiraling into stress. After all, we have far more research proving the negative effects of chronic stress on our health than we do on the effects of plastics alone. Plus, chronic stress keeps your body in the “Cell Danger Response” (see above), preventing efficient detox.

So instead of fixating on every possible toxin, let’s focus on the foundations first, followed by the most impactful toxic exposures:

✔️ Prioritizing quality sleep – after all, this is how to maximize our detoxification!

✔️ Staying hydrated with clean, filtered water

✔️ Eating a nutrient-dense, whole-food diet rich in vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants

✔️ Getting enough high-quality vegetables, fruit and protein to support detox pathways

✔️ Spending time in nature and getting sunshine for vitamin D

✔️ Finding sustainable ways to manage stress—whether through breathwork, movement, prayer, time with loved ones or hobbies

✔️ Avoid (when possible) the most impactful toxic exposures: heating food in plastics, drinking out of plastic water bottles, the most toxic conventional (non-organic) foods (produce on the dirty dozen list, grains, coffee and corn), cosmetics and cleaners with poor EWG ratings used most regularly and most likely to be absorbed such as toothpaste and deodorant.

Empowered choices, not fear, are what truly support long-term health. 

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