Nobody knows just how much of a risk toxins in our food really pose. Most of the associations between chemical exposures and disease are just that—associations. But we’re exposed to dozens, if not hundreds, of chemicals, and the effects of some multiple exposures may be more than the sum of their parts, say experts. Or, in some cases, they might cancel each other out.
What’s more, toxins get into our bodies through more than just food. We are exposed to them through our carpets, lawn chemicals—even our clothing. Check out these 7 toxins you can avoid in your diet and get simple solutions for minimizing these chemicals and toxins in your diet and life.
People, regardless of urban or rural living, have always been exposed to toxic chemicals and pollutants that take up residence in our bodies. Think of the living conditions in the Middle Ages. Think of what people inhaled during the early industrial revolution. Think about smog in our cities and toxic chemicals in the air we breathe, no matter where we live. Fortunately, our bodies provide us with a complex detoxification system that, for the most part, quickly defends us from most of these toxic pollutants.
That said, given the typical modern diet and the increase in new synthetic chemicals entering our bodies – an estimated 50,000 different chemicals: food additives, pesticides, herbicides, drugs and household and industrial chemicals (Source: Robert Buist, Ph.D., “Food Chemical Sensitivity”) – our detoxification systems are simply overwhelmed. They are unable to keep up with the demand that we put on them. The body can handle synthetic chemicals in very small amounts but not at the rate at which they are being introduced.
