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Chelsea Britton

To Detox or Not to Detox?


Broccoli soup, mass produced.


Well.... Your super smart liver does this all the time! If you talk to some super smarty naysayers about detoxification, they will say you don't need to support the body or the liver because it does it's thing 24/7.


I agree--The liver IS TRYING to detox 24/7! It is constantly happening whether it is up for the job or not. It is constantly filtering and processing everything in your body regardless of whether you drink the green smoothie or not.


BUT it DOES need help!! There are about a bajillion chemical reactions that happen to turn a usually fat soluble toxin into a water soluble form that we can pee, poop, or sweat out. So IF your liver is functioning super well, it can complete all of those bajillion processes just fine. But if you are low in some of the nutrients used, or antioxidants used, OR you have a super mega load of toxin, you JUST may need some additional help.


I like to describe the detox pathways- ok you asked for it!! (oxidation, reduction, hydrolysis, hydration, dahalogenation, sulfation, glucuronidation, glutathione conjugation, acetylation, amino acid conjugation, and methylation) as a series of events similar to the minute hand on a clock. So there is 11, not 12, but bear with me! Each step of the way USES up critical minerals, vitamins, and phytochemicals. They are part of the equation. So as the minutes hand passes by #1, #2, etc, precious nutrients are also used up to get toxins OUT of our body. If we have a low toxin load and good nutrient stores, we may be able to handle the balance. If we have a high toxin load and low nutrient stores, we may NOT be able to handle the balance.... AND then we need some support with managing our toxins and getting them OUT of the body.


Clear as pesticide free mud??!


Want to hear the nutrients that are used during those 11 steps of detoxification?

Riboflavin, Vitamin A, Niacin, Pyridoxine, Folic acid, Vitamin B12, Glutathione, Branched Chain Amino Acids, Flavonoids, Phospholipids, Glycine, Taurine, Glutamine, N acetylcysteine, Cysteine, Methionine.


So that's a lot, right? How many people are low in B12 or take it? Lots!

Flavonoids are the deep colors in fruits and vegetables... So usually a white & grain heavy / Standard American Diet isn't the highest in flavonoids.


I want you to know that the body can handle toxins. But it just can get to a point where those toxins can affect you. They can contribute to minor symptoms: headaches, tiredness, or bigger ones like migraine, fatigue, mineral and vitamin deficiencies, sinus issues, etc. If the clock keeps going around, no matter how much of those nutrients are there or not, then those are easily depleted. Simple as pie. The liver keeps the processes going but can not be efficient if it does not have all of it's key players present and accounted for.


So what can you do??


  1. Minimize toxins

  2. Boost intake of nutrients used

  3. Optimize exit routes- Bowels, bladder, and sweating!


If this intrigues you, let's chat. This is my jam. The world is beautiful but full of toxins.



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