Naturally Detoxing your body during pregnancy or Lactation
As you begin the journey into pregnancy and/or lactation, have you considered all the toxins that your body transmits to your baby?
Research shows accumulation of toxins and chemicals detected in the umbilical cord when babies are born. There are lots of different places from which these chemicals are derived. They enter into our bodies through the air, our water supply, pesticides, and skincare products just to name a few.
We don’t always have control over all the chemicals that come into our body, but we can reduce the amount of chemicals we absorb by supporting our body’s natural pathways to elimination.
One of the most effective ways to cleanse our body from these chemicals is through detox protocols, but these are not recommended when pregnant, lactating, or trying to conceive as they require many herbs not recognized as safe during this time.
Which is why we are going to focus on how to support your natural detox pathways to clear out these toxins as much as possible, specifically focusing on the role of the liver and gastrointestinal tract, and estrogen metabolism. During pregnancy and lactation this can be done safely using specific nutrients from whole foods.
You can watch the full details on the new podcast episode of Rebel Roots Nutrition.
Before we look at how to cleanse our body, it is important to be aware of the types of toxins to look out for and their effects on the body. A lot of these toxins are considered Xeno estrogens, and endocrine disruptors. These directly affect our endocrine system and the hormones involved such as our sex hormones and thyroid hormones.
We also need to be aware of carcinogens, cancer causing chemicals. There are 1000s of chemicals out there that are carcinogenic which we know about, that are unregulated and untested. You can find these chemicals in your skincare and hair products, as well as your cleaning supplies and other common household items.
So how do we naturally detox these chemicals?
We have different pathways which include:
the liver
the kidneys
GI tract
the skin
the lungs
Urination, bowel movements, sweat, and even the breath are pathways to elimination. But the liver is really the super hero here that's working nonstop to help us filter out these chemicals.
By understanding the liver detoxification process and how to support it to work efficiently, you can detox a lot of these toxins effortlessly.
There are two different phases of liver detoxification to be aware of:
Phase 1 is called functionalization. This phase allows toxins to travel through the bloodstream and ultimately exit the body by making them water soluble.
When these become functionalized, these toxins are being acted on by different enzymes, such as the cytochrome P 450 enzymes. This stage causes the toxin to be more virulent before the next stage, but only temporarily, and thus requires significant presence of antioxidants . So increasing our antioxidants to support the detoxification during this first stage is important.
Phase II is called conjugation: This is where the functionalized molecule is now bound to a water soluble molecule for transport out of the body.
Here is a list of nutrients and foods that you need in order to make phase one and two move smoothly and optimise your liver to naturally detoxify your body:
B vitamins: B2 - spinach, legumes dairy, salmon, eggs, and niacin
B3 - poultry, brown rice, nuts, seeds, and bananas,
B6 - sweet potato, broccoli, fish, and garlic.
B9 - folate/folic acid, rich, leafy greens, sunflower seeds, and whole grains. High quality prenatal vitamins will have a good methylated folate in there as well.
B12 - Cobalamin; We acquire this mainly from animal products (meat, fish egg yolk and dairy) and fortified grains, cereals and nutritional yeast.
Glutathione - combination of 3 amino acids: lysine, cysteine, and glutamic acid. Sulfur rich foods such as onions, garlic, broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, and avocado
Selenium - seafood, Brazil nuts, and oatmeal
Branched chain amino acids: known to enhance ammonia detoxification in the skeletal muscles. found in milk cheese, quinoa, legumes, meat, and different protein sources.
Phytonutrients & Zinc: These act as antioxidants. Found in leafy greens and super colourful fruits and vegetables. Zinc rich foods include pumpkin seeds, lamb, lentils, and cashews,
Choline: nourishes and maintains structural integrity of the cells of the liver and can be found in foods such as salmon, legumes, and egg yolks (not all prenatal vitamins contain choline so look for a high quality option that does)
Aside from nurturing the liver, supporting the Gastrointestinal tract (GI Tract) is also key to clearing toxins.
Consumption of adequate fiber helps prevent constipation and aids healthy bowel movements. Constipation otherwise can result in reabsorption of toxins. This happens when pathogenic gut bacteria produce unhealthy levels of beta glucuronidase, an enzyme that can de-conjugate toxins that have been conjugated and prepared to move out of the body. Simply put, this means that now these toxins are not able to exit the body and instead get recirculated.
Probiotic rich foods are great for the GI tract. These include foods such as kimchi, sauerkraut, yogurt, and kefir that enhance the gut flora, helping to rebalance the microbiome and reduce beta glucuronidase activity.
Lastly we want to talk about estrogen metabolism.
We are inundated with Xenoestrogens in our environment. These pesky chemicals that mimic natural estrogen often lead to estrogen dominance and other hormone disruptions that we want to avoid during pregnancy and lactation.
A fantastic way to reduce or balance high levels of estrogen is through consumption of soluble fibers. Great sources of soluble fibers are oats, flax, apples, and brussel sprouts.
This is just a brief overview of the phases of elimination by the liver and GI tract.
Fully ridding your body of all chemicals is impossible, but you can at least reduce the amount of chemicals that are absorbed and passed down to your baby by supporting your natural detox pathways as efficiently as possible.
Consuming these vitamins are important to consider during pregnancy and lactation, which is why it is always essential to take high quality Prenatal Vitamins. It’s also important to have a well rounded whole foods diet to receive all the nutrients to support liver and gut health.
You can watch the full Rebel Roots Nutrition episode Here. For more information and resources regarding pregnancy and lactation visit www.rebelrootsnutrition.com.
You can also access more resources on the toxins to avoid and alternative products to use by joining the Rebel Roots Nutrition Freebie Library HERE https://www.rebelrootsnutrition.com/freebie-library
Disclaimer: This information is for educational purposes only and is not intended or implied to substitute medical advice or provide treatment or diagnosis. Always consult your physician for your healthcare needs.