Most people realize that if they eat too much and exercise too little, they’ll soon have to lie on their bed to zip their jeans.

But there is another sneaky factor behind weight gain that most people aren’t aware of….

Toxins in your body!

In addition to harming your cells, interfering with your body’s systems, and taxing your liver and kidneys, toxins also pack the pounds on your backside.

Here’s how:

So what’s the connection?

Your body is programmed for survival.  

That’s why it will do things like chop away at your own bones and muscles to get nutrients if your diet isn’t providing them, or give you a fever if you contract a virus or infection that can be destroyed with a temperature above 98.6°.

Your body’s innate reaction to toxins is to hunt them down and protect you, and one of the ways it does this is by retaining water and fat to dilute them.

So the more toxic you are, the more H2O and blubber you are accumulating.

Where oh where can my toxins be?

Here are four of the most common sources of hidden toxins that may be lurking in you:

1) Medications

Below are some common drugs and how their toxicity affects your body:

• Antihistamines—inhibit your liver’s detoxification ability
• Benzodiazepines (Halcion, Librium, Valium)—these also inhibit your liver’s detoxification ability
• Birth control pills—can cause yeast overgrowth and an increased risk of gallstones
• Chemotherapy drugs—these poison your cells. Although the intent is to target malignant cells, they also destroy healthy cells and damage your organs and bone marrow.
• Laxatives—cause mineral depletion, can lead to leaky gut and a lazy bowel. Abuse can cause kidney failure.
• NSAIDs—cause ulcers, gastritis and liver and kidney damage.
• Steroids—can damage the liver and cause leaky gut.

2) Environmental toxins

Pesticides, fungicides, and herbicides can cause a wide variety of damage to your liver and kidneys as well as harm your brain and nervous system.

There are two ways these can get into you—from direct exposure by breathing them in, and from eating the fruits and vegetables that they are sprayed on!

3) Heavy metals

The three most common offenders are:

1- Aluminum

Aluminum is destructive to the nervous system and can cause disturbed sleep, nervousness, emotional instability, memory loss, headaches, and impaired thinking and memory.

Aluminum is found in vaccines, cookware, food and beer/soda cans, antacids, baking powder, antiperspirants, margarine, buffered aspirin and bleached white flour.

2- Mercury

Mercury exposure can cause mental dysfunction, fatigue, poor memory, depression, emotional problems, neurological damage and muscular disorders. 

Dental amalgam fillings are a very common source.

Mercury is also found in vaccines (especially flu shots), fungicides and pesticides, cosmetics, tattoo dyes, laxatives, paper products, home thermometers, and fish. 

3- Lead

In children, too much lead in the body can cause lasting problems with growth and development. These can affect behavior, hearing, and learning.

Lead is found in pipes, paints, and gasoline. It's also in glassware, roadways, cosmetics, hair dyes, newspaper print and in the glazes used in ceramics.

4) Poor digestion

Poor digestion means poor elimination of wastes and toxins, and toxins that overstay their welcome in your intestinal tract can be reabsorbed and start a cycle of illness and stressing your liver.

Reduce your load—and help reduce your weight!

The more you can reduce the toxic overload to your body, the better your chances of enjoying proper functioning of all your body’s systems and…taking off excess weight!

Here’s how:

Consider alternatives to drugs

Explore safer alternatives to drugs.

For example, fish oil capsules like VitalMega-3 have been shown in numerous studies to be effective against high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol and arthritis!

Beefing up your intestinal flora with probiotic supplements like Super Shield can support your immune system, which may lessen your need for antibiotics.

And supplementing with vitamin B12 (found in our Hydroxaden 2.5) has been shown to be very helpful in combatting depression, mental fog, and low energy.

Go organic as much as possible

The easiest way to avoid chemicals in your food is to choose organic.

You can help to control the cost by participating in Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) programs.  Check it out here: www.localharvest.org.

If you're on a tight budget, here are the items which have the largest amounts of pesticide residue:

• Celery
• Peaches
• Strawberries
• Apples
• Blueberries
• Nectarines
• Bell Peppers
• Spinach
• Cherries
• Kale/Collard Greens
• Potatoes
• Grapes

Improve your digestion

The more efficient your body is at eliminating wastes the less toxic you will be.

Keep your meals simpler and avoid pairing proteins and starches in the same meal, as that combination is very taxing to your system and frequently results in poor digestion.

Instead, pair proteins OR starches with vegetables, and eat a tossed salad every day.

Avoid sources of heavy metals

Ask your dentist to composite material for fillings instead of silver amalgam which contains mercury. 

Avoid using aluminum cookware—use stainless steel or cast iron. 

Also, avoid the most contaminated fish, which include the following species:

• Mackerel 
• Marlin
• Orange Roughy
• Shark
• Swordfish
• Tuna

Buy natural cleaning products or use cleaners like vinegar and baking soda. 

And educate before you vaccinate.  If you choose vaccination, at least request vaccines that are free of aluminum and Thimerosal (mercury), and read the package insert prior to injection.

To your health,

Sherry Brescia