Have you considered a detox to improve your health?

Whether it’s for skin, weight loss or to ’boost’ your health?



Or perhaps you have been told you need to detox to help a certain condition you may be concerned about, but are unsure of where or how to start.



Well firstly, let me break down what a detox is, or rather what a detox is not, in order for you to properly be able to support your health and actually achieve genuine results!

To properly support and improve the health of an organ, it is necessary first to understand the importance and the role an organ plays, in order to know how to best support it for optimum functioning and performance.



This is particularly key for your liver! Contrary to popular belief, your liver does more than just ‘detoxify’. 

Our liver actually provides many essential roles to support our health, particularly our immune system, on a daily basis.



It is involved in many processes which help to support our health including:

• Protein metabolism


• Breaking down toxic substances, making them water soluble in order to be easily excreted

• Protecting against toxic substances and environmental toxins

• The breakdown and metabolism of essential nutrients including carbohydrates, fats and proteins

• Maintaining our immune system
 and hormonal production

In order for the liver to perform these processes effectively, it requires the appropriate food and nutrients to do so.

As the liver plays such a vital role for supporting our health, as well as maintaining our skin health and integrity, rather than focusing on what to avoid, we should focus on how to support to nourish and improve these processes.



Contrary to the overload and false noise promoted in the health and wellness world, our liver does not actually need ‘detoxing’, as this is an ongoing process for the skin.


However our liver does need supporting, and does require key nutrients and foods to help this process. As well as reduce the circulation and accumulation of toxins within the body, which can lead to other chronic issues such as low immunity, gut issues, hormone imbalances and inflamed skin conditions, particularly eczema, psoriasis, dermatitis and certain types of acne.

So, how to properly support your liver?

Supporting your liver may be much simpler than you think, and you don’t have to dread giving up your favourite foods, if at all!



Here are 5 key tips to support and nourish your liver for optimum detoxification.

1. Include clean lean protein

Protein is so important for the function of our liver. It is the building block of each cell in the body and is required for synthesising and replenishing new tissues within the body. In order for the liver to be able to break down and continue its functions, we need to ensure we are consuming enough adequate proteins to enable this process. 

Proteins containing essential amino acids (glycine, taurine and glutamine) are also vital for the function of phase 2 detoxification, which involves the excretion of toxic substances from the body, making them more soluble and easier to be excreted.




2. Include healthy fats and balanced meals

Contrary to the popular beliefs that detoxing requires fasting and skipping meals, our body actually requires essential macronutrients to be able to breakdown and distribute to other organs in the body. Having a full and balanced plate of healthy nutrients enables the liver to efficiently breakdown and excrete these nutrients and distribute them where they are required!



3. Include cruciferous and green leafy vegetables

Cruciferous vegetables are key for our liver health, as they contain sulphur metabolites. These metabolites are required for phase 2 detoxification, which again enables the passing of water toxic substances from the body. These are also very important for hormonal health, and the excretion or potentially harmful or elevated hormones.



4. Include citrus foods


These are high in vitamin C which helps support phase 2 detoxification. 
Vitamin C and Citrus bioflavonoids are required for the first phase of detoxification, which is the process of making phase 1 metabolites (fat soluble) into water soluble and less toxic, so they can be readily excreted. Vitamin C is also a key antioxidant which helps to protect against free radical damage, helping strengthen cellular integrity, and optimising the health and integrity of our skin cells and immune system.


5. Eliminate alcohol, caffeine and refined sugars.


When the body receives these common inflammatory foods, particularly alcohol, it reduces the absorption of other nutrients as it focuses on breaking down these substances first. At a time when trying to support and reduce the load on the liver , consumption of these foods actually places the liver under additional stress.

The easiest way to support your liver is by focusing on eating real, whole foods, and particularly bright coloured fruits and vegetables. These are high in anti-oxidants and help reduce free radical damage. 

Including foods high in flavonoids (bright coloured fruits and vegetables), as these help support detoxification pathways and include plenty of green leafy vegetables as these are high in antioxidants which are key for supporting our liver.

For more information on how to support your liver, skin and overall health from the inside out, head to the blog for more practical and step by steps guides to help you on your journey!



If you are ready to get to the root cause of your health concerns, wether it’s your skin, hormones, gut or liver health and are not sure where to begin, then I am here to help you!

Simply send an email or book in via the contact tab on the blog, and I can help you with take the next steps to understanding your health, so you can ultimately heal and achieve your health goals, from the inside out!

Also, if you know someone who would benefit from reading this, then please share this with them. If you have any questions or comments, please ket me know, I would love to hear from you and answer your questions.

Until next time,

Take Care!

Dominique.

Skin Nutrition Co. X

Your 
Holiday Hormone Survival Guide!



Holiday season is often a time filled with many celebrations and is often a time when we begin to unwind, relax and sometimes can become tempted to slip out of our usual routine.

Your Holiday Hormone Survival Guide!

Plus 5 Steps to Keeping your Hormones Healthy over the holidays!

Whilst taking time off and actually enjoying this time of the year is very important, sometimes we can get a bit too relaxed and are tempted to throw in the towel on our healthy eating habits. 



Of if you have a hormonal imbalance, hormonal acne, or are trying to improve your health, it can be very hard not to feel restricted or know what to eat and what not to eat this time of the year, and often when people find it too hard they are tempted to give up completely.



But, please have hope, it doesn’t have to be this way!



Here are 5 keys tips you can implement to help keep your hormones healthy, whist still enjoying your celebrations!



1. Include healthy fats with each meal.

Include healthy fats such as avocados, salmon, tahini, coconut yogurt, olive oil, nuts, and seeds.
 These help with satiety, meaning they help keep you fuller for longer and are actually key for our hormonal health.

Satiety also helps with stabilising your blood sugar levels, meaning you will be less likely to keep snacking and grazing on foods as you only need a small amount to keep full.
Healthy fats, particularly from omega 3 fatty acids also help to reduce inflammation and are vital to help support the production of healthy hormones.



2. Avoid refined sugar and processed sweets.

Refined sugar particularly in the form of lollies, soft drinks, candy, chocolates and packaged foods are all high in refined sugars and cause a direct spike in our insulin levels. 
Refined sugar is also highly inflammatory and is particularly problematic for hormonal issues, as the increased insulin levels leads to increased production of androgens and inflammatory hormones, which is often a large driver behind acne, inflammatory skin and hormonal related conditions such as PCOS.



3. Enjoy healthy snacks!

Include healthy snacks and treats that are going to help nourish and keep you satiated!
Rather than focusing on what not to eat, or what you ‘can’t’ eat, focus on what you CAN eat! This is known as ‘crowding’, where you fill your plate and focus on all the foods you can eat. This will help you feel like you have more options of foods to enjoy and are less likely to feel restricted and overeat on the less healthier foods. See below for healthy snack ideas! 



4. Limit your alcohol and excess caffeine.

Alcohol is also highly inflammatory and can reap havoc for our hormones when consumed in high amounts, particularly for women as womens hormones are much more sensitive to alcohol.

Alcohol is actually received as a toxin to the body. When this is being consumed in high amounts, in order for our body to be able to break it down and be able to clear and filter the toxins properly, it actually blocks the absorption of other nutrients. 


Tip: For every alcoholic drink you have, aim to have two glasses of water with it.
Also, try to have your alcohol around 30 minutes of eating and avoid drinking on an empty stomach.
Remember moderation is key! Enjoying a glass in moderation is completely fine for a celebration and the season! Just be cautious of the quality, type and amount that you are consuming.



5. Include your fibre!

Fibre in the the form of fresh fruit and vegetables (cauliflower, Brussel sprouts, broccoli, pears, apples) will help with supporting detoxification which helps with the clearance and excretion of hormones and removing toxins form the body. Fibre is really important to help continue our bodies natural detoxification process, which is particularly important for our hormonal health.

Tip: Aim to eat through the rainbow! This will help you receive a variety of different nutrients, whilst proving plenty of flavour as well! Include root vegetables such as pumpkin or sweet potato, or roasted cauliflower and brassicas as a delicious savoury sides! These are an easy and tasty way to include more vegetables as well as help keep your fibre intake up over the season! Include berries, cherries or pineapple as a light sweet treat after your meal!



Theses are all simple steps you can implement to help you indulge mindfully over the Christmas period, whilst still supporting your health and hormones!

Some of my favourites healthy snacks include:
-Veggie sticks with hummus or tahini

-Pears, bananas or apples sliced with peanut butter
-Mixed berries with nuts & seeds 

-Coyo with sprinkled cacao nibs, mixed berries and cinnamon

-Healthy choc truffles (see the link in blog)

-Get Creative! Rather than feeling like you can’t have your favourite foods, look for a healthier alternative or healthier recipes to re-create your favourite meals!

Please remember though, Christmas is just two days and is a special time to celebrate. Please know, if you have a treat or two over this time, it’s not a ‘blow out’ or ‘all out the window’. Just try remember to implement your healthy tips when you can, and remember to enjoy the time mindfully!

Remember, mindfully, balance and moderation is key!

Till next time,

Take Care!

Dominique

Skin Nutrition Co.