This is a really important topic, because many of our children today are suffering with some form of chronic disease or condition. Whether it be chronic eczema, an autism or ADHD diagnosis, an autoimmune condition, allergies, anxiety, asthma, the list goes on. It’s estimated that over half of our children are suffering in this way, and one of the main reasons that this occurs is due to toxicity. So today I’m going to break down for you what ‘toxicity’ means, and some safe and simple ways that you can help your child detoxify naturally.
What is toxicity?
When we use this term, it refers to chemicals and toxins in our immediate environment that have the potential to cause harm to our bodies. This includes furniture, carpet and paints, foods and drinks we consume, medications, body products like shampoo and toothpaste, the air we breathe, and the products that we use to clean our homes and clothes. Many of these products contain highly toxic compounds, that have been shown to seriously harm our health in one way or another.
Babies and children are particularly susceptible to these toxins for a number of reasons:
- They are smaller than adults, but consume more food and water per weight, giving them more exposure to chemicals within this food and water.
- Small children often spend a lot of time on the floor, on carpets, or on grass that may have been sprayed with chemical weed killers and fertilisers.
- Their liver and detoxification pathways are not fully mature yet, so they can’t optimally get rid of chemicals.
- Brain development is rapid in children. Toxins can seriously impair this development.
On a positive note, our bodies are naturally made to detoxify environmental chemicals and toxins. However, if we have constant exposure at a rate that we can’t detoxify quickly enough from, our bodies become inflamed, and signs of illness start to appear.
Eczema, asthma, behavioural issues, insomnia, frequent sickness, and infections. These are all classic inflammatory signs in our children.
Natural detoxification for children
So, how can you naturally help your child’s body to detoxify efficiently?
The human body is clever, and it has natural means of detoxification that include:
- Regular bowel motions
- Sweat and other body secretions
- Breathing
- The lymphatic system, which is stimulated by movement
So, some of the best things we can do for our kids include supporting the above processes.
Regular bowel motions
You can encourage regular bowel motions in your child by making sure they consume lots of fresh fruit and vegetables through their day. A smoothie is a wonderful way to get veggies into kids. Snack platters of chopped fruit and veggies are also a great way to offer kids their fruit and veg.
Hydration
Keeping them hydrated with plenty of fresh filtered water is also important. It will help with regular bowel motions, and also stimulates the lymphatic system, assists efficient breathing, and helps to replenish lost sweat. Water is key!
Get moving
Get the kids outside or down to the park, running, playing, and moving. This really stimulates the lymphatic system and assists detoxification perfectly. One of the best ways to do this is on the trampoline, and most kids won’t say no to lots of fun bouncing and jumping around.
Sunshine
Our sun Vitamin, Vitamin D, is super important for supporting our kids immune and nervous system health. Would you believe it, it’s also necessary for detoxification! So let your kids enjoy some time in the sun without sunscreen. Just 10 to 20 minutes, in the morning before 10am (or after 4pm) is best in sunny Australia.
Leafy greens
These are superb detoxifying wellness agents. Leafy green veggies contain copious amounts of nutrients and antioxidants, which are super important in helping the liver work efficiently. If your child doesn’t like greens, add them to smoothies with banana and mango, or make green juices with apple added in.
Sleep
When kids sleep, their brains work hard to remove toxins. Sleep also allows the body to rest, heal, and recalibrate, which is important for your child’s overall wellness too. Making sure your kids get enough sleep for their age will help them in many areas, including detoxifying efficiently. If you need help in this area, please get in touch with me, as there are many avenues of support available that we can explore together.
Nutrition
Its important to reduce processed foods, flour products and added sugars in your childs diet. These foods are inflammatory, dampen the immune response, and create a lot of hard work for the liver. Instead, focus on feeding your kids fresh whole foods. Loads of fruits and veggies, nuts and seeds, good quality organic yogurt and butter, eggs etc. Things like fruit and veggie smoothies, snack platters with loads of fresh foods, chia puddings, homemade muffins with low sugar and added seeds, gluten free bread with avocado are all wonderful ways to get more nutrition into your kids.
In conclusion, heavy duty detoxification is not usually necessary for children. It’s more about sticking to the above habits, and creating a low toxin environment for our children, that will help their natural detoxification pathways to work efficiently.
If you feel that you need some specific support in this area for your kids, you can get in touch with me HERE.
Until next time,
Allison