Do you know what the single most important molecule you need to stay healthy, support your liver, help prevent aging, cancer, heart disease and dementia is? Glutathione.
Glutathione is the most important detoxifying agent in the body, as it allows your body to get rid of undesirable toxins and pollutants. In fact, glutathione is one of the few antioxidant molecules known to neutralize mercury.
Both your liver and kidneys contain high levels of glutathione, as they have the highest exposure to toxins on a daily basis. The lungs are also rich in glutathione partly for the same reason. In the body glutathione forms water-soluble compounds with toxins in your body, enabling them to be removed through the urine or the gut. Many cancer-producing chemicals, heavy metals, and drug metabolites are disposed of in this way.
Loss of Glutathione From Exposure to Toxins
The great news is that your body has the ability to produce its own glutathione. The bad news is that toxins in processed foods, pesticide residue, hydrogenated oils, air and water pollution, toxins in over the counter and prescription medications, chronic stress, EMF’s from electronic devices and computers, surgeries, trauma, infections and atmospheric radiation (including exposure from flying on airplanes)Â all deplete your glutathione levels.
Glutathione is constantly being depleted because for every molecule of toxin that your body detoxifies, you permanently use up a molecule of glutathione. During that process, your body is relying on nutrients to make the glutathione, so energy is being used up as well. As your glutathione levels get depleted, it leaves you susceptible to unrestrained cell deterioration from oxidative stress, free radicals, infections and cancer.
That is the primary reason I always urge people to do a regular detox with juice cleansing, raw food cleansing and supplementation. So much misinformation is on the internet, and I cringe when I see yet another blog article telling people “you don’t need to do that, your body detoxes naturally.” That is gross misapplication of biochemistry, and sadly, many people are vulnerable to that deception. YES! Our bodies most certainly do have exquisite detoxification mechanisms. The human body is a spectacularly designed orchestra of biochemical reactions wherein the organs, blood, lymph, muscles, tissues and cellular processes do what they do best: KEEP US ALIVE!
And, if we all lived in a pure environment, with no pollution, ate 100% organic food grown in fully mineral-rich soil (versus the NPK minerally deficient soil that almost all food is grown in today), spent plenty of time exercising in the fresh air, exposing our skin to daily sunshine, drank lots of fresh pure water, avoided most stress, and avoided all foreign substances in the body (including prescription and OTC medications) the body would be receiving what it needs to do it’s best work. But in today’s world, even those of us who DO eat 100% organic, avoid toxins like alcohol and coffee, protect ourselves from EMF’s, eat a plant based diet rich in massive amounts of antioxidants, exercise daily, spend lots of time in the sun, and drink pristine water, there are still plenty of ways that our bodies are receiving toxic input.
Three years ago when I first created the 8 Week Raw Body Reset, my main goal was to have a program where people could safely and happily detox the kidneys, gallbladder and liver, and then focuses on supporting and increasing glutathione production and health with nutrient rich meal plans, precisely because supporting the body’s detox processes and glutathione production is the best way to protect ourselves.
Ultimately, one of the most important things you can do to support your body’s natural detoxification processes is to boost levels of glutathione. So, how do you do that?
Here Are Four Tips to Boost your Glutathione Levels
- Eat Magnesium Rich Foods Daily. Magnesium deficiency has been proven to cause glutathione loss. Add raw cacao (the highest concentration of magnesium in a food), raw or slightly cooked baby spinach, collard greens, kale or or chard, almonds, sunflower seeds, Brazil nuts, cashews, pine nuts, flaxseed, pecans, black beans, kidney beans, white beans, chickpeas, black-eyed peas, and lentils to boost your magnesium levels and in turn, support glutathione production.
- Consume sulfur-rich foods. Garlic, onions, broccoli, kale, collards, cabbage, cauliflower and all of the cruciferous vegetables are rich in sulfur and help the body produce more glutathione. If you read my post on the ten most important ways to support your immunity, then you know that these powerhouse vegetables were on that list too. By now hopefully you are convinced to add cruciferous vegetables to your daily diet!
- Exercise! Moderate exercising on most days of the week (without overdoing it) helps boost your immune system, improve detoxification and enhance your body’s own antioxidant defenses. Thirty minutes a day of aerobic exercise like power walking or rebounding is the perfect way to boost glutathione levels without shortening your telomeres and accelerating the aging process like excessive cardio exercise does. You can also add strength training for 30 minutes 3 times a week to boost your healthy even farther.
- Take Glutathione Supporting Supplements. Some supplements have been shown to assist your body in producing more glutathione. Those supplements include: NAC (N-acetyl-Cysteine), Pycnogenol, Alpha Lipoic Acid and Milk Thistle (liver support). Be sure to work with your nutrition coach or specialist to help you come up with a supplement plan that works for you!
And ultimately always remember this: Our bodies give us so much 24 hours a day 7 days a week, they are the vessels that carry us throughout this lifetime so that we can truly thrive on our life-path. When the body is sick and weak, it is challenging — if not impossible — to live our best life, create beautiful things in this world, and achieve abundance in all areas of our life. It all starts with the physical body, so be sure to treat it well, detox regularly, add in as many life-affirming foods as you can, and get on with the business of THRIVING!
