Time to clean out the system after the holidays

It's the New Year. The eating binge is over. And it's time to revisit my annual column on cleansing. Yes, I also talk about cleansing in spring and fall. Why not clean out the body while you are cleaning under the bed? But since we have just spent six weeks over-indulging in so many pseudo-foods that taste good but make us feel terrible, we might want to consider cleansing now, as part of our annual resolution writing.

But I approach the subject from a different angle this time. I will talk about "food for the cell," because if you feed cells proper nutrition, they know how to get the junk cleaned out. They will do the job for you.

It has been said that illness can be traced to two basic causes: two many toxins in the body and too few nutrients reaching the cells. Do you ever feel stressed and exhausted? Skin breakouts? Feeling sluggish? Those could be signs of excess toxicity in the body (think "too much alcohol and chocolate fudge..."). Toxins disrupt the normal healthy flow within the body, leaving you feeling fatigued, sore and depressed. We are exposed to thousands of toxins and harmful synthetic chemicals in our food, air, water, homes, and workplaces. We are constantly exposed to toxic pesticides, herbicides, beauty and hygiene products, food additives, negative emotions, and a host of other factors that compromise health. To make it worse, some of us are genetically inefficient in our detox mechanisms and we need even more help.

Here are some simple tips to help you get those toxins flushed down where they need to be:

1. Drink plenty of water. Drink about 1 ounce for every two pounds of body weight. Water helps flush the system and activates enzymes that detoxify through the liver.

2. Eat plenty of fiber. Some cultures consume up to 65 grams of fiber per day. On our lower calorie diets, it is difficult for us to get that amount of fiber in the course of a normal day, even with an excellent diet. So you will need to supplement with a blend of fibers that scrub the GI tract clean.

3. Add trace minerals to your diet. The body requires tiny amounts of scores of trace minerals like zinc, selenium, silica, manganese, lithium, and many others. These minerals perform many essential functions in the body, particularly as they activate the thousands of enzymes that do the work of the body. Enzymes are mineral dependent, and we simply do not eat enough of them to do the job. Detoxifying enzymes are catalyzed or energized by trace minerals.

A unique product from Europe contains these minerals extracted from fossilized sea vegetation from New Zealand and Antarctica and is used by practitioners to increase cellular energy. Scientists believe it releases more oxygen into the cells through a process that I do not understand - so I can't help you understand it either. But since I am such a big fan of minerals and have such a hard time getting enough in my diet, I am convinced. At least convinced enough to try it myself.

I wish I had more science on it, and I wish I understood water splitting and other such technologies but my brain doesn't go there. I just put my drops of liquid minerals in my water and drink it, knowing that somewhere inside, somehow energy-restoring, detoxifying oxygen is pouring into my cells, and I am feeling better. I think toxins are being released out of the cells so the liver can deal with them.

- Carol Simontacchi is the owner of the Island Nutrition Center on Sanibel. She can be reached at 472-4499 or on the Web at www.islandnutritioncenter.meta-ehealth.com .