Detox Smoothie with Chlorella - Wellness with Taryn

What does Detox even mean? It’s a term thrown around the internet so freely these days, lets get back to basics and back to what it really means to detoxify the body. This Detox Smoothie with Chlorella recipe (using the NutriBullet Balance) is a great facilitator in doing just that.

Not only through routine body function, does the human body produce toxins – but is also exposed to toxins through day to day living. In our modern times, we’re exposed to so many impurities – whether it be through the food we consume, liquids we drink, beauty products we use, household cleaning products or even the environmental factors that pose a risk to us.

How does our body protect us from these toxins you ask?

Detoxification pathways

The body is amazing and so incredibly intelligent. It is constantly ‘detoxing’ and removing harmful substances out of the body through it’s detoxification pathways. Fortunately, humans have an efficient metabolic detoxification pathway that neutralizes and removes harmful chemicals via key elimination channels, including our digestive system, liver, and kidneys.

While it is not possible to completely eliminate toxin/toxicant exposure from all sources, there are ways to minimize external exposures.

It is also very important to eat a good diet with plenty of fresh, wholesome foods. Avoid eating excess fat, refined sugar, and foods high in additives and preservatives.

Metabolic Detoxification

Most toxic chemicals are lipid soluble and are not easily eliminated from the body. Metabolic detoxification involves coordinated enzymatic reactions that neutralize and solubilize these harmful chemicals and facilitate their excretion from the body mainly via kidney, stool, or sweat.

Hence, the main function of the detoxification pathway is to transform lipid-soluble toxins to water-soluble molecules that are easily eliminated from the body. The phases of metabolic detoxification are performed by three sets of enzymes or proteins, called the Phase I (functionalization) enzymes, Phase II (conjugation) enzymes, and the Phase III (elimination) proteins.

Support Your Body’s Detoxification Efforts

Through high-quality protein, complex carbohydrates, fiber, and essential fats, the body gets what it needs to support muscle and organ function and to help prevent depleted energy resources during the detoxification efforts. But that is just the beginning. Additional targeted nutritional support can specifically address the detoxification process and serve to protect the function of the main organs involved in this process—the liver, the kidneys, and the intestinal tract:

• Liver: Filters out and transforms toxic substances in the blood into harmless substances that can be excreted in the urine or stool

• Kidneys: Provide a route for toxin excretion via the urine, performing a vital component in the detoxification process as they provide a route for toxin excretion via the urine

• Intestines: Support regular bowel movements, eliminate the buildup of unhealthy microorganisms and internal toxins, and provide a strong and intact barrier to prevent the leakage of toxic materials from the intestines into circulation

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How Chlorella Aids in Detoxification

Chlorella is a single-cell green freshwater algae that’s been shown to possess powerful detoxifying properties, among a host of other health benefits. This nutrient-dense superfood contains highly concentrated amounts of protein, vitamin A, vitamin B2, vitamin B3, iron, magnesium, and zinc. The chemical structure of chlorophyll is very similar to the “heme” of hemoglobin in human blood. The only difference in the two is that chlorophyll has the mineral magnesium at its center and heme has iron in its center.

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Mercury, arsenic, lead and cadmium are just some of the metals that may be found in our food and water sources, and which make their way into our systems wreaking havoc on immunity and quality of life. Of all the plant medicines capable of reducing heavy metal toxicity in the body, few offer such promise as chlorella.

Chelating is a scientific process in which molecules are bonded to metal ions to form a chelate. In detoxification, the aim is to introduce an element to the body which can extract the metals, safely carrying them out of the body. The aim is to remove the metals that have built up in the body, without simply mobilising them and moving them to another part of the system.

By wrapping itself around toxins like lead, cadmium, mercury, and uranium, it keeps them from being reabsorbed. Some Doctors say that regular consumption of chlorella can keep heavy metal from accumulating in our soft tissues and organs.

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Many naturopaths recommend combining chlorella with another powerful superfood plant: coriander. Like chlorella, coriander is a chelating agent, meaning it can bind to heavy metals buried deep within bodily tissues. But it’s most powerful gift is as a mobiliser – releasing those toxins that have been deeply locked away and wreaking havoc with your immunity.

Once the cilantro mobilises the heavy metals, the chlorella is then able to bind with the aluminium, lead, mercury or other harmful agent and flush it from the body. The pair are a match made in detox-heaven!

Why are heavy Metals so Detrimental to our Health?

While toxins of every kind are harmful, heavy metals pose a unique threat. Not only are they damaging in their own right, they are also a form of neurotoxin (a poison that disrupts nerve function and confuses your immune system). Heavy metal neurotoxins can inflame and irritate our central nervous system (especially our brain), causing multiple symptoms such as memory loss, brain fog, fatigue, and depression. Toxic heavy metals can also promote inflammation in the digestive tract, releasing poisons into our gut as well. As if this isn’t bad enough, heavy metals also serve as a source of food for viruses, bacteria, parasites, and other pathogens in our body.

Heavy metals can serve as a feeding ground for Streptococcus A or B, E. coli, C. difficile, H. pylori, and yeast cells. This can create an overgrowth of multiple bacteria in our gut, resulting in a condition known as SIBO (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth), which is characterized by bloating, abdominal pain, diarrhea, constipation (or both), and can lead to nutrient deficiencies. Additionally, when viruses such as Epstein-Barr and shingles feed off toxic heavy metals, this can produce symptoms such as tingling, numbness, fatigue, anxiety, heart palpitations, ringing in the ears, dizziness, vertigo, eczema, rosacea and psoriasis, as well as neck pain, knee pain, foot pain, pain in the back of the head, and a variety of other aches and pains that are often attributed to other causes.

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So in this detoxifying smoothie recipe, we combine the amazing detoxification benefits of Natava Superfoods Organic Chlorella and coriander, combined with nutrition and antioxidants from the fruits! It’s simple yet powerful!

I hope you enjoy the recipe, and feel great after trying it – bar possibly a few detox symptoms. If you do happen to try, remember to share it with me on Facebook or Instagram.