Every day we get exposed to toxic heavy metals. This exposure comes from soil, air, water, and even food contamination. While completely avoiding heavy metal exposure is impossible, we still want to minimize exposure to the best of our ability. We want to do this because research shows us that long-term exposure to heavy metals can contribute to numerous acute and chronic health problems. Some of these diseases include cancer, heart disease, Alzheimer’s, fibromyalgia, and many others. We can help the body fight off these effects by partaking in a heavy metal body detox to eliminate these harmful toxins from the body.
There are numerous medical and natural remedies you can use to detox your body from heavy metals, and this article will look at several vegetables that help the body detox heavy metals.
Heavy Metals 101
Before we look at the vegetables I recommend for a heavy metal body detox, let’s jump into the facts about heavy metals in case this is your first deep dive into the subject matter.
How Do You Get Exposed To Heavy Metals?
The body gets exposed to heavy metals from several methods. Exposure occurs from soil contamination, water supply contamination, food supply contamination, air pollution, and industrial waste. Some lesser known methods of exposure include:
- dental fillings
- old paint
- canned foods
- vaccinations
Each method is situation-based but the fact remains that nobody can avoid some degree of heavy metal exposure.
What Are The Short-Term Effects Of Heavy Metal Exposure?
Heavy metal exposure and accumulation in the body leads to several issues that can look like other health problems. Because of this, it is recommended to get tested if you experience some of the following symptoms of acute metal toxicity.
Symptoms To Look For:
- fatigue
- headaches
- nausea
- bloating
- stomach pains
- dizziness
- difficulty remembering things
- difficulty concentrating
- high blood pressure
- hot flashes
- dry/itchy skin
- low libido
- low energy
- insomnia
Once again, these can be symptoms of numerous other health problems. Therefore, you need to be tested to either confirm or rule out heavy metal toxicity. If it is confirmed to be metal exposure, then a heavy metal body detox is the next step.
What Are The Long-Term Effects Of Heavy Metal Exposure?
Short-term effects are bad enough, but over time, the accumulation of heavy metals can contribute to plenty of other health problems. Examples of diseases that heavy metal accumulation contributes to include:
- cardiovascular disease
- cancer(s)
- Crohn’s disease
- Alzheimer’s
- liver failure
Of course, there are other factors that contribute to the development of these diseases. However, long-term heavy metal toxicity is something you can check and rule out to be safe.
How Do You Know If Heavy Metals Are To Blame For Symptoms You Are Experiencing?
The only way to know for sure is to go visit your doctor and get tested. Now, there are some hair mineral tests you can get online. However, it is still recommended to play it safe and go visit the doctor for testing. They can test hair mineral levels, saliva, and blood for metal levels. Once you know what metals you need more of or less of, you can make a plan.
Are All Metals Bad For You?
No. In fact, we need trace amounts of several metals to be healthy. Some examples of metals that are good for us in trace amounts (micronutrients) include:
- Magnesium
- Copper
- Zinc
- Calcium
- Potassium
- Sodium
- Iron
In excess, these metals are toxic to you. However, in trace amounts, they help your body perform many necessary functions to stay alive. With that said, there are other metals your body has ZERO use for. These are the toxic heavy metals you want to avoid to the best of your ability. When it comes to toxic heavy metals, there are 4 that are most toxic to you. These are:
- Mercury
- Lead
- Arsenic
- Cadmium
These are the four heavy metals most associated with poisoning and cause the most damage with minimal exposure.
What Do You Do If You Are Suffering From Heavy Metal Exposure?
If you are confirmed to have excess levels of toxic metals in your body, the next step is to eliminate them. There are a couple of ways you can do this. The easiest way is to make changes to your diet and lifestyle. The second way is to try chelation therapy. Chelation therapy is a medical procedure that involves introducing a chelating agent into the body. This chelating agent binds to metals and mobilizes them so they can be eliminated by your body’s natural detoxification pathways (urinating, bowel movements, sweating, etc).
While chelation therapy is a method that works, it can also bind to metals that your body needs, so it is best to try diet changes and lifestyle changes first and see if that helps. As long as symptoms are not dire, you can avoid medical intervention and do a heavy metal body detox at home safely.
What Diet And Lifestyle Changes Are Needed To Detox The Body?
Simply put, you want to start engaging in eating habits such as:
- Eating more leafy greens.
- Eating more fruit.
- Adding herbs and spices such as cilantro and parsley to your meals.
- Eating more flaxseeds and chia seeds.
- Drinking a cup of bone broth each day.
I will provide more detail on specific vegetables soon, but these basic diet changes will provide your body with natural chelating agents and give the body essential vitamins and minerals to keep your body’s detox system working optimally.
Some lifestyle and habit changes you can make to help the body detox heavy metals include:
- Filter your house water.
- Be wary of your fish (tuna, salmon, shellfish, and swordfish in particular).
- Ask for mercury-free vaccine alternatives.
- Opt for resin fillings over silver fillings at your next dentist visit.
- Drink more water.
- Make sure the paint in your building is lead-free.
There are other changes you can make, but these are a great place to start to minimize heavy metal exposure.
The 5 Vegetables For A Heavy Metal Body Detox
I will start off by saying there are more than 5 vegetables that will detox the body from heavy metals. However, these 5 vegetables I am listing are in my opinion the most versatile vegetables for a diet. Furthermore, these vegetables will provide other health benefits, such as boosting nitric oxide and providing essential micronutrients to keep you healthy. Now, let’s get into it.
Heavy Metal Body Detox Veggie #1: KALE
Kale is one of the most widely known healthy leafy green available. Not only does it contain numerous vitamins and minerals your body needs, but it also contains antioxidants your body uses to fight off free radicals and reduce inflammation caused by heavy metal exposure. Some of the nutrients kale contains include:
- Vitamin A
- Vitamin B6
- Vitamin C
- Vitamin K
- Potassium
- Copper
- Manganese
Heavy Metal Body Detox Veggie #2: SPINACH
The next leafy green to add to your diet for a heavy metal body detox is spinach. Spinach is packed full of essential vitamins and minerals just like kale. Also, spinach can be added to any meal of the day, making it a versatile food. Some of the nutrients you will get from spinach include:
- Vitamin A
- Vitamin C
- Vitamin K
- Folate
- Iron
- Potassium
Furthermore, you can combine kale and spinach together in a salad or smoothie for a powerful meal designed to detox the body from heavy metals on top of numerous other health benefits.
Heavy Metal Body Detox Veggie #3: MUSTARD GREENS
While this heavy metal body detox veggie is fine to eat raw, in my experience these are best eaten boiled or stewed with seasonings. These greens are packed with numerous micronutrients such as:
- Vitamin A
- Vitamin C
- Vitamin E
- Niacin
- Riboflavin
- Iron
- Calcium
- Magnesium
These greens make an excellent side dish for various types of meat, particularly beef and chicken dishes.
Heavy Metal Body Detox Veggie #4: BEETROOT
While beetroot has tons of health benefits, we are looking at what makes it good as a heavy metal body detox food. Unlike some of the other vegetables on this list, beetroot is a substantial standalone meal for those who like the taste or need a filling meat-free meal. Furthermore, beetroot contains essential micronutrients the body needs to detox heavy metals optimally. Some of these nutrients include:
- Folate
- Vitamin C
- Manganese
- Potassium
- Iron
Heavy Metal Body Detox Veggie #5: GARLIC
While I have discussed garlic before, it needs just as much love as leafy greens. This is because garlic specializes in eliminating heavy metals. Garlic contains sulfur compounds such as allicin that bind to heavy metals in the bloodstream and organs. This makes garlic a natural chelating agent. Furthermore, garlic contains other key nutrients to help the body detox heavy metals. These key nutrients include:
- Vitamin B6
- Vitamin C
- Manganese
- Fiber
- Selenium
- Potassium
Garlic is most helpful when it is chopped or diced. Also, add garlic to numerous meals as a flavor enhancer. Furthermore, garlic is useful as an ingredient in spreads and sauces.
Final Thoughts
You can add all of these veggies listed above to your daily diet in many ways. There are plenty of other vegetables you can add to your diet, and I will cover several others in a later article. Take this information and use it to conduct a safe and tasty heavy metal body detox.
To learn more about heavy metals and living a healthier life, check out the rest of our blog here.