If you are fortunate enough to have the time to plan prior to baby making, I would seriously consider taking a year to get your body in ship-shape. Yes, 1 year of eating clean, doing a detox or two and really stocking up on nutrition before the lil ones start to steal the goods from you.

We all know that our world is growing ever more toxic and with cancer moving up to the #1 killer of Canadians (yikes!) it is time to start seriously thinking about how our bodies are able to deal with the thousands of chemicals we are exposed to daily. Therefore, detox really is important to us all (whether you are makin’ babies or not).

Detoxification can seem like a scary term to those who think it means all you can consume is water with lemon and cayenne. There are sooo many different kinds of detoxs and cleanses and if you have not attempted any in the past, here are a few really gentle ways to start:

• Eat as “clean” as you can. Eat organic and avoid as much packaged and refined food as possible. Try to avoid congesting foods like sugar, flour (especially gluten containing) and large quantities of dairy.
• Buy organic body care products and green cleaners for around the house.
• Deep breathing and yoga can be extremely cleansing. Try breathing in for a count of 4, holding for a count of 7 and breathing out slowly for a count of 8, 4 times in a row, 2x/day.
• Dry skin brushing to stimulate the lymphatic system. This has the added benefit of decreasing cellulite as well. Check out this video to see how it is done.
• Support the liver with herbs, try some herbal teas like milk thistle or dandelion root. Careful as some herbs can interact with prescription med’s.
• Eat superfoods like seaweeds (try kelp powder on savory foods), spirulina and chlorella or liquid chlorophyll.
• Add lemon to your water. This helps the liver purge bile, our body’s way of getting rid  of toxins
• Increase your consumption of fibre using superfoods like chia seeds to pull those toxins out through the bowels. You definitely want to ensure you are pooping to detox effectively (to put it bluntly).
• Infrared saunas can be a great way of sweating out toxins. Make sure to avoid wearing antiperspirants that contain aluminum and prevent this process. This has been said to be a contributing factor to breast cancer, so please natural deodorants (or none) only.

A word of caution: Please consult a natural healthcare practitioner prior to starting a detoxification protocol, there is no doubt detoxes can do more harm then good if they are not done properly or if your body is unable to handle it due to an existing health condition. I highly recommend seeing a qualified holistic nutritionist (I happen to know a good one ) or a Naturopathic Doctor. Also do not start detoxifying while you are actively trying to get pregnant (or are breast feeding). The last thing we want to do is stir up toxins only to be “dumped” on the poor lil babe.

If you however were not so fortunate to have a year to prep, no worries, this post is by no means meant to make you feel guilty. It is never too late to start making little changes that will effect the health of your whole family. Like eating real food – that comes from the earth!