the recent tragedy in japan has raised concerns about radioactive material in our air, food and water. although the amount of radiation we are being exposed to is probably very slight, it is never a bad idea to protect your body from all of the toxins to which we are exposed every day. some very wise ladies at GOOP (yes, it’s gwyneth paltrow’s blog and it’s fantastic) and midnight apothecary have given us some tips that i think are worth sharing. here are some things we can incorporate in our lives regularly to keep our bodies toxin-free and feeling great.
1. SEAWEED: the iodine in sea vegetables helps protect your thyroid and other glands from radioactive uptake and in general is one of the most medicinal foods on earth. buy some nori and host a sushi or kimbap party, or dress up plain brown rice by wrapping it in toasted nori (trust me, it’s delicious!)
2. MISO/DOENJANG: fermented soybean paste is full of live cultures, amino acids, minerals, and protein. japanese and koreans have a bowl of miso or doenjang soup almost every day and it’s easy for you to do too. make a big pot of vegetable stock this weekend and use it throughout the week as the base for your soup. boiling miso or doenjang paste destroys essential nutrients so, while you are reheating your stock, put a spoonful of the paste in a bowl and pour the hot stock over to mix. add a few cubes of tofu and a handful of scallions and share the love with your family and friends.
3. MUSHROOMS: strengthen your immune system with shitake mushrooms, sauteed in olive oil with salt and pepper or in a simple soup. mushrooms are the healers of the forest, knowing how to bring everything (on earth and in your body) back into balance.
4. Eat lots of vegetables, especially DAIKON radishe and BURDOCK root. throw them in soups or make a shredded salad or slaw. cooling and detoxifying daikon has been used for drawing out radiation.
5. FERMENT: make homemade sauerkrauts and kimchi or find someone who does (or just buy some of good quality). have a fermentation celebration and fill your empty jars or tupperwares with crunchy apple and cabbage kraut or spicy kimchi. it’s fun to massage vegetables with friends and these foods have the probiotics your gut needs and wants and are deeply nourishing and restorative.
6. HERBS: some great herbal allies are nettle tea, cilantro (it helps draw heavy metals out), and milk thistle (helps your liver process toxins).
7. WATER: DRINK lots of it. take baths. go to the sauna. sweat. cry. detox.
8. IMMUNE support: do the things you know boost your immune system. sleep well, limit sugar and processed foods, eat garlic and vitamin C rich foods and be happy!
I'm confused about seaweed. On the GOOP site, Dr. Chris Renna says: "seaweed contains a lot of iodine and other valuable nutrients, but it concentrates heavy metals and other environmental pollutants. It is a great food eaten occasionally." - So maybe we need to source our seaweed away from Japan...?
ReplyDeletei agree. i did a lot of research into it and found the same argument everywhere i looked. numerous sources agree that the high level of iodine in sea vegetables is an excellent choice to combat radiation exposure. however, most seaweed sold in the US comes from japan and shows moderate to high levels of toxicity. this article took their research a step further and found two companies selling seaweed (sources from Korea and the US) that seem to be safer options:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.theholykale.com/2012/05/radiation-today-health-effects-of-fukushima/
as always, these kind of things are a good reminder to exercise moderation and variety in our diet.