Do you have any idea just how many toxins you’re exposed to on a daily basis?
The answer will absolutely surprise you!
Everywhere you go, everything you do, you’re exposed to toxins from all directions.
They’re invisible, tasteless, odorless, and impossible to detect with the naked eye, but they are very much present, waiting to be absorbed, inhaled, or ingested. And once they’re inside your body, they can cause very real, very significant harm.
There are literally hundreds of toxins that you can be exposed to every day, but we’ve narrowed it down to the eight most common that you need to be aware of—and take steps to actively avoid.
Bisphenol-A, or BPA, is a chemical used in the manufacturing of a wide range of plastic products—everything from the containers you store food in to the receipts you get at most stores to the interior lining of food cans.
While these plastics were originally perceived as “safe”, recent research [2] has shown that BPA can leech from the plastic into your food. BPA mimics estrogen, binding to estrogen receptors in your body and disrupting your endocrine function. It can also lead to reproductive problems and increase the risk of prostate and breast cancers.
There is even the possibility that BPA can contribute to obesity, diabetes, insulin resistance, and weight gain [3].
The key to removing BPA from your life (as much as possible, given how prevalent plastics are) is to avoid the use of plastic products whenever possible.
Switch to glass food containers. Avoid single-use plastics. Never expose plastics to high heat (such as in the microwave). And be wary of canned foods that may have BPA in the lining.
Never heard of acrolein? No surprise, because it’s one of the lesser-known toxins—but its effects can be fairly serious!
Acrolein is an unsaturated aldehyde [4] that is released into our environment when fossil fuels are burned. It’s also a byproduct of smoking and can be airborne.
However, acrolein is also used as a biocide or contact herbicide, and may be present in cheese, alcohol, coffee, donuts, and other products cooked using wood or fossil fuels [5].
When ingested, acrolein is treated by your body as a toxin and is eliminated by glutathione. However, in doing so, your body’s limited glutathione supplies are depleted. Acrolein can also cause DNA damage and oxidative stress, which your depleted glutathione supplies aren’t able to counteract. It triggers the release of C-reactive proteins (biomarkers of inflammation) and elevates triglyceride levels in your bloodstream while also lowering the HDL cholesterol that keeps blood lipids in check.
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (or PAHs) are environmental pollutants released when organic materials are burned. However, they can also be present when fat drips onto hot surfaces—for example, if you grill vegetables that have been coated with olive oil.
While PAHs are typically prevalent in mostly meat and meat products (anything smoked or grilled), they can also be present in vegetables that are cooked with fat (such as olive oil) on high heat. Processed foods are also a common source of PAHs [6].
PAHs are toxic and can do very real damage to your body. They’re particularly powerful carcinogens that can increase your risk of cancers, including prostate, kidney, breast, and colon.
The best way to avoid PAHs is to use lower-heat methods of cooking (such as braising, baking, or slow-cooking) and avoid high-heat methods (like grilling and searing) as well as reducing the amount of smoke produced when cooking your food.
Perchlorates aren’t the most common toxin around, but your risk of exposure to them is higher than you might expect.
Industrial workers and those who live around factories are those most commonly exposed to perchlorates, both via the air they breathe and contaminated water. However, they’re also present in rocket fuel, highway flares, and fireworks. Most ordinary of all, they’re used in plastic packaging to prevent static electricity.
Perchlorates bind to iodine and interfere with the healthy function of your thyroid gland. They stop your thyroid from producing the critical hormones that are necessary for your metabolism and energy regulation.
Paired with iodine deficiency (a problem becoming more and more common due to our modern diet), high levels of perchlorate in the body can lead to hypothyroidism and other thyroid gland problems.
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You’ll never believe where you’re exposed to this toxin: cinnamon!
That’s right, the cinnamon you find in your grocery store contains coumarin, a compound that has been linked to liver damage and higher cancer risk [7].
The good news is that it’s typically only a danger if consumed in high quantities, so you really only need to worry if you put a lot of cinnamon in the food you eat.
However, if you want to be truly safe, you can avoid the types of cinnamon that contain high (or dangerous) levels of coumarin, including C. burmannii, C. cassia, and C. loureiroi. Instead, buy C. verum, which is more expensive and mostly available online, but contains far lower levels of coumarin.
Trans fats are entirely artificial lipids that are produced when unsaturated oils (like corn or soybean oils) are pumped full of hydrogen (aka, hydrogenated) in order to turn the liquids into a solid.
Many of the baked, fried, deep-fried, and processed foods you consume every day contain trans fats, including:
Pastries
Chips
Cookies
Snack foods
Margarine
Packaged baked goods
Trans fat consumption has been directly linked to inflammation in the body, as well as seriously negative effects on your cardiovascular health. Trans fats can clog your arteries and increase your risk of heart attack and stroke.
Thankfully, trans fats have been banned in the U.S. since 2020 [1]. However, products are still being made with ingredients that produce trans fats as manufacturers transition away from the use of those ingredients.
To avoid trans fats, simply avoid eating any fried or deep-fried food, remove hydrogenated oils from your kitchen, and steer clear of packaged baked goods and snack foods.
Yes, sugar is very much a toxin!
When you eat sugar (especially in excess), the sugar molecules bind with proteins and fats in your bloodstream, creating what are known as “advanced glycation end-products”, or AGEs.
AGEs promote oxidative stress and trigger inflammation in your body’s cells. They are known to contribute to cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and kidney disease [8]. They are also one of the three biomarkers that indicate accelerated biological aging.
The simplest way to avoid AGEs is to scale your sugar intake back significantly. Without sugar to bind to fats and proteins, no AGEs can be produced in your body.
Phthalates are one of the most prevalent toxins in our modern environment. They’re present in an incredibly wide range of things that we use or are exposed to on a daily basis.
You can find phthalates in[9]:
Plastic containers (which can leech into fatty foods)
Health and beauty products, particularly those that contain fragrances
Fast foods (which may be cooked using foods that contain phthalates)
Phthalates have been linked to lower IQ, higher ADHD rates, an increased risk of diabetes, and reduced fertility among men.
The best way to avoid the damage caused by phthalates is to avoid using plastic containers in microwaves. Also avoid vinyl toys, perfumed consmetics, including fragrances in shampoos, lotions and cremes.
It can be scary to realize just how much danger we’re in on a daily basis, due to the many, many toxins that exist in the world all around us.
But knowledge is power!
With the information you’ve learned above, you can take active steps to decrease your toxin exposure and clean up your life.
While it’s impossible to live entirely toxin-free, proactive measures can help you to drastically reduce the amount of toxins you consume or absorb every day.
Give your body a fighting chance against toxins by actively avoiding the sources we listed above.
It’s also worth taking a look into supplements if you have already been exposed to many toxins and your toxic build-up is quite high. Going the extra mile and choosing a quality formula can make a difference in supporting your body's natural detoxification pathways. There are many products available, but it’s essential to carefully consider all options and make the right decision on the best supplement.
A good supplement should support not only liver function, but also other vital processes, such as maintaining healthy insulin levels, having anti-inflammatory properties and even flushing out heavy metals from the system. For best results, we recommend picking a product with all-natural ingredients - herbs and extracts.
We know that finding such formula can be challenging, so we partnered with environmental toxin specialists and supplement formulators to create our very own. By selecting only science-backed, natural ingredients, we formulated an herbal remedy that supports your liver and kidneys detox organs and is safe to use. And we called it Restore Detox.
How does it work? We selected the most potent 6 detoxifiers, which have been used for centuries. To your surprise, you’ve probably heard most of them before
Resources:
[1] https://www.fda.gov/food/food-additives-petitions/trans-fat
[2] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21605673/
[3] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21956417/
[4] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9831131/
[5] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19039083/
[6] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26656511/
[7] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22178604/
[8] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3704564/
[9] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9831131/
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