Veggie Blog

People often say that modern life is “full of toxins,” from polluted air and water to chemicals in food and household products. There is truth in this, but the message is often used to sell cleanses. It helps to be specific about what the risks are and what you can do about them, because the practical steps are mostly simple.

What counts as a toxin?

A toxin or poison is a substance that can harm the body when you are exposed to enough of it. The dose is what matters. Even things that are fine in normal amounts can harm you in extreme ones. Drinking very large amounts of water, for example, can be dangerous, although that is highly unusual. Some exposures come from outside the body, such as smoke, chemicals and contaminated food. Others, such as waste products of normal metabolism, are made inside the body and removed by the liver, kidneys and bowel.

Where does everyday exposure come from?

The biggest and best-documented sources are not mysterious. Tobacco smoke, including secondhand smoke, is a major cause of illness. Alcohol is a toxin to the liver in large amounts. Air pollution, fumes from cleaning products, pesticide residue on produce and germs on raw food can all play a part. Medicines and supplements can harm you if you take too much or combine them badly. Eating a diet high in sugar and refined foods does not poison you in the same way, but it does raise the risk of weight gain and chronic disease.

How can you lower your exposure?

Start with the big things. If you smoke, ask your doctor for help to stop. Keep alcohol low: the latest Dietary Guidelines for Americans simply advise drinking less for better overall health, and some people, such as those who are pregnant, should not drink at all. Wash fresh fruit and vegetables under running water and scrub firm produce with a clean brush; the FDA’s advice on cleaning fruits and vegetables says that there is no need to use soap or a produce wash. Open windows when you use strong cleaners, and never mix cleaning products such as bleach and ammonia. Use medicines as directed and tell your doctor about all supplements you take. Washing your hands and cooking food properly prevents far more illness than any cleanse.

Can a cleanse cure chronic illness?

No. Some of the claims in detox marketing say that toxins cause conditions such as heart disease, arthritis, allergies or fatigue, and that a cleansing program reverses them. Smoking and heavy drinking really do raise the risk of disease, and that is a strong reason to cut back. But a few days of juice or herbs does not undo the damage, and the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health found no compelling research that detox diets remove toxins. Long-term conditions need a doctor, a healthy diet and regular exercise. Our posts on detox diets and who should skip them and how to judge body detox products explain what to look out for.

When is real detox needed?

People who are dependent on alcohol or drugs may need medically supervised detoxification, because stopping suddenly can be dangerous. If that is you or someone you care about, do not try to manage it with herbs or a diet. In the United States, the SAMHSA National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357) is free, confidential and open 24 hours a day, every day, and it can point you toward local treatment.

Eating well, moving more and avoiding the exposures listed above will do more for your health than any cleanse. If you want to take the next step, our guide to eating well and letting your body do the work shows how.

Organic skin care

If it can be done naturally, why go for artificial means – this is the simple premise on which organic skin care works. Organic skin care is by far the most natural way of skin care. In fact, organic skin care was probably the first one to be used by man when he first woke up to the needs of his skin. Organic skin care is not only friendlier to skin, but also inexpensive. If practised in the right way, organic skin care can help keep your skin clean, moisturised and healthy-looking.

Organic fruits and vegetables are the most popular ingredients in organic skin care routines, e.g. cucumber is very common in organic skin care routines. Turmeric, apple, papaya and ginger are others that find a wide use in organic skin care routines. These organic materials have a very refreshing and vitalizing effect on your skin. Almost every skin care book/guide has a section on organic skin care (including the actions of various fruits and vegetables on skin). So choose the ones that are more suitable for your skin type and start experimenting with them until you finally select the ones that are most suitable for inclusion in your organic skin care routine. It is important that you use fresh organic fruits/vegetables. Do not try to use rotten ones for your skin; their only place is the garbage bin.

Milk is known to have cleansing properties; in fact, the names of some skin care products contain the word milk. A combination of milk with ground oatmeal acts as a wonderful cleanser.

Ground almond is a popular ingredient for oily skin in an organic skin care regimen. It is used in various combinations, e.g. with egg, honey, milk and fruits, for preparation of organic facial packs.

Wheat germ is a common ingredient in organic skin care procedures. It is rich in vitamin E and is known for its exfoliating as well as moisturising properties. Wheat germ, in various combinations with other organic materials, is used to prepare facial masks for normal and dry skin types. Wheat germ oil is another way in which wheat germ is used for organic skin care.

Yogurt and sour cream are other natural materials that are known for their exfoliating and moisturising properties.

Use of pure honey is also common in organic skin care procedures. It helps in retention of moisture and helps impart a glowing look to skin.

Rose water takes its place as a toner in organic skin care routines. Lavender water is popular too.

Organic skin care uses combinations of different natural materials that complement each other and add to each other’s effectiveness. Keep in mind that natural ingredients can still cause allergies or irritation, so try any new mixture on a small patch of skin first.

Organic skin care is truly an art that, once perfected, can give tremendous results in a highly cost effective manner.

The old version of this post described three yoga exercises, Warrior III, Plank and Side Plank, but the instructions were so garbled that they were hard to follow. I have not watched the video that goes with the post, so I have rewritten the steps from standard yoga practice. They are general instructions, not taken from a study. They are demanding poses, so read the safety notes before you try them.

What does Warrior III train?

Warrior III is a standing balance pose that works the standing leg, the back of the body and the core. The old post began from Mountain Pose, and that is a good way to start. Stand with your heels slightly apart and big toes touching, legs straight, chest lifted and arms by your sides. Place your hands on your hips. Shift your weight onto your left foot and lift your right leg behind you, keeping it straight. Hinge forward from your hips, not your waist, until your torso is parallel to the floor and your raised leg is in line with it. Keep your hips level and your weight evenly spread across the inner and outer edges of your standing foot. Begin with five breath cycles and build up gradually, as the old post suggested, but do not rush to fifteen. To come out, lift the torso and return to Mountain Pose, then repeat on the other side.

How do you do Plank Pose?

Plank builds strength in the arms, shoulders and core. Begin on your hands and knees with your hands under your shoulders. Step your feet back until your legs are straight and you are balancing on your toes with your feet together. Keep your arms straight, your shoulders away from your ears and your body in one line from head to heels. Do not let your hips sag or lift. Harvard Health notes that most experts suggest holds of 10 to 30 seconds, done as several shorter sets, rather than one long hold. The video that goes with this post, “How to Do the Plank Pose” from Howcast, shows the pose. I have not watched it, so use it as a guide only, and not as a safety check.

What is Side Plank?

Side Plank is a harder variation. From Plank, press your ankles together and roll onto the outer edge of your right foot, stacking your left foot on top with your legs straight. Lift your left arm toward the ceiling and look up at it if your neck is comfortable. The old post said to let the abdominal muscles support the body without clamping and crunching, which means staying long through the waist and breathing normally. Hold for five breaths, then lower your left hand to the floor, roll back to Plank and repeat on the other side. Support yourself with your lower forearm if your wrist is sensitive, or lower your bottom knee to the floor while you learn.

What should you watch out for?

These poses put weight on the wrists, shoulders and lower back, and the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health reports that the most common yoga injuries are sprains and strains. It recommends beginners avoid extreme practices and advises people with conditions such as lumbar spine disease, balance problems or a pre-existing injury to talk to a health care provider and an instructor, since some poses may need to change. If you have back pain or other back problems, Harvard Health suggests doing the plank on your knees, or standing and leaning against a counter at a 45-degree angle. As general yoga advice (not from a source), a forearm plank takes pressure off sensitive wrists. Stop if you feel sharp pain, numbness or tingling.

How can you build up?

Practice near a wall or a sturdy chair for Warrior III at first, resting a hand on it for balance. Do a few minutes of warm-up beforehand; our guide to warming up before yoga explains how. For Plank, start with short holds and rest in between. Work through our post on holding poses with steadiness and the basic yoga postures and their variations to prepare your legs and core. If your goal is a strong midsection, our post on gaining a shapely waist through yoga has more ideas, though keep in mind that no exercise can remove fat from one area of the body alone. A short, regular practice of three or four sessions a week will do more than one very long session.

The old version of this post asked whether the Atkins diet is right for you, and answered with a list of reasons to try it, including a family history of diabetes, being overweight and having certain eating habits. Some of that advice is sensible, and some goes too far. This rewrite keeps the questions and fixes the parts that overreach.

What is your dieting history?

The old post suggests writing down every diet you have tried, what worked, what did not and why you stopped. That is a good exercise. It also says that if low-fat diets have worked well for you and low-carb diets have not, Atkins is probably not for you. The research backs the idea that personal fit matters: in a 12-month trial of 609 adults, a healthy low-carb diet and a healthy low-fat diet produced similar weight loss on average (6.0 kg compared with 5.3 kg, a difference that was not significant), which suggests that a plan you can keep following matters more than the label on it. Read the trial abstract.

Are you “carb sensitive”?

The old post lists signs: feeling hungry right after meals, strong urges to eat during the day, feeling dizzy, foggy and tired without sugar, and feeling sluggish after a meal rich in carbohydrates. “Carb sensitivity” is an informal term, not a diagnosis, and the same symptoms can come from skipped meals, poor sleep or medical problems. MedlinePlus lists anemia, thyroid disease, diabetes, sleep disorders and depression among the causes of fatigue. If you often feel like this, ask your doctor for a check before blaming carbohydrates.

What does your medical history say?

The old post said that if you have prediabetes or diabetes, a low-carb diet such as Atkins may be right for you, and that a family history of diabetes can create a need for it. The truth is more careful. The American Diabetes Association’s 2019 consensus report says that for select adults with type 2 diabetes who are not meeting blood sugar targets, or for whom reducing medicine is a priority, low- or very-low-carbohydrate eating is a viable approach. It also says that a very-low-carb plan can cause fluid loss and a quick drop in blood sugar, so you need advice from a knowledgeable practitioner at the start to prevent dehydration and low blood sugar. The ADA’s 2019 standards of care did not recommend low-carb plans for pregnant or lactating women, people with or at risk of disordered eating, or people with kidney disease, and said to use them with caution with SGLT2-inhibitor drugs because of the risk of ketoacidosis (check the current edition of the standards). Our post on Atkins and diabetes looks at this in more detail, and you can read the ADA consensus report.

Does being overweight make Atkins a better fit?

The old post says that the more overweight you are, the more likely you are to have high blood pressure, high triglycerides and high blood glucose, which is true. But it is not a reason to choose one diet over another. The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute notes that adults with overweight or obesity can lower LDL cholesterol and raise HDL by losing only 3 to 5 percent of their weight, whichever way they do it. Pick the plan you can follow, and ask your provider to check your blood pressure, cholesterol and glucose while you lose weight.

Can you live with the rules?

Think about the practical side. The first two weeks can bring headaches, tiredness and constipation, and you need to count carbohydrates. Atkins currently offers plans at different carbohydrate levels (about 20, 40 or 100 grams of net carbs a day, according to its website), and the old post mentioned a “modified” version for people who had bad experiences with both low-fat and low-carb diets. See the Atkins diet basics and Atkins induction rules to find out what is involved, and common mistakes Atkins dieters make for traps to avoid.

What should you do next?

Talk to your doctor if you have diabetes, kidney disease, heart disease or high cholesterol, or if you take regular medication. Write down your answers to the questions above, choose a start date and plan your meals before you begin. If Atkins is not right for you, that is fine; there are other ways to lose weight and keep it off.

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Serious skin care

Adapting your routine to your skin

Serious skin care is about keeping your skin healthy and glowing throughout your life. As you get older, your body’s natural skin care mechanisms become weaker, so serious skin care means responding to the changing needs of your skin. It is about constantly evaluating and, where needed, changing your skin care routines. Your routine should change with the environment, your age and changes in your skin type.

Staying informed

Serious skin care is also about awareness. Thanks to technology and research, new knowledge is brought to light every day, and the composition of skin care products keeps changing with time. Trying out new products is therefore part of serious skin care. Test a new product on a small patch of skin first (not on the face) to see how your skin reacts to it.

Using products well

Serious skin care also means knowing how to get the most from your products. Good practices include applying moisturizers while the skin is damp, using gentle upward strokes, removing make-up before going to bed, cleansing before you moisturize or put on make-up, and using the correct amount of each product. Making your skin care products more effective is another focus of serious skin care.

Being gentle

Some precautions, such as avoiding contact with harsh detergents, are also part of serious skin care, which means being gentle with your skin. Over-exfoliation, low-quality products and strong chemical-based products are all harmful to your skin. Some people have the wrong idea of serious skin care: they think it means using large quantities of products as often as possible. It does not, and that is why awareness is so important.

Serious skin care is also about visiting your dermatologist for skin disorders. Ignoring skin disorders can be risky for your skin and might lead to permanent damage. If things do not improve with over-the-counter medication, see a dermatologist without delay. Do not treat blemishes yourself: squeezing acne or pimples is a big no, because it can damage your skin permanently.

In the end, serious skin care is more about precaution and protection than about treatment. It means being proactive as well as reactive. In fact, we can say it is about being proactive about the needs of your skin so that the need to react is reduced to a minimum.