Did you know that toxins can have a direct impact on your weight? Clinical nutritionist and functional medicine practitioner Josh Gitalis dives into this topic to tell us more about obesogens, toxins, and how we can detoxify to gain optimal health. You can find all the info and links about this episode at https://holisticwellness.ca/episode61. Topics Discussed in this Episode: What are obesogens The places where we can find these toxins Endocrine disruptors and its effects Strategies that we can utilize to detoxify The channels of elimination Where to start detoxifying your home Infrared sauna for detoxing and sweating Detox foods The benefits of using mushrooms in blends and teas The best strategies for supporting the immune system Juicing: Is it good or bad? How to avoid Alzheimer’s becoming your destiny when it runs in your family Gluten or dairy: Which is worse? Bloating problems and how to fix them   Key Takeaways: Obesogens are chemicals that increase the number of fat cells created in the body as well as the amount of fat stored by the body. One of the easiest ways for toxins to get into our body is by taking them orally. We can have thoughts that are toxic and really cause sickness in our body. When someone is overweight, the excess weight is not the problem, it’s just a symptom of the problem. The infrared sauna is one of the most well-researched ways to detox. It’s amazing for getting out all sorts of fat-soluble compounds and even water-soluble compounds. The only way to get rid of cadmium effectively is through sweat. Foods that are great for detoxifying include raspberries, flax seed, broccoli sprout, cilantro, and parsley. Mushrooms are amazing immunomodulators. The most important thing for the immune system is sleep. If you’re not getting enough sleep, you’re more prone to colds and infections. Sugar is a huge drain on our immune system. A couple of teaspoons of sugar can depress the immune system for up to 5 hours.   Action Steps: Strategies to detoxify Get rid of any toxins that could be coming into your body before you try to detox it. Get rid of all plastic as much as possible. Make sure your food is as toxic-free and clean as possible. Optimize the five channels of elimination. Poo every day. Pee multiple times a day. Get rid of toxic thoughts. Help your two internal cleansing systems, the liver and the lymph, to do their job. Eat a diet with tons of color. Detoxify your home. Start with the bedroom. Open the window a little bit, have some indoor plants, get rid of the cell phones and the electric clocks, and get the blinds closed as much as possible. You can also get a natural mattress.   Josh said: “I eat what’s right for me in that moment, at that time, based on what my body needs… I don’t subscribe to any one specific dogma. I don’t believe in labels when it comes to food because then people get bogged down by that label and it can prevent them from healing.” “If you’re eating vegan or you’re eating paleo, you’re still eating and want to eat a ton of vegetables, which is really where all the power lies. And when in doubt, just eat broccoli.”   Thanks for listening! Important Announcements: Connect with me over on Instagram, @holisticwellnessfoodie! And it would mean so much if you would leave us a rating or a review over on iTunes or Spotify or Stitcher, or whichever platform you’re listening to us on. Take a screenshot of your review and email it over to us, and get our FREE 3-Day Hormone Balancing Meal Plan.   Links to things I talk about in the show: Learn More about Josh's Functional Nutrition Certification program. Sign up for Josh’s FREE Functional Medicine Masterclass The End of Alzheimer's: The First Program to Prevent and Reverse Cognitive Decline by Dale Bredesen The GI-MAP Test   Where you can find Josh Gitalis: Josh’s Website Josh’s Instagram (@joshgitalis) Josh’s Twitter (@JoshGitalis) Josh’s Facebook   Where you can find me: Samantha’s Facebook Samantha’s Instagram Sam