Holiday parties, celebrations, family gatherings, sporting events, you name it, we're always finding a reason to come together, make a toast and chow down on some delicious foods. Unfortunately, with all the togetherness and revelry, we often sacrifice our health.
Carbs, sugar, alcohol and other less-than-healthy options abound.
Fortunately, there is a secret nutritional weapon, a simple solution used for thousands of years to protect the body from the damaging effects of toxins.
And now YOU can use it to eat, drink, and be merry… maybe even overindulge just a bit, without the damaging after-effects of weekend libations and low-quality food.
Before we get to the solution, let’s get clear about toxins: what they are and what they do to you. “Toxin” can mean a lot of things, but here it refers to compounds with a damaging effect on your health.
This means:
There is no “safe” level of toxic exposure. They all negatively impact your health, whether you notice it or not. Toxins can impair your mitochondria, the energy factories of your cells. They cause cellular damage, leading to systemic inflammation and aggravate injuries or underlying chronic conditions.
They can even compromise your immune system and cause allergies or make you susceptible to cold and flu viruses.
Toxins sap your energy and create a drag on your health. And worse, they accumulate, so every subsequent exposure brings down your energy, your mood, your mental clarity, and overall health even more.
Protecting yourself from the effects of toxic exposure is just as important as exercise or eating a healthy diet.
So now that we know why we want to protect ourselves, let’s look at nature’s greatest detox secret: Activated Charcoal
Charcoal has been a part of every major medical tradition around the world for thousands of years. Typically, it is used as a detox remedy. It’s even used today in modern Western medicine to counteract the effects of acute toxic exposure.
Regular charcoal is a product of burning a carbon source like wood, the same kind you would use for a barbecue. Activated charcoal today, however, mostly comes from coconut shells.
The “activated” part comes from exposing the charcoal to extremely high temperatures. This changes the chemical structure, removing any remaining oxygen to create an even smaller structure with millions of tiny pores and a slight negative charge. [1]
The pores created in activated charcoal exponentially increase the surface area of the charcoal.
"Just two grams of activated charcoal powder has roughly the same surface area as an entire football field."
Most toxins have a positive charge, which is bound by the negative charge of the charcoal.
Activated charcoals unique combination of massive surface area with a negative charge creates a giant toxin-binding trap, neutralizing them to be safely eliminated through the bowels. [2]
The benefits of activated charcoal go well beyond the detox benefits of increased energy, enhanced immunity, and improved mental clarity.
Because it neutralizes the common toxins found throughout our environment and food supply [3], it actually contributes to longevity. It prevents many of the damaging effects of oxidation we find in aging. One study even found that it increased the lifespan of test animals by 34%! [4]
In addition, since activated charcoal binds toxins primarily in the gut, it even relieves digestive issues like gas and bloating, which are caused by difficult-to-digest molecules in foods like beans [5].
The best way to use activated charcoal is as a preventative medicine.
Take activated charcoal before you enter into any situation that will expose you to toxins. For example:
It’s best to take 1000mg between meals or 2-3 hours after any medications or supplements. Because activated charcoal is so absorptive, it can interfere with proper absorption of the medication.
Also, remember to drink plenty of water when you use activated charcoal. If you are not properly hydrated activated charcoal can cause minor constipation.
Take activated charcoal powder or capsules when you eat out at restaurants, drink bad quality coffee, when you travel, when you feel moody or tired, and when you drink alcohol.
And finally, If you are already on a detox protocol or struggling with toxicity issues, consult your health professional before adding activated charcoal
Raise your glass: A toast to your optimal health!
With activated charcoal as your secret weapon, now you can party on free of the typical fuzzy brain, slow-motion beginning.
Instead, you can protect your health with just a couple of pills, still party like it’s 1999, and move forward into Monday with high energy and good spirits.
In the nearly 8 years that my wife and I have lived in Colorado Springs, never have we seen the amount of road construction currently taking place. Whether it’s a main road or side street, there’s no part of town missing out on the “fun”. And it’s not just re-paving or patching potholes. Whole lanes are being ripped up with miles of digging in order to replace underground pipes of all varieties.
At first, I thought all the “weed” sales (pot is legal in Colorado) might be producing the influx of tax funds for all this construction. But a running buddy of mine made me aware of a bill that had passed in the last couple years which freed up an enormous amount of funds for these projects.
Turns out the city has a certain amount of time to spend the money. Based on the number of orange cones and “ROAD WORK AHEAD” signs, it looks as though no penny is being spared.
Millions of people are about to be disappointed –– they don’t even realize it.
Maybe you’re one of them.
Right now, around the world, people are setting new ambitious health goals and resolutions.
And yet, according to Inc Magazine, approximately 80% of New Year's resolutions fail. Most of them buried in an unmarked early grave by February.
Why is that?
How is it that despite all our best intentions and genuine desire to live healthier and be fitter, the most we can hope for is a depressing 20% success rate?
So to help you kickstart your New Year with a healthy lifestyle we are going to breakdown why most goals and resolutions fail and what to do instead.
Collagen is just about everywhere.
Not just in your body, where collagen makes up roughly 25% of your total protein content, its also around you.
It’s in health food stores, grocery stores, in big plastic tubs at discount markets.
